The Rockin' S Snaffle

There are a lot of horse training tools on the market today, and a lot of them are just new versions of something that's been around for a long time. It seems that we horse people are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel or imbue everyday tools with magical properties. The best tool we have to work with horses is ourselves, our body and our mind, and since we live with those things, we have a lot of time to practice with those tools. But we do need some equipment to enable us to communicate with our horses and it seems that the more clear that equipment helps us be, the more useful it is to us and our horses.

Kathleen was introduced to the Rockin' S by Mark Rashid, who had been sent one to demo by its creator, Mark Sulan. Mark Rashid and Kathleen had looked at the bit upon its arrival, and been skeptical that it could do what Sulan had said it could do. But they did eventually try the bit, and were very surprised to find that for some horses, it was very helpful.

The Rockin' S is a plain snaffle bit with a sweet iron mouthpiece. What is unique about it is the structure of the rings. There are three rings on each side of the Rockin' S: a small ring to which the headstall attaches, a complete round ring that remains in contact with the horses lips and face, and a movable d-ring to which the rein attaches.

This ring structure seems to stabilize the bit in the horse's mouth and provide more surface area on each side of the horse's face. This appears to enable the bit to help some horses who toss their heads, push on the bit, have trouble steering or are just generally "fussy' or uncomfortable with other bits. While the bit is not a "magic bullet" by any means, it does seem to help quite a few horses. In some cases the changes seen are subtle, and in other cases the changes are quite stunning.

Kathleen carries a Rockin' S Snaffle to loan out for demo at her clinics, and also sells the bit by mail order and at clinics. The bit carries no guarantees but is warranted for workmanship for life. Bits that have been used cannot be returned. Bits are available in 4.5", 5", 5.5" and 6" widths. For a printable order form, click here.