National Finals Rodeo qualifier Jyme Beth Powell has used the handmade Burris hackamore throughout several decades of barrel racing.
Futurity trainer Craig Brooks has a different way of utilizing the popular Kathy James gag bit by raising it up in the horse’s mouth and tightening the curb to hold up a horse that comes back hard around a barrel.
Samantha Flannery favors the Briggs bit, a short-shank square mullen made by Boutin Bits (formerly L&S Bits/No Hit Bits), for a naturally turn-y horse that doesn’t need a lot of help in a run, like her multiple 2021 futurity champion Promise Me Fame Guys, who went on to rodeo fame with Lisa Lockhart.
Barrel Horse News caught up with top professional barrel racers and trainers to ask, “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one bit with you, what would it be?”
We all have that one piece of tack we just can’t go without. Six champion barrel racers weigh in with their must-haves.
KayTee Bleeker developed Bar-O-aBit to help barrel racers save money through the expensive process of finding the right barrel racing bits.
No matter the mouthpiece, the Troy Flaharty medium shank lifter bit is a staple in leading breeder and trainer Bo Hill’s barn.
Bit maker Troy Flaharty added a floating port to spice up a smooth mouthpiece, making this bit trainer Jordon Briggs’ go-to medium-shank lifter for a horse with a sensitive mouth.
National Finals Rodeo qualifier and multiple pro rodeo champion Dona Kay Rule’s go-to bit is a simple D-ring snaffle with a smooth mouthpiece and Don Dodge cheek.
