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Imagine having a frosty piece of metal put in your mouth just before you go to work! Cold winter months and an unheated tack room, can mean your horse's bit can become skin numbing cold. Not only is this uncomfortable, it may be damaging. Even Dr. Matthew Horace Hayes, a veterinarian during the Victorian era, mentions the problem of putting a frosty bit in a horse's mouth.

I don't know how many times I've tried to warm my horse's bit by holding it in my hands as my fingers went numb, stuffed a bridle under my jacket in an effort to warm it (and I'm sure no horse wants to mouth a bit that's been in an arm pit), or carried it back and forth from the house wrapped in cloth to keep it warm.

I've even experimented with microwavable rice bags that worked as long as I moved quickly when I got to the barn, and the bag didn't cool down. And with microwaveable bags, it would be possible to over heat the bit. When I first heard about the Bit Blanket, I was really excited to try it out because it promised to eliminate the discomfort of a cold bit for both my horse and I.

Product Description

The Bit Blanket promises to eliminate the discomfort of a frosty, cold bit quickly and easily.The Bit Blanket is an electrically heated sleeve that fits over the mouth piece of your bit. The durable codura-like fabric covering the heating element and inner layer comes in four colors: red, blue, green and black. The Bit Blanket has a 5 ft. (152 cm) cord that plugs into any regular electrical outlet (GFCI outlets are always safest in a barn) with a three prong plug. The Bit Warmer warms your horse's bit while you groom and saddle up.

How The Bit Blanket Works

How The Bit Blanket works is very simple.

Once plugged into an electrical outlet thin electrical wires heat up inside of the hook and loop fastener closeable sleeve. Wrapped around the mouth piece of the bit, the heat transfers to the metal or other bit material. Once the bit is warm—about twenty minutes or less depending on how cold the bit was to begin with, you remove the Bit Blanket, unplug it and store it away. The Bit Blanket comes in two sizes; Mini and regular.

 
For those who trailer out on to ride on trail or compete during the winter months an adapter is available so your Bit Blanket becomes portable.
My Impressions

I really like this product and I know it will get used frequently during the winter months. I do have concerns though and that is around the safety of using ‘heaters’ in a stable or barn. The Bit Blanket is a ‘safe’ product and if used correctly should not be a problem. It is sturdily made and there’s little chance of exposed wires as long as you follow the instructions. There is no thermostat or indicator light, and the Bit Blanket will not turn off automatically once the bit is warm, so care has to be taken to unplug before there’s a chance of over-heating. With such small heating wires, this would probably take a very long time.

Any heater whether it be a space heater, hot dog maker, toaster oven or kettle is a potential barn barn fire hazard, if caution and common sense aren’t observed. I’m probably a little over-cautious in this area because my husband is an electrician and tends to be a little over-the-top meticulous when it comes safety issues.

The Bit Blanket starts to warm immediately when you plug it in. On the day I tried it out, it was just at the freezing point out and my horse’s bit warmed up within about ten minutes. The warmer covered the mouthpiece well, but the cheek pieces stayed cooler. Those who use a bit with a high port might have a hard time closing the warmer. For optimum heating, the hook and loop fastener needs to be closed and the warmer wrapped snugly around the mouth piece.

Overall I am really impressed with this product. I think it’s a well made and well designed product that solves a problem many of us in northern climes have. The Bit Blanket would be a welcome, useful addition to any rider’s or driver’s tack box.

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Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.