The Wilkie bit and the bevel (often spelt beval) are usually discussed together. Both are snaffles with fixed holes or loops for the cheekpiece and rein, and both put more pressure on the poll than a plain eggbutt.
A Wilkie bit is a jointed snaffle with fixed loops on the ring for attaching the cheekpiece and the rein. Peter Wilkinson of Fylde Saddlery designed it.
He told Horse & Hound it began with a lead-rein pony that poked its nose and a small rider who struggled to keep her hands still. He built the bit “along the lines of a hanging cheek snaffle”, so pressure from her hands went to the pony’s poll instead of bringing in the nutcracker action of a plain snaffle.
A Wilkie bit turns part of the rein contact into poll pressure, because the rein is fixed below the line of contact. The Bit Doctor classes this family as mild lever bits that encourage flexion and a lower head, and says they preserve the rider’s directional aids better than bits with more leverage.
Neue Schule tested the beval with sensors on the cheekpiece and rein. Horse & Hound reported that with rein and cheekpiece on the fixed holes it scored plus one. An eggbutt scored zero, and a hanging cheek scored minus one because it relieved poll pressure. On that index, plus one means roughly 10% of the rein force reaches the poll, so 3kg in your hands puts about 300g on the poll. Neue Schule tested only bits in its own range.
We found no source that measures a difference between them. The Wilkie is Fylde Saddlery’s design; bevels come from many makers. Horse & Hound describes both as having fixed holes for the cheekpieces and reins, and The Bit Doctor files them under one heading.
What matters more is where your rein goes. Abbey England, which also calls the beval a loop ring snaffle, describes two inverted rings inside the main ring. Put the rein on the main ring and you get a snaffle action; put it on the lower loop and you add about an inch of lever.
Two and three ring gags are a separate group: a ring above the mouthpiece for the cheekpiece and one or more rein rings below it. The Bit Doctor notes that people count those rings differently, so look at where the cheekpiece and rein fasten, not the name. See also what a universal bit does.
Neue Schule says its Tranz Beval is often chosen for horses or ponies that are strung out or poke their nose, and that it’s especially useful for a child or novice rider who lacks the technique or leg to hold a round outline.
Producer Katie Carter told Horse & Hound the Wilkie gives small children “a little more say”, but “certainly isn’t a short-cut to proper riding”. In 2016 the magazine reported ringside debate over the many lead-rein and first ridden ponies in these bits, with one former breeder saying the ponies were overbending even when standing still.
The Neue Schule Tranz Angled Small Beval is the one described above, with a Pony Beval for little mouths. The Turtle Top with Flex Beval gives mild poll pressure, limits the mouthpiece’s extra rotation to around ten degrees, and suits a busy mouth that chomps. The Turtle Tactio Beval is shaped for a larger or sensitive tongue.
There’s also the Shires Blue Sweet Iron Bevel with Roller Link, the Trust Beval Dr Bristol and a Rubber Bevel Bit with Lozenge. The full range is under bevel and Wilkie bits.
The Neue Schule, Shires and Trust bevels above can all go out on a 30-day Bit Bank trial. The rubber bevel is sold outright, as rubber can’t be sterilised to the standard our library needs. Ring our Bitting Specialists on 01405 861800, option 3.