10/31/2026
Bits are not intended to be brakes but many people think that a stronger bit is the way to get a better stop out of a horse. The purpose of a bit is to help the rider to better balance a horse and correct balance is how to get a better stop out of a horse. The balance needed to achieve a good stop is to get the horse's hind to reach more under his belly.
The most common reason horses do not stop effectively is that they are heavy on the forehand. As a result, they stop by primarily using the front legs and shoulders not their hind. Ironically, one of the reasons a horse gets heavy on the forehand is strong harsh bits.
When you use a harsh bit to stop a horse it compresses the horse from front to back. This shifts a horse's body weight forward onto the front legs and they are forced to stop with their forehand because the hind cannot reach under themself to stop using their hind legs.
Because many riders do not understand how a harsh bit puts their horse onto their forehand that creates a poor on the forehand stop, they think that they need an even harsher bit and they buy one. But it doesn't work because the horse can't stop effectively using its from feet and shoulders.
Good stops come from good balance with the hind engaged. In other words, when the horse is ridden hind to front, not front to hind, we see crisp precise halts. Ultimately the cue for a halt is a deep seat and a simple halfhalt.
The way I fix these stumbly forehand stops is I ride horses that are heavy on the forehand down a slope. I sit deep and lean back 5 degrees and give them a halt command with the reins on the slope. Their usual impulse to stop using their front legs and shoulders on a slope feels uncomfortable to them, like they might fall forward on the knees. The steeper the slope the more uncomfortable stopping using their forehand becomes. But be careful, some stubborn horses will fall onto their knees.
Going to a more severe bit to get a horse to stop usually makes a horse's stops worse. The answer is to teach them to use their hind, not their forehand, to stop. It's about balance and you need a bit that helps them engage their hind to balance for a better stop.
