The mouthpiece is a chain of ball-shaped links. There’s no solid bar and no single joint for the horse to brace against, so it drapes over the tongue and bars and moves with the mouth.
That’s what makes it useful. A horse can lean on a solid bit, or lock onto one and pull. Try that with a Waterford and the bit simply gives and changes shape, so there is nothing to take hold of. Most horses stop trying quite quickly.
The Waterford is the classic answer for the horse that leans on an ordinary snaffle or sets his jaw against it. You’ll see plenty across country and out hunting, on horses that get strong once they’re travelling.
It’s worth trying before you add leverage. Very often a horse described as “too strong” is a horse who has found something to lean on, and changing the mouthpiece fixes it without adding poll or curb pressure at all.
Not by design. The balls spread pressure over a wide area and there’s no nutcracker. As with any bit, severity comes from the hands and the fit.
Where it can go wrong is in the wrong mouth. Because it moves so much, a horse who needs a still, quiet bit, such as a nervous youngster or one that fusses, can find a Waterford busy and unsettling. It also rewards a steady hand, so it’s not the bit to learn a contact on. Check the links regularly for wear, as with any multi-jointed mouthpiece.
A Waterford mouthpiece comes on nearly every cheek, and the cheek changes its character a lot.
This is the Waterford at its most mobile. The Waterford Loose Ring is a sensible, inexpensive first try. The Neue Schule Waterford Loose Ring Snaffle is the refined version.
You keep the anti-lean mouthpiece but steady the bit, which suits the strong horse who also wants a little security. Look at the BR Dee Ring Waterford, the Neue Schule Waterford Hunter D, the Neue Schule Waterford Baucher and the Filet Baucher Waterford.
Add a lever and you get extra brakes as well. The Neue Schule Waterford Universal and the Waterford Pelham are the usual choices, and our guide to what a universal bit does explains how the rings work.
A Waterford needs to be the right width. Too wide and the extra links hang down and swing about. Too narrow and the end balls press on the lips. If in doubt, measure your horse’s mouth before ordering.
Every Waterford named above can go out on a 30-day Bit Bank trial, which is ideal for a bit that horses tend either to love or to dislike. Not sure which cheek to start with? Our Bitting Specialists are on 01405 861800, option 3.