I bought this bit a few years back as a Christmas gift but
that person got the same thing from a family member so this one just hung in
the tack room as I already had one identical to it.
It still has the tags on it and has never been in a horses mouth
so it is essentially new.
Tom is one of the best welders in the bit business and, to
me, uses great materials and construction techniques. No ;pinching, no sharp edges, no broken welds no strange mix of recycled metal that came from God only knows where.
If you are looking for a great bit to be the first bit in a
horses mouth I think I would choose this one. There are not a lot of parts
flopping around to confuse a horse in early training, it stays in the same
place so the horse can get used to it and rely on it, there is a lot of contact
but nothing that would scare a colt and its just really reliable.
Also included are a set of used Cowboy tack heavy oiled/waxed
weighted end reins with the original water loop ends. I got a bunch of these
reins decades ago and they have all held up extremely well. I was told that
they used Hermann Oak leather and had a special oil and wax treatment they used.
The only other reins I have found that are similar are all in the $120.00-$150.00
range. They don’t get sort of oiley when hot and I have never had to re oil
them…..ever. They are a little over 8’ long and the ends are pretty heavily
weighted so they are not flopping around like lighter reins can do. They have
not been chewed on by a colt or stepped on or pulled back on because the colt got
tied to a fence with the reins. They are not new but they are in great shape. I
think they are 5/8ths inch wide. One of the great things about these reins is
that they are not the soft mushy sort of rein where both the horse and the
rider sort of lose contact because they dangle down and don’t transmit signals
well.
This bit is pretty common and I think Tom still makes this
bit. I see new ones offered for around $230 and the reins are around $100 -$150
new. Personally I think the reins are just getting broken in but they are not
new so I wont ask full price for both.
I wont ship these outside the United States. If you are
riding colts, starting an older horse, coming out of a hackamore or taking an
older horse back into the snaffle then this would be a great set up so I would
like to see these stay here in the US. These were both made here and here they
should stay.
These are pretty standard high quality items and I am not
sure there is more I can say however….
If you have any questions just ask away.
Thanks for looking.