# Has anyone heard of poponcini bits?



## kerilli (11 November 2011)

i read about them on COTH, and am rather desperate to get my mitts on one for my hysterical mare Ellie, who has Mouth Issues (knocked her front teeth out as a youngster, so this is a bona fide Reason, not an Excuse) and is currently undergoing a seriously major meltdown about her mouth while jumping... i've tried bitless but it was a lot of fun for her and a lot less fun for me, put it that way!
apparently the poncini bits are soft, squidgy, bendy.
link: http://www.poponcinibits.com/en/buy-our-products?page=shop.browse&category_id=16
if anyone has one, or has handled one, please tell me whether they're softer than a nathe, or the same sort of thing. it's a lot to spend if they're very similar, that's all. 
thankyou.


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## Addicted to Hunting (11 November 2011)

I think that we the yard I used to work on had one, as they bought when jumping abroad, def looks the same! And if so from wot I remember yes they were more squishy than nathes could bend them etc, was good for horses that were light in the mouth and not very keen on a strong bit, allthough prop not thy resistant to chewing!! Have you tried a leather bit at all, that also used to work quite well with some.


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## JessandCharlie (11 November 2011)

I take it it's made of silicone? If it is, I'd be wary, simply because even the hardest grade silicone won't stand up to much chewing, and the hardest grades would defeat the object anyway. Silicone's more putty-like in texture than natural rubber (I work for a Silicone rubber manufacturer ) 

If not, ignore me, and take that as your useless fact of the day 

I was going to suggest a leather one too, might be worth a shot 

J&C


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## brown tack (11 November 2011)

I had a tb with mouth issues and used the black rubber straight bar on him. It worked really well. That was really bendy too. I'd try that before going and spending £100+ on one of those. I dd go though them a far fair bit, a new one every 2months or so because of the chewing(teeth were fine) once he learnt to relax in that he went back in a thick mouth loose ring French link, and is now hunted in it.


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## oldvic (11 November 2011)

Agree that a leather bit might be worth trying - Karen O'Connor uses them a lot and some tricky horses find them very acceptable.


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## Tharg (11 November 2011)

Ditto on the leather bits.


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## PoponciniBits (18 November 2011)

In our website we described how ours bits are made.

However I give you some information on our product.

if your horse suffers a lot due to a normal metal bit, this horse will certainly try to get rid of anything you try to put into his/her mouth. For this reason, especially as regards the first approach, it is necessary to use a little strap to keep the horses mouth a little bit closed when using this kind of bits, as soon as your horse understands that this kind of bit does not cause any pain, the horse will stop trying to bite it and will sure enough be more attached to the owner and will show more respect.
This kind of bit, having been planned as competition bit, cannot be used while the horse is eating, and even if it is a product granting shape-memory it cannot be used for the same purposes as a metal bit.

Ours bits are softer than nath bits.

ask us If you want more info about ours bits


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## Dotilas (18 November 2011)

Hi there and welcome to the forum.
Thanks for coming on here to enlighten us! Although from your post I am a little confused about some points..



PoponciniBits said:



			it is necessary to use a little strap to keep the horses mouth a little bit closed when using this kind of bits,
		
Click to expand...

It is my understanding that using a flash changes the action of a bit slightly - does this mean that your bits are designed to be used with a flash strap?



PoponciniBits said:



			as soon as your horse understands that this kind of bit does not cause any pain, the horse will stop trying to bite it
		
Click to expand...

IME horses chew the bit out habit and not aggression, so unfortunately your reasoning for using the bit doesn't sit comfortably with me. Or do you mean that once your horse has become more settled in the mouth that you should take off the flash strap?



PoponciniBits said:



			and will sure enough be more attached to the owner and will show more respect. This kind of bit, having been planned as competition bit, cannot be used while the horse is eating, and even if it is a product granting shape-memory it cannot be used for the same purposes as a metal bit.

Ours bits are softer than nath bits.

ask us If you want more info about ours bits 

Click to expand...

I will ignore the sentence about the horse becoming more attached to the owner, as an experienced horse owner I am highly sceptical and think that it is more of a case of a happier horse could be more cooperative.

What purposes would you recommend using your bits for? As you say they cannot be used for the same purposes as a metal bit, could I jump my horse in your bits for example? 

Thanks


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## kerilli (18 November 2011)

thank you for the answers.
how long do these bits last for please, i really want to try one but am worried that my horse might chew on it (as they tend to on soft bits) and that it will not last for long, which is a concern with an expensive bit.
as above, are they suitable for jumping, because that is what i would want to use it for.
thankyou.


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## JessandCharlie (18 November 2011)

I'd be interested to know what shore hardness your silicone is for these bits to. I assume they have some sort of chain running through? 

J&C


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## vineyridge (19 November 2011)

Dotilas said:



			I will ignore the sentence about the horse becoming more attached to the owner, as an experienced horse owner I am highly sceptical and think that it is more of a case of a happier horse could be more cooperative. 
Thanks 

Click to expand...

Might be language problems involved.  I took it to mean that more contact was possible.


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## amage (19 November 2011)

I would not recommend them for younger horses....so far a friends record for getting through one was one ride! When she untacked the silicone was shredded! Older horses seem to take to them quite easily and like them


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## kerilli (19 November 2011)

amage said:



			I would not recommend them for younger horses....so far a friends record for getting through one was one ride! When she untacked the silicone was shredded! Older horses seem to take to them quite easily and like them
		
Click to expand...

eeek, that's a nightmare at that price, it's bad enough when it's a rubber snaffle than only cost a few quid!    this is for a youngster so that's good to know, thankyou.

vineyridge, good point, i think you're right, well interpreted!


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## dafthoss (19 November 2011)

Dads company might have something in the pipeline for bits, if your intrested drop me a pm. It would be good to hear your thoughts.


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## ester (19 November 2011)

JessandCharlie said:



			I'd be interested to know what shore hardness your silicone is for these bits to. I assume they have some sort of chain running through? 

J&C
		
Click to expand...

'The thread Harmony series is constituted from a steel cable with to the extremities a brass ear-ring, a first covering in plastic material that of it determines the rigidity.'

so yes of some sort! I assumed something like this http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=st...ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CFYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=709


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## kerilli (19 November 2011)

dafthoss said:



			Dads company might have something in the pipeline for bits, if your intrested drop me a pm. It would be good to hear your thoughts.
		
Click to expand...

will do, thanks!


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## event_rider (19 November 2011)

Dunno if this will be of any help to you but might be a cost effective means of solving the issue....

I used to have a horse who was extremely sensitive in his mouth on the flat and had a major breakthrough whilst keeping him in a top event riders yard as a working pupil. She had a neat trick whereby she got her bits, wrapped them with a gel foot insole and then covered them in vetwrap. The result was a lovely squishy bit which all the horses loved. The best thing was, you could play around with them using bits with different shaped mouthpieces and varying degrees of thickness to find a custom made solution for each horse. 

Still do it to this day and it's also fantastic if you've found a bit that your horse responds well to but is too strong/sharp.

Only problem is such modified bits aren't dressage legal but we used to just switch to a rubber snaffle just before tests and for the 7 odd minutes in the arena, he barely noticed the difference. You also have to be watchful for any wear and tear because obviously they aren't as resilient as traditional bits but the good news is they're cheap to mend too!


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## kerilli (19 November 2011)

that's a really good idea, thankyou, i'll give that a go.
i really like the idea that dafthoss' dad has, of coating bits, so might try that too.
i have a leather covered bit somewhere, but lent it to a friend who says she gave it back, but i can't find it, annoyingly! 
thanks everyone, lots of ideas here.
currently in Micklem multibridle + rubber snaffle + loose elastic standing martingale (so, can't touch her mouth) and normal service is slowly being resumed, she is no longer having hysterics, inverting, and chucking herself around like a lunatic after jumping a 2' fence...


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## oldvic (19 November 2011)

Gibsons will cover a bit for you and fussy horses do like them or Karen O'Connor uses a bit that is made just of leather - it looks quite secure and "chew-proof" and it looks very comfortable in the mouth.


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## kerilli (19 November 2011)

i've tried the latex bit tape stuff but thought it made a surface that snagged rather, a little rough on the corners of the mouth, could be wrong though...
the leather bit sounds very interesting, the one i have is a leather sleeve sewn over a little single-joint eggbutt, but i might try getting a saddler to make me a leather-only bit, i'm guessing it needs to be rawhide for safety?


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## Laafet (19 November 2011)

I used to ride a really sensitive TB racehorse in a leather bit. She would run through anything else and it was quite frightening to be on top when she freaked out. However in the leather bit she was a total doll. It seemed a lot tougher than a rubber bit.


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## PoponciniBits (21 November 2011)

surely our bit will last less than a metal thread, however, helps the rider with horses who are struggling to stand on. 
Riders like Michel Robert, O'connor and Rich Fellers use and like it.
Some people also use it with young horses.
Perhaps it depends on your horse, because some horses tend to bring the thread with the tongue between the teeth, and with this type of horse will run definitely lower than in other subjects.


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