This month’s favorite bit: Long-Shank Smooth Snaffle by Greg Darnell

“This horse doesn’t really need a whole lot of help. Once you score him, you just stay out of his way. The bit is a lot, but it’s not. If you need it, it’s there, but if not, then it’s kind of a guide piece. It has a lot of feel. It has a pretty long shank. For a long-shank bit, it still has a pretty fast feel so you don’t have to do a whole lot and you still get a lot of response. You can have your horse’s attention and have him doing something and you don’t have to do very much.”

—Clayton Van Aken, Mountain States Circuit Champion Header

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