Rethinking Double Bridle Curb Bits

When I first envisioned riding in a double bridle again I studied Francis Dwyer's book “On Seats and Saddles, Bits and Bitting” where he talked about double bridles and curbs. Dwyer noted that a lot of mouth problems in his light cavalry troops came from curb bits that were too wide for the horses' mouths. So I got me a bit measure and measured Bingo's mouth,…

Dwyer on Curb Bits—Part III

Now we get to the outside of the curb bit, the upper and lower bars of the curb bit cheek-pieces. Again all quotes come from “Seats and Saddles, Bits and Bitting” by Francis Dwyer, all caps are my emphasis and all parentheses include my clarifications when the meaning is unclear.

From page…

Dwyer on Curb Bits—Part II

This week I quote Dwyer on the inside of the horse's mouth and how that can affect the selection of a proper curb bit. All quotes are from “Seats and Saddles, Bits and Bitting” by Francis Dwyer. Everything in parentheses is my additions, and I put really important things in capital letters.

On…

Dwyer on Curb Bits, Part I

Dwyer writes a lot on curb bits because back then the cavalries used a lot of curbs, either by themselves or as part of the double bridle.  From his experiences with 400 light cavalry horses in the Austrian Imperial cavalry he determined that many, if not most, of the problems that the cavalry troopers had with their horses came from improperly fitted and sited curb bits.

Dwyer (and Oeynhausen) found certain ratios in the horses' heads…