Waterford Wilson bit

Leaning is the problem the Jump'In Waterford Wilson was made to dismantle. The four-ring Wilson design already stops a horse locking onto a fixed point, and the Waterford cannons go one step further - a mouthpiece of linked balls that offers nothing solid to brace against at all.

How it works: the outer free rings attach to the cheekpieces while the inner cannon rings take the reins, so the contact stays in gentle motion and splits across moving points rather than settling anywhere a horse can push into. The Waterford cannons then amplify that effect: every ball in the chain rolls slightly under tongue pressure, so the horse that likes a steady rail to lean on simply can't find one.

Why we rate it: of all the anti-lean combinations in jump racing and show jumping, Waterford-plus-Wilson is one of the most effective precisely because neither element does the job with severity. It asks the horse a mobility question instead of a pressure question. My caveat is the usual one for Waterford: introduce it in the arena first, not at a show. German silver (65% copper, 23% zinc, 12% nickel); rinse between the balls after riding. More snaffle bits in the full range.

— Sizes: 125 mm (5 in) or 135 mm (5.25 in).