full cheek snaffle

Question

full cheek snaffle   hello ma'am, is full cheek snaffle, a good bit for racehorses which are recultant to gallop(out of laziness) even though they have full stamina. i read in internet that this bit has got small ball on upper spoon and lower spoon of one side of the bit ring which is used to drive the horse. is it correct?

do tell me all the uses of full cheek snaffles, can i use them on young green horses, i mean, can i start a young horse with full cheek bit?

Answer
This full cheek snaffle has fairly short cheek pieces. Some are much longer. There is something called a bit keeper that is a short leather piece that can go from the top "cheek" of the bit to the headstall of the bridle. This can change the effect of the snaffle.

In my reading I found that one reaaon for having this small strap was so that the full cheek piece of the bridle would not stick out and get caught on perople or objects.

More information than you asked for maybe, but your question about the use of this bit is that it can be useful in that it supposedly helps keep a horse straight. It is supposed to take away a tendency a horse may have to push into the rein. If you are turning your horse to the left and he tries to push into the right rein through the right side of his mouth a full cheek snaffle may very well help prevent this.

It is important to remember, however, that the main aids of a full seat rider (not a jockey) should remain as seat and legs before the use of hands. Theere is a full cheek bit called a Fulmer snaffle that I like. The rings are independent of the cheek pieces.

The balls that you write about are just rounded pieces of metal at the end. (you can see them from your picture).They just help prevent the end of the cheek hurting someone if they push into it. On top, they also help keep the bit keeper in place.