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The Different Bit Shapes Effect Pressure:

Shapes:
Bit shapes also affect how much pressure your horse feels when you cue and how relaxed he'll be during your entire ride. If his bit is straight, he'll feel pressure on his tongue and feel less at his bars. Bars are the only places in your horse's mouth where he can feel direction cues. So, if the bit mouthpiece is straight, it will be more difficult for him to discern precisely where you'd like him to be.

Hinges and Grooves:
Hinges or grooves allow your horse's tongue room and angle so that your pressure is applied to the bars. Your horse will understand your lateral cues more easily because he'll feel the pressure on one or both bars. His tongue will be free to relax.

Grooves vs. Ports:
A groove allows the tongue room to move while a port is a raised groove that applies pressure on your horse's mouth. A tongue groove is shallow--only allowing room for the tongue to move. A port is tall and is designed to apply a more severe cue.

Adjusting The Pressure Of The Bit:

Mouthpieces:
Thicker metal bars will provide lots of space for the bit to contact your horse's mouth. That large contact area spreads out pressure when you pull on the reins while riding--translating to low pressure per square inch of contact.

Bits that use a thin mouthpiece will cause much more pressure!

Leverage With Shanks:
Shanks are long metal pieces that extend down from the side of a bit's mouthpiece. Your reins attach at the end of the shank so that the shank maximizes your movement and puts the bit into action. Horses feel pressure from curb bits (any bit with a shank) as clamping between their chins (where a chain or strap is attached) and bars. Make sure your curb's chain lays flat and doesn't pinch your horse. It shouldn't be too tight--make sure you can fit one finger between the chain and your horse's chin.

Any metal piece below the bit's mouthpiece is called a shank. Metal above the mouthpiece is called the purchase. Both metal pieces can apply leverage to different parts of your horse's mouth.

The leverage applied allows your horse to feel cues faster and with more pressure. How much pressure the horse feels depends on how long the shank or purchase is. You can measure the leverage by comparing the distance from the mouthpiece to the reins and the distance from the mouthpiece to the chain behind the bit. Find out how many times longer the first measurement is than the second. Many curb bits have a 3 to 1 leverage ratio. So, if you apply one pound of pressure to the reins, the horse feels three pounds of pressure in his mouth.

Direct Pressure:
Snaffle bits (any bit that doesn't have a shank or a purchase) are used to apply pressure to the reins, your horse will feel an equal amount of pressure on the bars of his mouth. If your snaffle has a joint, the mouthpiece will fold with rein pressure and give your horse tongue room. He'll feel pressure on his lips where they cover the bars.