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Washing

When cleaning and checking your tack, the bit should also be included. After each use it is advisable to wash your bit under the tap and dry it thoroughly. It is not necessary to polish your bit, however if you wish to do so you may use any reputable metal polish, ensuring that there is no residue left on the bit.  In order to achieve this, immerse in warm soapy water after polishing and rub thoroughly with a soft sponge. Finish off with a cold rinse under the tap and dry thoroughly with a cloth.  Many riders actually pop the bit in the dishwasher usually once a week when the bridle has been taken apart during tack cleaning (please be aware that some dishwasher tablets/liquids can be caustic). So again follow the above steps for rinsing to ensure that there is no residue left on the bit. 

When cleaning and checking your tack, the bit should also be included. The recommendation is to do this on a weekly basis. As well as the usual checks for any signs of wear and tear on the condition of the leather and stitching etc. the bit should also be part and parcel of this inspection. Things you miss or ignore here, regarding all tack, can become serious safety issues. Included in the overall scrutiny we advise that you check the following regularly. This list is not exhaustive and other bit designs to those we produce may have different critical inspection issues:      

1. Any severe loss of material where a chain-link joint or other sliding joint is formed; for example between the inner end loops of the cannons and the bores of the central link of a double jointed design or between the stainless steel loose ring and the bore of the mouthpiece cannon (see the figure)*
2. For plastic bits, check for any chewing activity that has removed significant material
3. That the beveling on the edges of the outer end bores of the cannons is still smooth
4. That the rings or fixed cheeks are not showing any deformation or unusual  signs of wear
5. That joins or welds between two different metals, for example with the Neue Schule Comfy Contact (see the figure) or any of the Neue Schule Weymouth types, are tightly closed with no discernible gap.

Where materials of differing hardness slide across each other there is a tendency over time to erode material from the softer metal.