Start with how the ring moves
The cheek piece sets how a snaffle sits and moves in your horse's mouth. Pick the cheek for how he carries the bit, then the mouthpiece and width for his mouth, and ride with a bit that stays where you put it.
Updated November 2026
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In the Spotlight
A German maker's loose rings, the most common snaffle cheek
Herm Sprenger loose ring snaffles
Single and double jointed loose rings
The Bit Edit
A snaffle works on direct rein pressure, and the cheek piece decides how that pressure travels. Start with the cheek your horse needs, and the mouthpiece and width follow.
Moves with the horse
Centaur French Link Loose Ring suits a horse that likes to mouth and move the bit, because its 65 mm rings slide on the mouthpiece and follow every shift of the hand. Centaur builds it with a French link mouthpiece in 18/8 stainless steel, hand polished and balanced side to side. Riders reach for a loose ring first when a horse is busy in the mouth.
Herm Sprenger, Shires, Happy Mouth Bits, Nathe and Myler all make loose rings, in steel, sweet iron and mullen shapes, so the mouthpiece is the part you tailor. Look elsewhere if you want the bit held still: that is the eggbutt below.
Browse every loose ring snaffle bit below.
Loose ring snaffles
Rings that slide on the mouthpiece
Fixed rings
Centaur Mullen Flat Eggbutt gives a settled horse a steady, fixed contact, because its 70 mm flat rings attach firmly to a mullen mouth and do not slide. Centaur makes it from 18/8 stainless steel that Centaur guarantees against rust for life. An eggbutt suits a rider who wants a consistent feel and a bit that does not shift.
Centaur also makes the Dr Bristol Round Eggbutt with 75 mm round rings, and Korsteel and Horze list eggbutts too. The barrel-shaped join where ring meets mouthpiece is what riders mean by eggbutt. Look elsewhere if your horse fusses with a still bit: a loose ring gives him something to play with.
Browse every eggbutt snaffle bit below.
Eggbutt snaffles
Fixed rings, steady bit
Flat-sided Dee
The Centaur Jointed Hunter Dee is a D-ring snaffle that gives a quiet, steady feel in the hand, because the flat side of the ring lies against the cheek and the rein sends a direct signal. It carries a single-jointed mouthpiece in 18/8 stainless steel, and Centaur builds the Slow Twist Hunter Dee on the same shape with a slow twist mouthpiece.
Centaur's Hunter Dee range also covers French link, Corkscrew, Waterford and Triangle mouthpieces, so you can change the mouthpiece and keep the cheek your horse already goes in. Shires, Happy Mouth Bits and Myler make Dee cheeks as well. Look elsewhere if your horse needs the bit to move more in his mouth: start with the loose ring above.
Browse every D-ring snaffle bit below.
D-ring snaffles
Flat-sided Dee cheeks
Cheeks above and below
Centaur Jointed Full Cheek keeps the bit from sliding, because its cheek pieces extend above and below the mouthpiece and the bit cannot pull through the mouth. Centaur gives it a single-link rubber mouth with a refined, thinner profile, made from materials that pass REACH's strict standards.
Centaur also makes the Dr Bristol Copper Full Cheek with a twisted copper mouth and the Dr Bristol Eggbutt Full Cheek, so you can pick a mouthpiece to suit your horse. The cheeks lie along the face, which helps with steering. Look elsewhere if you want a plain ring: the Dee and eggbutt above have no cheek extensions.
Browse full cheek snaffle bits in the grid below.
Hanging cheek
Shires Hanging Cheek Baucher Copper Lozenge Snaffle Bit shows why a Baucher keeps the mouthpiece still: the hanging cheek has a small shank that adds a small amount of poll pressure. Shires pairs it with a multi-joint copper lozenge mouthpiece, and the copper lozenge assists with salivation, according to the maker.
Herm Sprenger, Myler and Happy Mouth Bits also make Baucher snaffles. A Baucher is still a snaffle despite the upper cheek, so it works on direct rein pressure. Look elsewhere if you want the most common cheek: the eggbutt and loose ring above are the usual first choices.
Browse every Baucher snaffle bit below.
Baucher snaffles
Hanging cheek rings
Questions riders ask
A loose ring slides on the mouthpiece, so the bit moves with every shift of the hand. An eggbutt has fixed rings, so the bit stays still. Horses that play with the bit often go in a loose ring, and steadier horses in an eggbutt. Start with the cheek that matches how your horse carries the bit.
Measure from lip corner to lip corner with a soft cord, then match the number to the size run on the product page. A bit that is too small pinches and one that is too large slides. Fit comes before cheek or mouthpiece, so measure first and then browse the width you need.
A bradoon is a snaffle bit that is the usual partner to a Weymouth in a double bridle, and Albacon makes a French link bradoon in German silver. Check your discipline's rules for what is allowed before you buy, then match the bradoon width to your horse.
A Dee ring, or Hunter Dee, has flat-sided rings shaped like the letter D that lie against the cheek, so the rein gives a direct signal. Centaur makes Hunter Dee bits with plain, twisted, French link and Waterford mouthpieces. Pick the mouthpiece first, then browse the Dee cheeks.