What exactly is a Tom Thumb bit?
You have enough good answers. I just want to point out that the Australian Tom Thumb is a true snaffle bit, while the American cowboy Tom Thumb is a jointed mouth curb….completely different bits. So on here, it’s best to differentiate which version you are referring to. The cowboy version is a severe bit with no justification for its severity, and no merit as a curb bit. ADD…the inventor of the American version thought that a jointed mouthpiece was what defined a snaffle (many people still do). So, even though it is a curb bit, it was called a snaffle and the name stuck. The only Tom Thumb snaffle is the Australian version, which has no shanks and no leverage. People still think that a a solid mouthpiece can’t be a snaffle, even when there are no shanks or leverage…..it is a common misconception. The shorter shanks of a Tom Thumb are a part of what defines it as a Tom Thumb. But it should be called a Tom Thumb curb…not snaffle…bit.
