TRUST Equestrian Bits

A Pelham combines the action of a snaffle and a curb bit in one bit. You can ride it with one or two reins. With one rein, Pelham roundings connect the bit rings to the lower rings. Trust describes the Pelham as a leverage bit: the longer the shanks, the stronger the action. The Baby Pelham has short shanks and has a milder effect.

According to Trust the Pelham is used mainly for strong horses, when there is little room in the mouth for two mouthpieces, or to prepare the horse for the curb bit. It is not intended for inexperienced riders. We currently stock Inno Sense curb bits with short shanks and a Sweet Iron loose ring snaffle from Trust.

Both mouthpieces are made of elastic plastic with tongue room, they differ in hardness. According to Trust the Medium Port is harder than the very soft Flexi Soft, but still slightly flexible. The Hard Port is harder than the Medium and can only be bent with difficulty. In both versions the tongue room relieves pressure on the centre of the tongue.

The Inno Sense material does not contain plasticisers. Trust particularly recommends the range for young horses and horses with a sensitive mouth. According to the manufacturer a curb bit with short shanks has a milder effect than one with long shanks and is always used with a curb chain. We stock the Inno Sense curb bit with short shanks in medium and hard.

That is intentional. Sweet Iron develops a light surface rust through contact with moisture and air, which has a sweetish taste. According to Trust this stimulates saliva production, the horse foams more and often accepts the bit better as a result. The originally blue mouthpiece gradually discolours to a brownish grey.

If the bit is left unused for a longer period, an orange-brown layer of rust can form. According to the manufacturer this can be wiped off with a damp cloth and is not harmful to the horse. We stock a 16 mm Sweet Iron loose ring snaffle from Trust.

No, Trust does not give any guarantee against bite damage on Inno Sense mouthpieces, only against material and manufacturing faults. The manufacturer explains this as follows: a correctly fitted bit lies on the bars, that is in the toothless part of the jaw, and does not come into contact with the teeth there.

If a horse still bites on it, for example because of a dental problem or because it pushes the bit upwards with its tongue, the flexible plastic can be damaged. You should therefore check the mouthpiece regularly and have the teeth examined by a vet if there are bite marks. Trust bits are designed in the Netherlands and handmade.