For those who use..

[unbridledoaks]

For those people who ride in a Baucher Bit. What do you think about them? I'm interested in what people think about them.
Thanks!

[Elisha]

My mare loved the baucher. She hated when the bit moved in her mouth, and the baucher was a nice steady contact for her. I think that it really just depends on the horse.

[mtngirl]

Works for some, not for others. I ride my Appy gelding in a French Link Baucher and he does just fine...seems to be happy and responsive. My trainer however, claims that she has a harder time getting him to bend and give in a Boucher than she does using a loose ring snaffle. He also has a tendency to go behind the vertical with her in the Baucher...whereas with me, it's never a problem. Like any bit, works different for different riders and different horses.

For me, in a Baucher my Appy is light and steady...when I ride in a loose ring French snaffle, he sometimes likes to "hang" on me. So far it's been a good bit for us.

[ironbessflint]

Interestingly enough, my girl tends to duck behind the bit in anything else, but goes really well in her baucher. I think she really likes how it hangs in her mouth compared to a loose ring. Whatever it is, she's happy...I don't argue ;)

[bluesegolene]

Just put my green mare in a Baucher (today!) from a loose ring snaffle. She is a nervous horse (lot of lips flapping and fidgeting ), tends to resent flexion and hang on the bit. The transition to the Baucher was not a problem, in fact, she seemed to like the steadiness of the bit and was giving me a really even contact on both reins. Flexion was vastly improved, i.e. only had to ask once.

We were both in a pleasant mood during the ride and for now, I am going to attribute it to the Baucher :)

[redears]

I just bought a KK to switch my horse over into from the baucher. My mare has been going in a french link baucher, but I've been injured so my trainer has been riding her during my lessons. She thinks I would have a much better connection and contact with something different, that the baucher was a good tool at the time, and probably a good bit for jumping for me, but to get a better contact (my mare tends to be too too light) she recommended the KK. We shall see!

[dalpal]

LOL..this brings back a memory.

I used a baucher on an old schoolmaster who was very fussy...it seemed to help.

I was riding in a clinic with a German trainer....(he would come to our farm, and looking back I was not ready to ride with him, but the farm trainer needed a slot filled and convinced me that I should be honored to be selected to pay 250.00 for this lesson. :lol:)

I came in the ring with my horse...he walks over to him and says..."What is this?" (looking at his bit)....Stupid, young me...thinks he is seriously asking, so I start to explain...and I get interrupted with a "I KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!!.Why do you have it on your horse?" Apparently he was offended that my horse came in wearing the little French Baucher in his mouth.

Hee, hee.....I agree with the other posters....works great for some, will see absolutley no difference in others.

[FLeckenAwesome]

I don't notice a huge difference between the french link baucher and the french link loose ring with Fleck really. But my trainer thought that he was going well in it and maybe just as well if not better. Course it could have just been timing. He's such an easy going guy though that he really didn't seem to notice a difference.

However, I will mention that the first time I put it on him a year or so ago he HATED it! Ducked behind the verticle and was PISSY!!! I wasn't sure if it was from having a week off, but after two rides I went back to my loose ring and he was happier. Not sure if it was just the third ride and he had calmed back down or the bit. But now... he goes perfectly fine in it??? Maybe I was more handsy then?!?!?

[goeslikestink]

bits are only as servere as your hands check out my helpful links page and pay perticular attention to the 1st 3 links http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=178116

[Sandy M]

My retired 2nd gen Appy/TB went much better in a french-link Baucher than he did in the medium-mouth HSS loosering I started him in. For one thing, he had a big tongue, shallow palate, so the fact that the bit "hangs" made it more comfortable for him. Also, he seemed to appreciate the quietness or steadiness of the Baucher. Since those seem to be the factors for him, a thinnish french mouth egg butt or full check with keepers (much more of a hunter bit, tho') would probably have achieved the same effect, but he liked the Baucher, so I kept him in it. (He was showing 2nd/schooling 3rd when he developed arthritic stifles, so I retired him. He originally was a hunter/jumper).

My youngster is going in a loosering Steubben that is roughly equivalent to the KK bit with the center "bean." I tried the dressage legal Mylar snaffle on him first, and he HATED it. I still have the Baucher, though. The minute you sell/give away tack.... you find you need it.

[unbridledoaks]

Thank you everyone. I was interested in changing over from a loose ring to a Baucher for my stallion.

[buck22]

However, I will mention that the first time I put it on him a year or so ago he HATED it! Ducked behind the verticle and was PISSY!!!
I had a similar experience recently. I only tried it the one time and my horse was infuriated by it. Its a rather nice boucher too, tough to find as I wanted a 3 piece mouth in something other than stainless or rubber and didn't want to spend $100+.

The one I ended up with measures true, but fits small, and is quite thick. Like I said, I only tried it the one time and my horse was ready to disown me over it. Soon after, I began putting his regular full cheek in keepers and he's liking it better, so I probably just didn't give this particular bit a fair shake, or we were both just having a bad hair day or something.:lol:

I've since mailed out the bit on loan to someone to try with an apparently fussy horse, they've reported so far they like it.

I'll be trying it again on my horse in the future, though I might want to find a thinner mouthpiece, this one might've just been too massively thick for his dainty mouth :D

[JackSprats Mom]

For the first month my guy reacted to it like it was a fairly strong bit (compared to the loose ring he had been in- had to ride much lighter in it) but he loves it more then the loose ring, much more consistent and solid in it.

[dressage.life]

I love mine & the horses that I use it on love it! :)

[jackalini]

My mare is picky about her bits (yes to a mullen D ring, NO to a full cheek, yes to a loose ring, NO to the eggbutt), but she goes really well in her single jointed baucher.

Give it a try. :)

[bluesegolene]

Third ride in a Baucher today. My mare is much much more relaxed in her single jointed Baucher.

[unbridledoaks]

Another question. Now I have seen two types of Bauchers; once with a longer connection with the bridle and a shorter connection to the bridle. Has anyone noticed a difference in them?