Historical information

The bit helps to control the horse eg in droving cattle, pulling carts. Bits vary a lot and offer varying degrees of control and communication between the rider and the horse depending upon their design and on the skill of the rider.

Significance

Horses were used as the main means of transport and as labour on the farms in the Kiewa Valley and in particular for driving the cattle up on to the High Plains during the summer.

Physical description

The bit consists of two basic components, the bit mouthpiece that goes inside the horse's mouth, and the bit ring of a snaffle bit or shanks of a curb bit, to which the bridle and reins attach.
Sidepieces and the leverage these rings or shanks use to act on a horse's mouth that determines whether a bit is the curb or snaffle family, and has a great impact on the severity of the mouthpiece.