Flat Reclining Gag bit

The horse that hides behind the vertical is as hard to fix as the one above it, and the Jump'In Flat Reclining Gag is built to address exactly that evasion: sliding gag action that asks the horse to rebalance back onto its hindquarters until it learns to carry itself.

How it works: gag cheeks slide through the bit rings as rein pressure builds, lifting the mouthpiece and asking the horse to rebalance its weight onto the hindquarters; the bigger the gag rings, the stronger that action, per Jump'In. The flat reclining cannon softens the delivery with a broad, comfortable surface. Ride it with two reins directly, with bit loops, or with four reins for a snaffle-plus-gag split, and note it needs special gag cheekpieces.

Why we rate it: for retraining the behind-the-vertical habit it's one of the few formats that addresses the balance rather than punishing the head. My preference is schooling use with four reins, so the snaffle rein keeps the dialogue open while the gag rein asks the rebalancing question. Rinse the slides after riding; see our leverage bits range.

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