Curb Bit

This type of bit is called a geschraubt Biss in German, literally a 'screwed bit', a kind of adjustable dressage bit popular in Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries. The three lengths of the shanks (the levers on the sides of the bit to which the reins were attached), allow the rider to adjust the severity of their leverage effect. In its shortest position the bit is weaker. The longer its shanks and the further forward its swivel rings for the reins, the more severe it becomes. The rider also had the option of changing either the whole mouthpiece or only the elements (missing here) on both sides of the central high port. Thus, the rider could transform it into different bits in order to find the perfect one for a horse under training, or to use the same bit on different horses with different needs.

The trebuchet, the swinging central element on the mouthpiece, is adorned with the arms of the Elector of Saxony. The pendant attached to it, however, with its small hanging beads, was meant to ‘entertain’ the horse, who, by playing with it with its tongue, would salivate and relax its jaw.

The two heraldic lions featured on the shanks’ pierced ornaments were part of the traditional decorative repertoire of East German spur-makers, who not only made spurs, but also all small equestrian hardware like bits, stirrups, muzzles, cavessons or curry-combs. In this case, however, they may also refer to some of the lions displayed on the great arms of Saxony.