The Teeth and The Bit
When fitting a bit to a horse, along with a bridle, the normally metal bar of the bit lies in the interdental space between the incisors (or canines, where present) and premolars. If the bridle is adjusted so that the bit rests too low, or too high, it may push against the teeth and cause discomfort.
Sometimes, a "bit seat" is filed in the first premolar, where the surface is rounded so that the flesh of the cheek is not pushed into the sharp edge of the tooth, making riding more comfortable for the horse, although the practice is controversial.
Read more about this topic: Horse Teeth
Famous quotes containing the words teeth and/or bit:
“I have seen a thousand graves opened, and always perceived that whatever was gone, the teeth and hair remained of those who had died with them. Is not this odd? They go the very first things in youth & yet last the longest in the dust.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“The world has always gone through periods of madness so as to advance a bit on the road to reason.”
—Hermann Broch (1886–1951)