The innovative Bombers Happy Tongue Bits have taken the equestrian world by storm - helping to create a more harmonious relationship between horse and rider.
Bombers Bits have been developing top quality bitting solutions for over 30 years. They use a scientific approach to equine mouth anatomy to provide ground-breaking solutions to problems riders may face with their horses, with comfort at the forefront of their methodology.
The Bombers Happy Tongue mouthpiece has a wide, medium-height port to create space for your horse's tongue. It offers relief from tongue pressure and encourages the horse to relax.
The mouthpiece is often suitable for horses with sensitive or large tongues, as the anatomical shape of the bit takes up minimal space in the mouth and limits tongue pressure.
There are a number of signs to indicate that a horse has increased tongue sensitivity, and these include:
- Shaking the head when bit pressure is applied;
- Putting the tongue out of the side of the mouth;
- Trying to get the tongue over the bit;
- Sucking the tongue back and as a result making an intermittant coughing noise;
- Going behind the bit to avoid tongue pressure; or
- Snatching the reins forward and down to resist bit pressure.
We find that riders will usually know straight away if a Bombers Happy Tongue is the correct bit for their sensitive-tongued horse, as the horse will finally begin to work into and accept the rider's contact.
All Bombers Happy Tongue bits are made from blue sweet iron. This metal will rust when it comes into contact with humidity in the air or in the horse's mouth. The surface rust tastes sweet and naturally stimulates your horse's saliva production. The bit also warms up quickly in the mouth and, combined with the saliva production, encourages better acceptance of the bit and relaxation in the mouth.
It is perfectly normal for this rusting and oxidation process to change the blue colour of a Bombers bit to a brownish-grey over time. If the bit is not used for a while, the sweet iron will develop an orange-brown rust layer on the mouthpiece. This can easily be removed by wiping the bit with a damp cloth before use.
The Happy Tongue is available with many different cheeks and sides, depending on the level of control and feel required for your individual horse. The sides are all made from stainless steel for durability and branded with Bombers lettering - a sure sign of quality!
Bombers bits are hand made in South Africa, showcasing remarkable attention to detail, and tested by world-renowned riders in the disciplines of Dressage, Show Jumping, Eventing, Polo, Polocrosse, Endurance and Racing.
