A straight shank on a Cameron Schoneberg bit with a rebar mouthpiece helps futurity trainer Ashley Schafer achieve vertical flexion at the poll with lighter contact on the mouth.
Shank: Straight Medium-Length with Some Reverse Gag
“I put this bit on a horse when I need to back one off and get them really breaking at the poll and driving into the bridle. The longer shank gives you a little leverage, and I like the straightness of the shank. It gives you more vertical leverage and not as much lateral. It’s not necessarily a bridle I throw on a horse when I need to work on rounding them laterally, but it’s not a stiffening bridle either. It’s not what I’m going to use if I’m flexing one back and forth a bunch and working on getting them soft laterally; it’s more for vertical flexion and just riding them forward into the bridle. That straighter, longer shank helps me not have to pull on them as hard to get them to break at the poll and ride into that bridle, because it has such a good amount of leverage.”
Mouthpiece: Three-Piece Rebar with Small Dog Bone
“It’s a rebar mouthpiece with a tiny dog bone in the middle. The rebar to me feels like less than a twist, but more than a smooth. It’s a little rough, so it still works on the corners of the mouth more so than a smooth would.”
—> Watch: Ashley Schafer training videos
Curb: Leather
“It’s just a leather curb that I keep at two or three fingers.”
