Sweet Iron

[Glenn]

What is sweet iron and why do they use it for bits and things that go into a horses mouth?

[Charles R. Stevens]

Sweet iron is a marketing ploy for the late 1800, and still used to day, simply low carbon, low alloy steel. 

[Michael Cochran]

So if I was to make a bit I'd want to use something like 1018-1020? I'm not planing on putting a horse through the misery of using something I made, just want to make sure I understand correctly.

[Nobody Special]

I've heard that, but I've always seen it called that with copper on the bit. Does it make a difference?

[notownkid]

Every bit design had some reason behind it but they most generally were poor reasons or ideas.  Many bit design have continues to this day the Snaffle being one that has been in favor for 100 yrs. easy on a horse's mouth IF THE RIDER HAS DECENT HANDS.  Copper was suppose to add saliva in the horses mouth we were told.  High ports, mid ports, low ports, no port, solid side, loose sides, curb chains, curb straps all had a following and uses and every horse owner/user was an expert (ask any farrier).  Some of our Standardbred Race Horses had some terrible bits just to keep them under control.  What ever works and is the easiest for the horse was and is best. 

We had a nice Quarter horse off a ranch in Texas that came to us as a problem always shaking his head up and down and would get real nasty at times.  We watched the owner riding and he had a poor set of hands always on the mouth of the horse and had a high port bit in there.  When the owner had left we changed the bit to a snaffle and shaking stopped but if you got on his mouth to stop or turn fast back it came.  We left the snaffle in but added a Hackamore to the ensemble and kept the snaffle rein laying on his neck and worked with the hackamore. Worked great we told the owner to consider  the snaffle as an emergency brake.   6 yrs. later I found the horse in another barn for sale and they said he would keep throwing his head and running away with the rider,  we found they had gone to a high port bit again.  I bought him for a killer price took him home and rode him for 6 months with no problem with the snaffle hackamore combo and gave him to a friends daughter just starting endurance trail riding and he served her well for a number of years. 

I once had a large selection of bits we had taken off horses over the years and replaced with something else but came up missing after a divorce, should have Photoed them but didn't!   

[Steve Sells]

Sadly we humans tend to want to blame others rather than look to ourselves to resolve problems. good thing for that horse you looked at the bits again.

[Soupyjones]

A custom bit maker I know uses a combination if low percentage zinc strip and copper on his mouth pieces to make them "sweeter". As he told me it is strictly for the owner because the horses don't seem to care.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Yes sir, Mr. Jones. That about sums it up. I ride a hackamore rig (bosel and fiador, not a mechanical hackamore) more often than not. The bit gives an illusion of control, wile the truth is it's a communication device like a cellphone. If your wife calls and asked you to bring home milk and bread, dose that meen you will? Sleep enugh nights in the couch and see what happens...

honestly a snaffel, a low port curb and a bosel covers 99% of what we need. I have seen a few that requuired something different. We had an Appaloosa mare that do to some unknown reason had had her young nearly cut off. As a result it was twisted 90 degree to the side. This resulted in the mule paradox. As the bit would not touch the bars (the toothless part of the gums between the molars and in incisers. A bosal wouldn't work as she held her head up and it rubbed her nose untile it bled. But a high port curb kept her head down (collected) and she rode off of a bosalito (pincil bosal). 

 

[notownkid]

most horse problems we dealt with over 40 yrs were Human connected.  Same people who had domestic abuse problems did the same to their animals esp. horses and dogs. People read a book and were instant experts, knew more than anyone.  Most didn't last long but left a trail of discarded horses in their wake  many made dog food we saved a number of them.  Always upset me and more than once took an abusive rider off a horse, once in a show ring after the announcer and judge had told him repeatedly to ease up on the horse.   

This morning while dumping out a bucket discovered an old straight bit wrapped in heavy leather, didn't know I had one will hang that in my shop.

I have to stop and remember that in 1905 in my small town in Vermont population then about 2000 there were 1801 horses in town, think of the trades involved there.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Yes sir, after Mr, Ford made it possible to replace the horse, a lot of honest knowledge has been replaced by BS. 

Dennis Reice. Has a good quote " where ignorance exists abuse begins"

[Frank Turley]

I had my sweet iron idea on here at one time, but I think it was expunged. The oft used Spanish word for the material, wrought iron, is hierro dulce, literally "iron sweet." I think that in the early days of the West, the Hispanic bitsmiths passed this translation to their Anglo apprentices and counterparts. Manufactured bits are no longer made of the old fashioned wrought iron, but in advertising, "sweet iron" sounds good to the ol' cowpunchers.

[Glenn]

Frank, nothing was expunged. I found your post in Fed. 2015

Posted 5 Feb 2015 · Report post

"Sweet iron" bridle bits came up recently. One person said it came from Swedish iron, called Swede iron. I thought that was a good one which I hadn't heard before. My personal view was that wrought iron in Spanish is hierro dulce, literally 'iron sweet,' and the early Mexican bitsmiths translated it to their Anglo counterparts and apprentices.

 

 

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, Frank Turley said:

I had my sweet iron idea on here at one time, but I think it was expunged. The oft used Spanish word for the material, wrought iron, is hierro dulce, literally "iron sweet." I think that in the early days of the West, the Hispanic bitsmiths passed this translation to their Anglo apprentices and counterparts. Manufactured bits are no longer made of the old fashioned wrought iron, but in advertising, "sweet iron" sounds good to the ol' cowpunchers.

I think  you're probably right Frank. Much of the terminology and craft of the American cowboy is directly derived from Spaniard then Mexican cultures and languages, Vaquero was "Americanized" into Buckaroo, etc.

Frosty The Lucky.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

In regards to Buckaroo, I have been told that it is only applied to cowboys from Nevada. 

As to using copper. Many copper alloys have lead in them, so be careful about what you use.

[Frank Turley]

May be getting off topic here, but a few more Spanish derived words are: hackamore for jacima; bosal for specialized noseband; dally for dar la vuelta; quirt from cuarta or cuerda; cinch from cincho meaning girth (bellyband); la reata becomes lariat; lazo becomes lasso or "lass rope."

[JHCC]

1 hour ago, Frank Turley said:

May be getting off topic here, but a few more Spanish derived words are: hackamore for jacima; bosal for specialized noseband; dally for dar la vuelta; quirt from cuarta or cuerda; cinch from cincho meaning girth (bellyband); la reata becomes lariat; lazo becomes lasso or "lass rope."

Not to mention "Alligator" from el legarto "the lizard", "Cafeteria" from cafe tería "coffee store", and "Elephant" from el ephant "the ephant".

[Charles R. Stevens]

Belive me, the language of horsemanship gives you fits, I think "dominate" has caused a lot of problems. It makes perfect sence to a north western cow hand, but the rest of the contry takes it out of context. Heck we smiths have enugh dealing with newbies and "temper"  

[ThomasPowers]

I try not to lose my temper with newbies but I will admit to thinking that a few needed quenching in ice water.