Are you thinking of using Pelham bits for your horse? Here are some points for consideration from equine dentist Mark Burnell and Horseland.com.au.

1. Equine Dentistry:
Pelham Bits Explained
with
Equine Dentist Mark Burnell

2. I’m Mark Burnell and I’m a professional horse dentist.
By all means please get your horses’ teeth checked regularly.

3. Rather than a double bridle, this is a Pelham.
Similar to the double bridle, you would use two
reins but there’s less steel in the horse’s mouth.
This is an eggbutt or jointed Pelham. It is too big
for Lucy and we can see that you’ve paid for a
good two centimetres of steel. If we take the bit
from either the extreme right or the extreme left
position, it would be like driving the car with a
fairly lose steering mechanism.

4. There’s too much play in this bit for this particular
horse. So we’d look for a jointed Pelham that was
two centimeters, half an inch, three quarters of an
inch, narrower than this for it to fit this particular
pony. Once again, it’s a specialist bit. It comes with
a curb chain. It comes with a curb chain. These
chains should not be too tight; the idea is as the bit
takes up contact, the chain then puts pressure on
the mandible which is the lower jaw bone.

5. Ideally that should be used in special situations
and you would need specialist advice on whether
you purchase this bit and in what circumstances
you would use it. Ideally, you should buy a chain
guard so that there’s a bit of comfort on the
horse’s chin as this is a very sensitive part of their
body. You can buy little leather keepers which go
over the chain to protect this sensitive part of the
horse’s anatomy while wearing this bit.

6. Depending on what you feed your horse dictates
how often you need their teeth to be checked. If a
horse is living on grass as Lucy is trying to do
now, once a year is adequate care. If you’re going
to hard feed your horse and you expect them to
do more, especially wear a bit, it is best to get
their teeth checked more regularly. Good luck with
your horses.

7. Stop by our website to find quality bits for
your gentle giant.