Lift and leverage, your call
Gag and elevator bits add lift and poll pressure through the cheek, with the cheek doing more of the work than a snaffle ring. Choose the cheek style first, then the mouthpiece, in English gags or western elevators.
Updated November 2026
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In the Spotlight
Turn-Two builds western sweet iron lifter and cow horse gags with 127mm to 152mm cheeks
Turn-Two gag and elevator bits
Sweet iron lifter, dogbone and cow horse gags with 127mm to 152mm cheeks
The Gag Bit Edit
A gag changes how the reins work on the bit, and the cheek style, mouthpiece and metal are each your choice. Start with the cheek, then match the mouth.
What a gag does
The Centaur Jointed Full Cheek Gag shows what a gag bit does: the rein slides through the cheek, so when you take up contact the mouthpiece lifts and the headstall presses on the poll as well as the mouth. Herm Sprenger describes the same idea for its KK Ultra Gag Bit 16mm, saying the gag cheeks allow increased pressure on the poll and give more control over horses that tend to push forward. Herm Sprenger pitches that bit at cross country and jumping courses, and riders choose the cheek style first and the mouthpiece second. Centaur builds that full cheek with a single jointed rubber mouth, while Korsteel and Ovation offer 3-ring versions that change the leverage by ring. Look elsewhere if you want a bit with no leverage at all: a loose ring or eggbutt snaffle keeps the action direct. Everything below sorts gags by cheek style, mouthpiece and discipline.
Cheltenham & loop ring
Happy Mouth Bits Jointed Cheltenham Gag pairs a Cheltenham cheek with a space-age polymer mouthpiece and an apple scent, the quality Happy Mouth says encourages horses to accept the bit. The Cheltenham cheek is an eggbutt gag, and Centaur says its Slow Twist Cheltenham Gag gives increased lateral control from the eggbutt cheek, with a twisted mouthpiece that applies more concentrated pressure. Centaur also makes the Oval Link Cheltenham Gag in Blue Steel, which rusts on contact with air and humidity, and Centaur says that surface rust tastes sweet and adds saliva. A loop ring gag has a ring that moves freely: the Centaur Jointed Loop Ring Gag is a single jointed bit in 18/8 stainless steel that Centaur guarantees against rust for life, and Happy Mouth Bits Ribbed Jointed Loop Ring Gag is described as popular with jumpers and eventers. Look elsewhere if you want a double-jointed or roller mouth: the Happy Mouth Double Jointed Roller 2-Ring Gag is the one to compare.
Dutch, 3-ring, continental
Korsteel Stainless Steel Solid Jointed Mouth 3 Ring Continental Gag Bit shows how the family works: Korsteel calls it a cross between a pelham and a gag, a single joint mouthpiece that acts on the poll with varying strength, and the lower the ring the greater the strength. Happy Mouth Bits Jointed 3-Ring Gag makes the same point for a polymer mouth, with two lower rings that allow variable leverage. Ovation Peanut Link 3-Ring Gag brings a shorter rotating link to the same cheek. Happy Mouth Bits French Link 3-Ring Gag combines a popular jumping cheek with a polymer French link, and the Double Jointed Roller 3-Ring Gag swaps in a multi-joint mouth. Pick the ring position that fits your horse, then match the mouthpiece to its mouth. Look elsewhere if you want one fixed rein position and no adjustment: a Cheltenham or full cheek gag keeps that simpler.
Mouthpieces compared
Herm Sprenger Hard Carbon Mullen Mouth Eggbutt Gag Bit 16mm and its Hard Carbon Single Joint twin show the choice in one maker: a 16mm mouthpiece, stainless steel gag cheeks of 55mm, and either a mullen or a single joint. The Herm Sprenger Satinox 14mm Double Joint Gag Bit has a curved double joint mouth, and the KK Ultra adds a 45 degree angled middle link that Herm Sprenger says enables soft but precise aids. Korsteel Stainless Steel Jointed Gag with Large Copper Rollers puts a single joint under copper rollers, and Korsteel says the copper encourages horses to accept the bit. Centaur Jointed Full Cheek Gag uses a thinner rubber mouth. Look elsewhere if you need cheek straps in the box: Herm Sprenger lists gag cheek straps as sold separately on its single joint eggbutt model, so check the listing before you order. Use the Bit Size Chart below to match your measurement.
Herm Sprenger gag bits
Hard carbon and Satinox gags, single and double joint, mullen mouth
Western elevator gags
Toklat Sweet Iron Large Twist H Gag has 6 inch H gag cheeks and a twisted sweet iron single joint mouth, a classic western elevator for a horse that needs more lift. Toklat Black Steel Mouth Wonder Gag has 6 1/2 inch wonder gag cheeks with stainless steel cheeks and a black steel single joint snaffle mouth, and the Black Steel Twist Wonder Gag swaps in a twisted mouth. Turn-Two Western Sweet Iron Smooth Jr Cow Horse Gag has 127mm cheeks and a snaffle mouth, the shortest shank in this group. Turn-Two Sweet Iron Pretzel Lite Lifter has 152mm cheeks and a wrapped ported pretzel mouth, and Turn-Two describes it as ideal for a well trained but strong barrel horse. Look elsewhere if your horse is still learning his way in the bridle: start with our snaffle bits instead.
Toklat gag and elevator bits
Sweet iron and black steel wonder gags, H gags and cowhorse shanks
Questions riders ask
A gag bit has cheek pieces with rings or slots that the rein slides through. When you take up contact, the bit lifts in the horse's mouth and the headstall presses on the poll, so you get leverage as well as direct pull. Read the cheek style first, then pick the mouthpiece.
All three are ring gags that give you more than one rein position. On a 3-ring or continental gag, Korsteel says the lower the ring the greater the strength, so you choose the leverage you want. Compare the cheek styles in section 3, then check your horse's mouthpiece size.
They share the idea of lift. Western elevator bits such as H gags and wonder gags use long shanks, with cheeks of 127mm to 6 1/2 inches in the Turn-Two and Toklat listings, while English gags use rings and slots on the cheek. This page carries both, so browse by the discipline you ride.
Measure the width of your horse's mouth from lip corner to lip corner and choose a mouthpiece that matches. Herm Sprenger lists its gags with a 14mm or 16mm mouthpiece diameter, a separate measure. Use the Bit Size Chart on this page to find your size before you order.