What bridle to choose? Benny has his favorites, and talks about their relative merits below. Ever the practical horseman, though, he discounts some of the new-math voodoo being used to sell bits these days. "You can talk theory, you can talk leverage, you can talk ounces... you can talk all that stuff with bits, but why make it so complicated? If the desire is there to learn how things work, you'll figure it out. If you're not sure, go ask a pro for help- when in doubt, go ask. No bridle is a cure-all. This is all just trial and error for every horse and every pair of hands on the reins."

The Bits...

Gary Avila:

I love this bit. Gary Avila made it with a Tony Amaral mouthpiece, one that my father, Felix Guitron Sr., designed with Tony. It has nice tongue relief because the bars curve up to the little roller with the hood, allowing room for a horse with a thicker tongue. The pretty delicate cheek is in proportion to the rest of the bit- I just think it's attractive.

This bridle has great balance, and I've used it on lots and lots of horses with a variety of shapes and sizes to their mouth and tongue. There's a little give to the cheeks, and horses seem to like the combination of the narrow roller and shaped bars... it's just a great bit, and one of my favorites.

I have a double-link chain on here, laying flat with no twists, of course. The most recent horse I used this on, the bars were just a little thin for her, so I just softened it up a bit with some electrical tape around the bars to increase their diameter. I like tape better than latex, because it doesn't melt and get sticky.

Santa Barbara:

I bought this traditional bit from Pat Russell- he had them made with this pretty classic Santa Barbara cheek. It has a little bit of a port, a little tongue relief, and leverage about like the spade. In fact, most bridles are pretty close to this- we all come at this like big science, but it's not, really.

This bridle is good for an older horse, or a little heavier-headed horse because it has a little more substance. It has some weight, and a curved mullen effect in the mouth, which I like because it wraps around and gives a little bit more cushion- it's not quite as quick as a straighter bar would be.

All the rollers? I think they just figured that had to put them in- they don't do much. Only one really contacts the horse. If someone thinks those little tiny rollers are going to move this whole thing up and down in a horse's mouth... nope. Some of these rollers are for people, not horses! The bars are wrapped because it had even more little rollers on the bars that I took off and that left the bar a little too narrow. I wrapped it with electrical tape just to give it a little nicer feel.

Seven Cheek bit with Two-Rein bosal:

This is a little seven bit- named for the shape of the cheek- that Randy Paul made. It's one of the very first bits he ever made. When Randy gets famous, I'll be able to capitalize on it a little!

The bars are quite wide and mild, and taper down to a nice flat port with a little roller. The cheeks are loose, but the barrel design prevents pinching. This is a really, really good mild bridle for the transition from the snaffle or hackamore into the two rein, and eventually into the spade.

I show the seven bit here with my little 3/8" bosalito and horsehair reins, which I talked about with hackamores (WH, July 2001). This is probably my favorite setup for guiding a horse from the hackamore into the bridle- it all fits together well, and works like a dream.

Traditional Spade:

This bit was made by Eduardo Grijalva of Madalena, Sonora, Mexico. If there's such a thing as a classic spade bit, this is it. It's not too tall or too short, it's a really good all-around spade with a Santa Barbara cheek. This spoon is cupped out to avoid causing damage to the roof of the mouth, and when you pull back it keeps the bit centered in the mouth. The balance bars come down low enough to keep the bit from front and back sway.

I like to bridle a horse in a spade just because of the cue, the signal, and the lightness it can create- I try to make one spade bit horse a year. Also, I like to ride older horses that I'm showing in another bridle in a spade from time to time as a refresher, to get a little more cue on them, so you don't have to pull on them as much- it's a bridle that I do use a lot.

I have this bridle set up with a traditional tied leather curb strap and romal reins. The headstall is just a work headstall with a sliding ear. I don't like fixed ears, because they can pinch a horse as the bridle is used and adjusted.

You have to remember that a spade is made to be used with a signal, and not a big-time pull. It's a subtle tool and sophisticated tool and because of that, it's one of the most misused and misunderstood bits. People look at it and think it's intended to inflict pain- not so! You can do more damage with an aluminum straight bar grazer than this- if you choose to. Some horses are born more sensitive than others, but feel is still developed. You can destroy it, or develop it.

I'd say there are just a handful of real spade bit horses left these days. There are quite a few guys who use spades, but to take the two-rein bosal off and really ride straight up in the spade, or show in one? Very few people do it. True spade bit horses are rarely sold, because you have so much time and heart invested in them. There's no real show class for spade bit horses anymore, so most bridle horses these days show in some other bit. Creating a spade bit horse was an honored way of life, people were educated to it, and we used to educate the client to the time it took to get them ready.

* This article originally appeared in Western Horseman magazine.
Excerpted and reprinted with permission.

See full article on bits and more here.
Author and photos: Suzanne Vliestra