Which bits are legal in the hunters and equitation?

The 2026 Hunter chapter puts it in one line: “Snaffles, pelhams and full bridles, all with cavesson nose bands, are required.” A full bridle is a double bridle, which Wikipedia notes is also called a full bridle or Weymouth bridle. Our double bridle page covers how it works.

Three more lines in HU105 matter at the in-gate. On curbs, the rule says that a curb used with any leverage bit “must be constructed of loose links, joints, and/or lie smooth against the jaw of the horse and be free of twists, sharp objects or anything inhumane.” It allows a curb to be wrapped or covered for the horse's comfort, but says it may not be used with wire, metal, rawhide or metal “keepers”, other than to attach the curb to the bit. And on the way out of the ring, horses “must return to the ring for conformation or soundness wearing a snaffle, pelham or full bridle with a cavesson noseband.”

The chapter we read is the 2026 edition, and its entries are marked effective 12/1/2025. This is the rule for Federation-licensed hunter classes. A schooling show or another organization may follow its own rules, so read your prize list too.

HU105 says judges “may penalize, but may not eliminate” a horse or pony in a snaffle, pelham or full bridle that is unconventional, and names “hunter gags, kimberwickes, etc.” as examples. It then says judges “must eliminate” a horse or pony in illegal bits or nosebands. The illegal bits it names are “three rings, gags (other than the hunter gag)”, and the illegal nosebands are “drop, flash and figure eight nosebands.”

Both lists say they are examples, not complete lists: the words are “include, but are not limited to.” The chapter also says that when a subject is not addressed in the rules, the appropriate USEF committee addresses it, and that interpretation stands as the rule until the next year's rule change. So a bit that isn't named is not automatically safe.

The words “hunter gag” appear in HU105 twice: once as an example of an unconventional bit a judge may penalize, and once as the exception to the ban on gags. We did not find a definition of “hunter gag” in the Hunter or Equitation chapters. A listing that calls a bit a “hunter gag” is a seller's description, not a ruling. If you plan to show in one, ask your trainer and the show's steward first.

The kimberwicke is where the chapters part ways. HU105 lists it among the unconventional examples, which a judge may penalize. The Equitation chapter lists it as a legal bit in hunter seat equitation. We explain how each of these bits works in snaffle, pelham, gag or hackamore.

Rule EQ106.5 in the 2026 Equitation chapter opens the same way as the hunter rule: “Judges may penalize but not eliminate a horse or pony that competes in unconventional tack. Judges must eliminate a horse or pony that competes in illegal tack.” For Hunter Seat Equitation it says “Legal bits include snaffles, pelhams, kimberwickes, or full bridles,” and names two rings and three rings as illegal, along with gags other than the hunter gag. It adds that “Changing of bit/bridle between phases is permissible.”

Jumping Seat Equitation is the looser version. The rule applies it to USEF Talent Search, the WIHS Jumper Phase, the USHJA Jumping Seat Medal and any class designated Jumping Seat Equitation. There, legal bits include snaffles, pelhams, gags, kimberwickes and two or three ring bits, and full bridles may be used. Any other bit, including hackamores, is prohibited, with one exception: hackamores may be used in the jumping phases of the USEF Talent Search classes and Finals. USEF's own Hunter Seat Equitation page sums up the split: traditional hunter-style tack for Hunter Seat Equitation, with additional jumper-type tack allowed for Jumping Seat Equitation. Check your prize list to see which kind of class you are entering.

HU105 requires a cavesson and lists drop, flash and figure eight nosebands as illegal, so a bit that is legal can still send you home if the noseband isn't. On martingales, the rule says “Martingales of any type are prohibited in under saddle, hack and tie-breaking classes.” Standing and running martingales used in the conventional manner are allowed in over fences classes, and the rule treats any other martingale as illegal. It also prohibits cable or metal tie downs. Equitation has its own martingale lines: for Hunter Seat Equitation, martingales are not allowed on the flat unless the class specifications allow them, and for Jumping Seat Equitation only a running martingale used in the conventional manner is legal, and only over fences. Our pages on nosebands and standing and running martingales explain the equipment itself.

In Hunter Breeding, HU149 says “All animals of yearling status and older must be shown in a bridle. Only a snaffle or straight bar bit may be used.” For Ladies Side Saddle classes, HU153 says “Bridle: Must be either double or pelham.” and that a cavesson noseband must be used. Martingales are not permitted on the flat or in Hunter Hack in the side saddle rule.

Jumper classes have their own chapter, which we did not read for this page. Dressage is different again: we cover it in Is this bit legal for dressage?

HU100, the Hunter chapter's Horse Welfare rule, lists prohibited acts, including “Repeated jerking on the reins and sawing on the bit”, unless it is applied to an unruly horse that is jeopardizing its own safety or its rider's, and “Improper use of the bit resulting in bleeding, broken skin or broken mucous membrane.” A bit that fits and sits properly matters as much as its name. If you are unsure of size, see {bt('what-size-bit-does-my-horse-need','What size bit does my horse need?')} and ask your vet or equine dentist if a horse resists a bit that fits.

This page reports what the 2026 chapters say as we read them. It is not a ruling, and rules change from year to year.

• Open the current Hunter chapter and read HU105. For equitation, open the Equitation chapter and read EQ106.5.
• Check which kind of class you are entering: hunter, Hunter Seat Equitation or Jumping Seat Equitation.
• Match your bridle piece by piece: bit, noseband, curb, martingale.
• Look at the edition and effective dates, and see whether a newer rulebook is out.
• If a piece is not named in the rule, ask your trainer and the show's steward before you enter.
• For another organization or a schooling show, read its own rules and the prize list.