A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by Western riders.
A Western style curb bit with leather curb strap
An English style Weymouth curb
A decorative fixed shank on a western Salinas-style curb bit
Bit shanks, such as those on this spade bit, work as a lever
The bit is an item of a horse's tack. It usually refers to the assembly of components that contacts and controls the horse's mouth, and includes the shanks, rings, cheekpads and mullen, all described here below, but it also sometimes simply refers to the mullen, the piece that fits inside the horse's mouth. The mullen extends across the horse's mouth and rests on the bars, the region between the incisors and molars where there are no teeth. The bit is located on the horse's head by the headstall, and which has itself several components to allow the most comfortable adjustment of bit location and control.
A horse wearing an English bridle with a snaffle bit, the end of which can be seen just sticking out of the mouth. The bit is not the metal ring.
Horse skull showing the large gap between the front teeth and the back teeth. The bit sits in this gap, and extends beyond from side to side.
A Luristan bronze horse bit
The bits of a double bridle, showing both a type of snaffle bit called a bradoon and a curb bit
