Patent ID: 7513094

Claim:
A horse bit comprising a pair of side cheeks, each having a cheek strap coupling portion and a first cheek portion mounting a respective end portion of a mouth-piece, and a second cheek portion pivotally connected to said first cheek portion so as to be pivotally displaceable relative thereto about pivotal axis remote from said mouth-piece so as to be offset from the longitudinal axis of the mouthpiece, and independent of said mouthpiece, and having a rein coupling portion remote from its pivotal connection to said first cheek, and wherein is provided a resilient biasing means formed and arranged for acting between said first and second cheek portions remote from said pivotal axis, so as to resist pivotal displacement of said second cheek portion relative to said first cheek portion, in use of said bit, when a user pulls on the reins, whereby transmission of force through the reins to said mouth-piece is modulated, wherein the second cheek portion is generally ‘Z’ form with the resilient biasing means formed and arranged for acting between a lower limb portion and the first cheek portion, an upper limb portion having, at its distal end, a curb chain mounting portion, and the pivotal connection to the first cheek portion being disposed generally in a region joining the upper limb portion central limb portion.