A Week Of Reviews – Centaur Blue Steel D Ring Bit

A Week Of Reviews – Centaur Blue Steel D Ring Bit

If you are anything like me, you are always looking for the perfect piece of equipment that will work well for your horse. And this week I want to share with you some of the new items I have found for myself, and my horses that I have been really happy with. And today I wanted to share my thoughts of the Centaur Blue Steel D Ring Bit.

Searching For The Perfect Bit

I have been on the hunt for the perfect bit for Ethan. When I bought him, he was used to a shank style bit because he was mainly ridden western. And finding the right bit for him has been somewhat of a challenge. And in my quest, I found this bit from Centaur. I was intrigued because of the blue mouthpiece honestly.

We have tried bitless, and that didn’t really work for Ethan. I have tried Happy Mouth bits, and he really didn’t like that. So I thought why not try this bit, if it works, awesome! If it doesn’t, well I can always sell it on eBay. It was reasonably priced, so even if I just had it as a backup, I could live with that too.

I found the bit in a Dover Saddlery catalog. And it just looked so cool, especially in their photograph.

It is very affordable at around $36.00.  From the Dover’s website of the description of this bit:

The Blue Steel Double-Jointed Disc Hunter D-Ring Bit has a mouthpiece made of a technically advanced version of traditional sweet iron (black steel). It oxidizes quickly, creating a surface that tastes sweet to the horse for better bit acceptance.

Well that sounds cool, don’t you think?

The center brass roller disc gives the horse’s tongue something to play with and it has traditional dee cheeks, it looks like a traditional hunter bit, but it has little brass roller disc’s in the jointed portion of the mouthpiece to give Ethan something to play with. He is a really mouthy horse, so I thought he would like it.

But let’s take a closer look at the bit itself.

It has a jointed mouthpiece with brass rollers in the center.

The blue steel is on either side of the jointed section and there is about 1” of the blue steel.

The Dee’s are nice and big, but not too big, so the reins don’t get hung up twisting the dee’s, I have had the problem before with bits.

Trying Out The New Bit

And now how it worked for Ethan. From the first time I put it in his mouth he seemed to like it. Once I got his bridle is on, he didn’t open up his mouth or try to evade the bit, he just stood there with his mouth shut. I really liked that. The bit seems to pacify him. I haven’t noticed a huge amount of salivation, but I have only used it on him a few times while we were basically walking around the arena.

And he seems to respond to it well. No head tossing or stretching out like a giraffe. And when I ask him to whoa, he listens.

Overall I am really happy with this bit. It works well for my horse, And if my horse is happy, I’m happy! I am so glad that I decided to try this bit out. It was well worth the $36.00.

Show Legal?

As I don’t show, I am not sure of the legality of this bit in the show ring. But I did look it up to see if it would be ok for show ring use, and this is what I found from USEF Rule Book section under hunter tack:

HU126 Tack

1. Snaffles, pelhams and full bridles, all with cavesson nose bands, are required.
2. Judges may penalize, but may not eliminate, a horse or pony that competes in a snaffle, pelham, or full bridle that is unconventional. Unconventional snaffles, pelhams, or full bridles include, but are not limited to, hunter gags, kimberwickes, etc.

1. Judges must eliminate a horse or pony that competes in illegal bits or nosebands. Illegal bits include, but are not limited to, three rings, gags (other than the hunter gag), et cetera… Illegal nosebands include, but are not limited to, drop, flash and figure eight nosebands.

So as long as it is not a gag style bit, apparently it would be legal to use in the show ring, but I would confirm this before attempting to use it in the show ring. It looks like a traditional ‘D’ bit from the side.

Final Thoughts on The Centaur Blue Steel D Ring Bit

In my opinion, this bit is fantastic. I am so happy that I decided to give it a try.  I didn’t have to spend a lot of money and I found a piece of equipment that works for my horse. It makes riding what it’s supposed to be, fun! So if you have a horse that tosses his head around, or is always trying to escape the bit, maybe give this one a try. It is priced right, and your horse might love it as much as mine does.