Universal Army
The Universal Army or Reversible Elbow bit is the bit of choice for mounted
police and army forces worldwide.
It is a versatile bit that can be adapted to suit almost any horse's
needs in one bit. In the old days, these bits came with one side that had raised ridges to act like a twisted bit,
whereas the other side was smooth. Nowadays such bits are considered cruel (see the article on twisted snaffles), and are not generally available; most Universal Army bits sold today are smooth on both sides, and this is the only version of the bit that you should consider using. It is quite like a liverpool bit in the choices you have for rein settings, but always is used with two reins, one as a snaffle rein, and the other as a curb, on any one of 3 holes, with the "elbow" pointing forwards
or backwards, giving you in effect the option of 6 different curb actions. |
