Myler Loose Ring Comfort Snaffle Wide Barrel MB 02 5 1/2"

I literally have zero negatives about this bit. I originally purchased this to start my OTTB into the world of dressage. He's pretty hyper-sensitive about bits & I usually know right away if it will work well or not. He immediately relaxed with this bit and felt very comfortable and at ease. His dressage work has improved drastically, and I definitely attribute a lot of that success to this bit!

I have had such a great experience with Dale Myler and Myler bits, I had to review this bit to encourage more to try Myler bits. (and no I'm not a paid reviewer) 1. Dale really does care about the well being of horses. I used their "bitting assistant" on their website (which sends your information to the company for a real person recommendation on a bit) at 11:00pm, and by 9:45 the next morning I had an email, written just for me from Dale Myler, who also encouraged me to call him with any questions. That's what giving a darn looks like. 2. This bit, the myler comfort snaffle as of February 1st 2012 is APPROVED for USEF dressage competition. youtube search julie goodnight's 4 part series on Myler bits to understand why these really are some of the best bits out there. Myler has a customer for life with me! The attached image is how far this bit collapses, so you can see it basically goes from a french link to a mullen type contact depending on the level of contact on the rein.

I was worried about the cost, but after trying this bit on 3 different horses (it was the correct size for the particular horses in question), I am super pleased with the bit. All three horses went well in it, comfortably, soft in the mouth, and I had the perfect amount of control. My school's pony and my own pony also jump very well in it. I highly recommend it.

I've been using this bit for years with my mouthy gelding who constantly chomps most bits even with a completely loose rein. His mouth is much quieter in this bit than with any other I've tried (and there have been many!), and now he really only chomps when he's nervous about something. I recently got a sensitive green mare, and since getting this bit we have made huge improvements with her accepting bit contact. I previously tried a standard broken snaffle, but she braced and constantly tried to get away from any contact. I had also tried a thick french link but I didn't feel like she really noticed when I was cueing her with that one. I think she likes that this one is thinner and contoured (fits into her mouth better) and generally seems more comfortable wearing it, so she can focus on our communication rather than fussing and bracing as happened with other bits.

I use this bit on both of my horses and I really like it. I use mine with a Micklem bridle so I never have to worry about it sliding. I like using it with my green horses as I think that it is nice for them to have something to play with and I like that there is no "nutcracker" effect with the Myler bits.

First the cons: I would consider this bit as running large. I'd already compromised 1/4 inch on size because for some reason nice bits don't come for smaller mouthed horses. On top of that, the 4 3/4 measured more like a 5 to my eyes. On the plus side, I love the fact that it physically cannot pinch and my very sensitive-mouthed gelding is happily accepting and relaxing into this bit. It's a wonderful size and shape for soft-mouthed horses that don't like a lot of thick hardware in their mouth, much more pleasant for him than a thicker bit would be. Horse is loving it so much that I'll just have to resign myself to balancing the extra bit length between my hands, which will just have to get a lot more educated

I've never seen a bit so compatible with so many mouths. Every horse I've ridden in it LOVES it. My nervous, sensitive, OTTB relaxes into a cloud of black bay gorgeousness whenever I ride him in this bit as opposed to the snaffle I used to use! And it's dressage legal, too! My only gripe is that it's a bit pricey - not as much as some, but quite a bit more than others - but well worth the investment for the results.

These Myler bits are my favorite. I have various types and they have all worked out great. All my TB's seem to love them too. I just started using this one but I have other Mylers I have been using for years.

I bought this for a horse who occasionally throws the tongue out the side of the mouth, even when the bit is just hanging in her mouth with no reins attached. She seems comfortable in this bit, and has had no more tongue problems. She is more willing to initiate contact and keep it. I am concerned this bit could pinch the tongue between the barrel and the mouthpiece. It definitely pinched me when I flexed it over my forearm. But I did have to flex it to the max to get it to pinch. As long as you don't put excessive pressure on the reins, it should work.

...after contacting the company with my issue, and seeing that the bit was still for sale on their website, they still sent me an email asking me to review my purchase. So, here goes. I purchased this Myler Level 1 bit from SmartPak on February 3rd after having used a friend's and loving it. I was really excited to have my own (my horse loves it) but, after my very first ride with it, as I was dismounting, I looked down and saw the bit just dangling on either side of my horse's mouth - it had broken in half (see photo). Crazy, right? I've NEVER heard of a bit breaking. Thankfully, this happened after I'd finished my ride and was at a standstill and not while I was cantering around the arena, at night, with other horses there. I immediately contacted Toklat (the company in charge of the manufacturing in Vietnam), SmartPak and Myler, returned the bit to Toklat, and they are investigating what went wrong. Until they find out what happened, I STRONGLY suggest you don't buy this bit.