Horse Full Cheeks

Full cheek snaffles add long arms above and below the ring, and those bars are the whole point. Our range spans Bombers Bits, Trust Inno Sense and Velari in single and double jointed mouthpieces. As you take a rein aside, the opposite arm presses gently on the cheek and nudges the head round, which makes this one of the best bits for a horse that’s still learning to steer.

That’s why you see full cheeks so often on young horses and in early flatwork. The cheeks also stop the bit sliding through the mouth completely, so there’s a safety element on a green or strong horse. The catch is the arms can catch on rugs, hands or fencing, so most people run them with leather keepers to hold the top arm to the cheekpiece — that also fixes the bit at a consistent angle, which sharpens the steering effect.

If you don’t need the steering help, a loose ring snaffle gives more movement and an eggbutt gives the same stillness without the arms. The full horse bits range is here, and the matching bridles sit alongside.