Neue Schule Bits

About Neue Schule

Neue Schule horse bits have taken the horse bit market by storm over the last few years becoming extremely popular with both amateur and professional riders.

The brand name Neue Schule stands for 'new school' and the brand name came about when the designer of the bits, Heather Hyde was in discussions with a German rider about the design and manufacture of the bits.  His take..."diese sind sehr neue Schule" (these are very new school) and from then on the name Neue Schule stuck and became one of the UK's favourite brands of horse bits.

Why Choose Neue Schule Horse Bits?

Salox Gold

The horse’s mouth is warm and soft and needs to remain as calm and still as possible in order to listen for the rider’s aids. So, after ensuring that basic engineering strength and toughness is satisfied, the mouthpiece material of a bit should then be: 1. Warm, 2. Soft and 3. Neutral in taste.

1. Warm - The unique Salox Gold used for Neue Schule bits possesses a high thermal conductivity. This means that the bit will warm to mouth temperature quickly and become ‘neutral’ to the horse, meaning that they are less likely to inwardly fixate on the mouthpiece and instead will be receptive to all the rider’s aids.

2. Soft - Occasionally, the horse’s bit may come into contact with the teeth- namely the incisors (as we put the bit in) and the premolars. When this happens, we would like to ensure that it doesn’t cause discomfort or damage to the tooth itself. Salox differs from standard stainless steel and other copper alloy bits in that it is a slightly softer metal, allowing it to safely absorb impact forces whilst protecting tooth enamel. This can make the mouthpiece easier to accept by the horse. 

3. Neutral in taste - Neue Schule aims to keep the bit comfortable but neutral in the horse’s mouth. We don’t want our horses to inwardly fixate on the bit, but instead be receptive to all our aids. A mouthpiece that doesn’t taste or emit a smell is one that will remain neutral in the mouth- after all we don’t want our horses chomping and sucking at the bit because it tastes sweet or is flavoured! Likewise, flavoured mouthpieces can lead to over-salivation in the horse, which can often be misconstrued as acceptance. There is no evidence that over salivation means the horse is accepting the bit, and the horse cannot physically swallow this excess saliva and breath at the same time. Over-salivation may therefore impact on performance, particularly during faster work.

Philosophy

Neue Schule bits are designed according to the modern day demands on the horse and rider.  Unlike traditional bitting companies, Neue Schule's bit design philosophy was to make reliable bits which are perfectly designed for functionality and fit.  Heather Hyde, the designer of the bits has years of first hand experience of bitting horses and her knowledge was integrated with modern design techniques to create the Neue Schule bit range.

Neue Schule produce detailed computer models of their bits which allows for rigorous testing prior to production. The Neue Schule engineering process means that all Neue Schule bits are robustly tested for strength, durability and longevity prior to production ensuring only the highest quality horse bits are actually developed as a prototype.

Once tested in a computer model, prototypes are made and are tested in a group of horses which are known well by the company to assess the functionality of the bit and the suitability of the bit to help combat training issues. Only when positive results are obtained from a wide selection of their horses and riders, does a bit go into production.

So there you have it, the Neue Schule bit that you receive is made from the best materials and has undergone excessive tests and uses the to ensure it performs the best for you and your horse.