The Shires Hollow Mouth Eggbutt Snaffle is an exceptionally lightweight, single-jointed bit engineered for horses that have sensitive mouths or require a softer touch. By utilising a hollow tube design, it eliminates the heavy weight of standard solid stainless steel mouthpieces.
Key Specifications:
- High-quality, durable stainless steel (tasteless, rust-resistant and easy to clean).
- Mouthpiece Thickness: A thick 21mm profile across all sizes.
- Cheek Ring Dimensions: Built with standard 70mm eggbutt rings.
How it Works:
- Ultra-Lightweight Comfort: Because the metal tube is completely hollow, the bit doesn't feel heavy or cumbersome on the horse's tongues and bars. This makes is an ideal introductory bit for young horses or sensitive animals that resent weight in their mouth.
- Thick 21mm Dispersion Area: At 21mm, it is significantly thicker than standard 14-16mm bits. This broad surface area distributes rein pressure widely across the mouth, softening the overall impact of the rider's hands.
- Large Tongue Suitability: The wide contact area is highly beneficial for horses with large, fleshy tongues. Instead of cutting sharply into the tissue, the thick tube presses down more uniformly.
- Eggbutt Lateral Stability: The fixed eggbutt design stabilises the mouthpiece, preventing it from sliding back and forth. It guards against skin pinching at the corner of the lips and offers a highly predictable feel during steering.
- Traditional Nutcracker Action: Being single-jointed, it still retains a classic nutcracker function. Under strong tension, the centre join v-shapes upward to apply pressure to the tongue and bars, helping to lift horses that ride heavy on the forehand.
This bit is fully legal for Dressage under British Dressage (BD) and international competition rules.