The Bombers Happy Tongue Drop Cheek Bit features a solid mouthpiece that is uniquely ported to improve tongue relief. The mouthpiece is set ergonomically to consider the desired action of bringing pressure softly onto the bars (before any direct action over the tongue area) while the port of the bit ensures any tongue pressure is limited preventing the horse feeling undue discomfort across the tongue. This is especially beneficial where horses have small or fine jawlines and large tongues in comparison.
Made from a material known as sweet iron, which is a ferrous metal that oxidises easily, and this assists salivation and encourages your horse to accept the bit as it is becomes warm and sweet tasting in the horses mouth. It is a popular design recommended by Bombers for all young horses and those that show tongue sensitive signs. These signs can include a horse:
- Shaking its head.
- Sticking its tongue out.
- Sucking its tongue back and as a result making an intermittent coughing noise.
- Trying to put its tongue over the bit.
- Going behind the bit to avoid the contact to save the tongue from pain.
- Snatching the reins forward and down to escape tongue pressure.
This Drop Cheek horse or pony bit has an Eggbutt-like ring at the mouthpiece for the rein which helps avoid pinching of lips, and that means that the bit can be fitted more snugly which is especially useful for horses with lips that flood the mouthpiece. The upper cheek that has a fixed ring at its end, to which the cheek piece of the bridle attaches to. The cheek pieces lie flat against the horse's face and the mouthpiece is quite fixed in the mouth and concentrates pressure on the bars while maintain relief over the tongue.