# Bit guard

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_guard
> Source revision: 1289217895
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{{Short description|Flexible washer used in a horse bit}}
[[Image:Polo pony Pelham bridle.jpg|thumb|Polo pony wearing a [Pelham bit](/source/Pelham_bit) with bit guards]]
A '''bit guard''' ('''cheek guard''' in Australia) is a specialty piece of [horse tack](/source/horse_tack): a [washer](/source/washer_(hardware)), usually made of flexible rubber, that is sometimes used in pairs on a [bit](/source/bit_(horse)).

[[Image:Cabalo044eue.jpg|thumb|left|Bit guard on [pelham bit](/source/pelham_bit)]]
Reasons for using a bit guard include:
* to protect the horse's lips from chafing or pinching by the [bit rings](/source/bit_(horse))
* to provide a better fit when the bit is too wide for the horse's mouth
* to prevent the bit rings from being pulled through the horse's mouth

A pair of bit guards is placed on a bit by stretching them to pass over one bit ring.  Then the bit is attached to a [bridle](/source/bridle).  The bridle is then put on a [horse](/source/horse) so that the bit guards lie outside of the horse's mouth. Bit guards are used with loose ring [snaffle bit](/source/snaffle_bit)s, [gag bit](/source/gag_bit)s, and [pelham bit](/source/pelham_bit)s.  Bit guards are used more often in jumping events, such as [eventing](/source/eventing) and [show jumping](/source/show_jumping), and in [polo](/source/polo).  They are not permitted in competitive [dressage](/source/dressage), and are not used in horse show [hunt seat](/source/hunt_seat) competition.

A pair of bit guards with an integral forked strap, to suspend them from the browband or crownpiece of the bridle, are known as [cheekers](/source/cheekers) (see [Frentera](/source/Frentera)).

==Bit burr==
thumb|left|Bit burr
Resembling a bit guard is a  '''bit burr''' (sometimes '''burr bit''', also '''bubble cheeker''' in Australia), which has teeth laid against the horse's cheek.  The burr bit was for a time widely used on coach horses in New York City, until the use was stopped in part through the efforts of [Henry Bergh](/source/Henry_Bergh) circa 1879.<ref>Wood, John George (1885) ''Horse and Man: Their Mutual Dependence and Duties'', Longmans, Green, 339 pages, page 221.</ref>  Bubble cheekers are approved for use in [thoroughbred racing](/source/thoroughbred_racing) in Australia.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Register of Nationally Approved Gear
|author=Dion Villella
|publisher=Racing Victoria Limited
|url=http://www.racingvictoria.net.au/asset/cms/Stewards%20Notifications%20PDF/128312%20RVL%20Gear%20Register%20Book.pdf|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Horse equipment}}

Category:Bit accessories
Category:Horse protective equipment

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bit guard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_guard) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_guard?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.