I have owned and shown AQHA horses for going on 16 years now. I have worked my way up from open schooling shows, to zone shows, to Breed shows and now I compete Nationally in both Breed (AQHA) and NRHA(National Reining Horse Association) Shows. Over the years I have bought hundreds of bits, many of them off ebay. I have read lots of articles on bits. I have received advice from fellow riders as well as top trainers regarding bits and their use.

In my opinion you need an arsenal of bits at hand and it is good to swap them around. Not to mention that they are fun to experiment with.

I like to have some sort of snaffle bit. I actually have 3, one smooth snaffle, one large mild twisted, and one smaller twisted.

I then have a set of shanked bits, again in a range of severity for various purposes. I have a mild shanked bit for things like trail riding, a quick spin or to have beginners ride my horse. The more severe ones are used depending on my planned work for the day. I then have a couple of "show" bits. Usually these are the expensive ones with a nice heavy feel to them to ensure the horse will be responsive in the show pen.

When buying on ebay watch for the cheaper bits as they tend to be light weight. They are also often a dipped, or chromed steel that can chip. The joints around the mouth may pinch, or have too much sloppy movement.

I see three different price ranges for bits, under $50, in the $100 range and the $400 bits, and I have a few from all three ranges, I recommend you too vary what you have, don't just keep buying the cheap ones.

When looking on ebay I like the auctions that have more than one photo, I look for metal working marks showing its hand made, not just a machined and chromed one. Remember if it says aluminum, that is a very light bit. I bought one off ebay that looked cool, it said aluminum, but when I used it on my horse it felt like air. It had no "feel".

Depending on your riding discipline, the "cool" bit can vary. I recommend you scrutinize those riders around you for the bits they use, ask them questions, get as much info as you can about them and armed with that start watching the ebay auctions for that perfect deal. It might take awhile but eventually you will win a few that you want.

For instance, in reining, the high end bits are about $500 new (on up) and I see them at auction for around $350. You can tell the authenticity by tags, or careful review of text and images. I would even ask the seller outright to verify the brand if you plan to spend that much money.

Don't be afraid to try some bits in all price ranges, you can keep a bunch in your bag of tricks to use as needed.