Riding Steer Nose Bits

By Kimberly Henson as a guest writer

What is a nose bit?

Most people are familiar with the nose ring. It is a metal ring that is pierced through a bovine’s septum. Nose rings are commonly used on bulls for added control. The nose bit is made of two little rings attached to a bolt. The nose bit was invented by Darol Dickinson (in the 1990s I believe) to be used on Texas Longhorn bull Zhivago. The nose bit was created to improve upon a few issues with using a ring for steering. The nose bit gives even pressure when coming to the halt. The reins do not slide around, so it gives pressure only to the side that rein pressure is being applied. When using pressure only to one rein with a ring, the pressure is given to both nostrils and not just one as with the nose bit. The nose ring will work, is better than a bit on the mouth, and better than a hackamore, but the ultimate communication with your steer is the nose bit.

Why use a nose bit? 

The following is an excerpt from an article in the International Riding Steer Association (IRSA)’s Fall 2007 newsletter written by Jauson King:

Q: I don’t want to pierce my steer’s nose.  I think it’s cruel.  What options are there?

A: I hear this one a lot.  What people don’t realize is that a bit in the mouth is actually more cruel to a steer than one in the nose.  They also don’t understand that any bit, no matter where it is placed can be cruel in hands that are untrained, pull, and are harsh. Let’s look at the construction of the horse’s mouth. The horse has teeth on both top and bottom.  They have “bars” or a space in the mouth where there are no teeth. This is where the bit should properly sit.  The horse does not chew a cud.  A bovine has teeth only on the bottom jaw.  He has no bars in his mouth, and he does chew a cud.  From the time of pre-written history, man has used a ring or other type of nose piercing to control bovine.  The bovine was domesticated thousands of years before the equine. Once the horse was domesticated, there has never been a case where any civilization has attempted to use a ring or other nose piercing to control a horse.  If you look at society over millennia up until the past hundred years of human history, the bovine and equine were fundamental in transportation and agriculture.  Man would have over this timespan found the best way of control for both and mankind did.  Countries that had no contact with each other for thousands of years invented and used successfully the same types of control for both bovine and equine.  When we use a nose bit for our riding steers even though today they are a hobby animal, we are using a method that has been proven to be not only safe, but effective with thousands of years of trial and error behind it.  Our cattle can chew a cud.  They will not injure their teeth or mouth and can be safely controlled by humans for hours every day.  What makes a bit or nose bit harmful is the hands that guide it.  Not the bit itself, but the human in control of that bit.

Where do I buy a nose bit?

Sometimes you are able to find someone selling nose bits, but they are specific to saddle cattle, so they aren’t always easy to find.  The following will help you or someone local make a nose bit for your bovine.

A Guide to Nose Bits

The following photos and descriptions are from my personal experience. I hope this helps y'all interested to determine what may be right for your riding steer prospects

I find that this (Above) is the perfect fit for my Texas Longhorn steer: 1/4 bolt with 1 inch diameter rings with inside hole sufficient to connect reins. The rings, one soldered on one side and the other screwed tight are only 1 1/2 inch from ring to ring. See how nicely this fits in his nostrils? Safer, too.

When the bit ring doesn't screw on, consistent with the other, as in the largest bit in the photo below, that's not desirable. My welder didn't realize the necessity to have them at the same angle.

Here are the components and measurements of nose bits. Everything from the hardware store. You can do this yourself with welding skills. This is actually wider than my two mature steers need. The septum isn’t thick, so a short bolt is better than a long one.

Washers, (rubber on both sides) comfort or minimize pulling bit through the septum if snagged on something, God forbid.  It may be the washer putting tension/pressure on the side of the septum we want the bovine to move away from.

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The rings need only be as large as comfortable to fit in the bovine's nose and to be able to comfortably clip on the reins. The ring in the photo above is 1 ⅛” diameter from the outside edge.

When do you put a nose bit in?

Teach your bovine ground manners under halter for the first 15 months. Some people use self-piercing nose rings through the septum. I chose to have our vet come out, at 15 months, and THOROUGHLY numb the nose, pierce with a scalpel and set the nose bits. I have a picture of Dozer with the scalpel through his septum and the dreamiest look in his eye. He was not phased..it was ..wow..what a sight. We let it set for 6 weeks, and then lightly started to teach him his cues. Nose bits and nose rings are permanent and stay in the animal’s nose.

Nose ring to nose bit

My Dexter first had a nose ring. I do not like the nose ring. It’s too big and too easy to catch on something. The image below is after he got a nose bit. This nose bit is too large for Dozer. It was a 2 1/2 inch bolt. He ended up catching it on something and the whole nose bit came through his septum, intact. No tear, no blood. We were lucky!!! The right fit where the rings would be within his nostrils is safer.

Training with a Nose Bit

We set the bit in the nose at about 15 months old. I recommend waiting for six weeks and then gently ground driving before beginning to ride. At first have someone at his head with a rope on his halter to help him understand the basic cues. Do lots of ground work so he can do on the ground what we will ask for in the saddle.

My trainer and I had been working him for well over a year, using natural horsemanship methods, with a hackamore. I, too, wanted to "ideally" avoid the bit if possible. We had good response in the arena, but when he was out of the training area, on the trail, etc., he could take charge and all our best training wasn't stopping me from getting hurt. It was necessary to have an extra set of reins on his nose bit for emergency control. As he got bigger and stronger, it wasn't worth the risk of him not being controlled by the hackamore (and all my best riding cues). I decided it was safer and more fun to use the nose bit exclusively. Why try to re-invent the wheel? Jazzy and Dozer both give their heads (noses) willingly for attaching the reins to their nose bits. They are not mistreated or hurt, otherwise none of this riding steer activity would be happening. They genuinely enjoy getting out.

We trained the Moo Boyz to move off/away from pressure. When our cues (looking in that direction, using thigh/heal) to move, let’s say right, are not responded to, then we apply the least amount of tension to the septum, using the nose bit. Saddle Cattle peeps, try this: with your index finger and thumb hold your septum, not the cartilage of your nose. Now, with pressure from your index finger, move your septum to your right. The pressure from your index finger is the bit's washer putting pressure on the left side of your septum when tension is created with the right rein. This is enough tension, and it is not forceful or painful, that the Moo Boyz know to move away from it and go to the right. If they are copping an attitude, rather than force the turn, we just stop what we are doing, stand, relax, be encouraging, move forward, and ask again. This keeps both of us light at the bit and enables us both to have a good experience. If he willingly responds, give him a 'win' and praise, or get off, or give a treat (for those in the training stage). Praise and butt scratches are enough for the Boyz to keep on Moo-ving!

Feel free to PM me on Facebook if you still have questions. www.facebook.com/kimberly.henson.39

Here are a couple photos of a team of Longhorns being driven with nose bits.

Note: Nose bits/rings are a controversial topic among cattle riders, and these thoughts do not reflect everyone’s views.