How to Care for Your Bit

If you don’t make it a habit to clean and oil your horse’s bit on a regular basis, more than likely, it’s caked with crud — pieces of dried hay and grass and whatever else might be in your horse’s mouth. Depending on the type of bit you have, or how long you’ve neglected it, you may also notice it rusting. The Downunder Horsemanship bits are made out of sweet-iron, a metal that is designed to rust. Clinton uses sweet-iron bits on his horses because not only do they taste good to horses, but they encourage a horse to salivate, which helps with a horse staying soft on the bit. However, since the bits do rust, they require regular maintenance. In order to keep them in good working condition, they should be cleaned and oiled on a regular basis.