Medium Port Uxeter Kimberwick Bit

A Slotted Kimberwick (also known as the "Uxeter Kimberwick" or "Uxeter Kimblewick") is a variation of the standard Kimberwick where the D-shaped ring has cut slots along its curved portion, allowing the rein to be fixed at a specific position rather than sliding freely along the ring.

Design

• Like a standard Kimberwick, it has a D-shaped ring on each side, with the mouthpiece attaching near the top and the rein normally sitting somewhere along the curved lower portion of the ring, offset from the mouthpiece attachment point to create leverage.
• The key difference: the ring has two or more slots cut into the lower curve, so the rein can be buckled into a fixed slot rather than resting loosely on the ring.
• It's used with a curb chain, sitting in the chin groove, as with any Kimberwick.
• The mouthpiece can vary — low-port, mullen, jointed — independent of the slotted ring feature.

Function

• Fixed leverage position: On an unslotted Kimberwick, the rider's hand position determines how much leverage is engaged — if the hands are held high, the rein slides toward the top of the ring and there's little to no leverage effect; if the hands are lower, the rein slides down the ring and a slight leverage effect comes into play. This makes the unslotted version's action quite dependent on rein height and inconsistent moment to moment.
• Consistent, predictable action: By fixing the rein into a slot, the Slotted/Uxeter Kimberwick removes this variability — the leverage ratio stays constant regardless of hand position, giving a more predictable and consistent action than the standard slot-free Kimberwick.
• Adjustable severity via slot choice: Multiple slots allow the leverage to be tuned — using the top slot gives an action closer to a plain, low-leverage snaffle-like feel, while using the bottom slot increases leverage and severity, engaging more poll and curb-chain pressure for a given amount of rein pressure.
• Poll and curb pressure: As with any Kimberwick, when the rein is used, the ring rotates slightly, applying pressure to the poll (via the cheekpiece) and to the chin groove (via the curb chain), alongside direct mouth pressure — a genuine, if mild, leverage action.

What it's good for

• Riders wanting more consistent, predictable control than a standard Kimberwick offers: Because the leverage isn't dependent on constantly managing hand height, it's easier to apply the intended amount of pressure reliably.
• Strong horses or those that lean/pull: Like the standard Kimberwick, useful for horses that are strong, fast, or tend to ignore snaffle pressure — common in hunting, eventing, and pony club settings.
• Ponies and children's mounts: The ability to select a milder (top) slot makes it easy to start conservatively and increase leverage only if needed, which is useful for less experienced riders managing a strong pony.
• Riders who want flexibility to fine-tune severity: Since slot choice adjusts the leverage ratio, the same bit can be used more mildly or more strongly depending on the horse's needs on a given day, without switching bits entirely.

A note on severity and fit

• Choosing the lowest slot meaningfully increases leverage and severity, so it should be reserved for horses that genuinely need the extra control, applied with soft, educated hands.
• A properly fitted curb chain (roughly 2 fingers' clearance) remains essential for correct, comfortable action.
• Like the standard Kimberwick, it creates genuine leverage and poll pressure, so it's generally considered more severe than a plain snaffle and isn't typically recommended for green or young horses still learning basic contact.

Competition legality

As with the standard Kimberwick, the Slotted/Uxeter Kimberwick is permitted in many disciplines (showing, pony club, some hunter classes, and certain levels of eventing/showjumping), but is not FEI-approved for dressage, and is also banned in some show hunter classes in certain rulebooks.

Summary

The Slotted (Uxeter) Kimberwick offers the same basic snaffle-plus-mild-curb action as a standard Kimberwick, but with fixed rein slots that make the leverage effect consistent and adjustable rather than dependent on hand position — giving riders more predictable, tunable control, making it a popular choice for strong horses and ponies where reliable, adjustable severity is valued.

A medium port is a raised, U-shaped or inverted-U section in the center of a mouthpiece — taller than a low port but shorter than a high port — most commonly seen on Western curb bits, where it works together with the shank to apply pressure to several different areas of the horse's head at once.

Design

• The mouthpiece has a raised port in the center, sitting between two straight or slightly curved bars.
• A medium port sits below the roughly 2-inch threshold generally associated with genuine palate contact, but is noticeably taller and often narrower than a low port.
• This mouthpiece is typically found on a shanked (curb-style) cheek, meaning it's paired with leverage, rather than sitting on a plain snaffle-style ring — though ported mouthpieces can occasionally appear in other contexts too.
• Made of plain stainless steel, durable and tasteless.

Function

• Meaningful tongue relief: The raised port gives the tongue real room to sit below the bars of the mouthpiece, shifting a good portion of the pressure the horse feels away from the tongue and onto the bars instead — considerably more relief than a low port offers, though not as pronounced as a high port.
• Some palate contact under stronger rein pressure: Depending on exact height and width, a medium port can begin to make contact with the roof of the mouth (palate) as the rein is engaged and the shank rotates the mouthpiece back — though this effect is milder and less consistent than with a true high port.
• Works with the shank for combined effect: Because this mouthpiece is generally on a curb-style bit, the port doesn't act in isolation — as the rider applies rein pressure, the shank creates leverage, simultaneously engaging the curb strap/chain under the chin, applying poll pressure through the headstall, and rotating the port toward the tongue/palate. The horse experiences several coordinated signals (bars, chin groove, poll, and some tongue/palate) rather than a single point of pressure.
• Prevents the tongue from softening the bit's effect: The "U" shape of the port is specifically designed so the horse can't simply push its tongue up to cushion or block the mouthpiece's pressure the way it might with a flat bar.
• No taste-based softening: Stainless steel offers no salivation or acceptance benefit of its own.

What it's good for

• Horses that need more defined cues than a smooth, low-port bit provides: A medium port offers a step up in communication clarity and control compared to a mullen or low-port curb, useful as horses progress in training and are expected to respond to more refined signals.
• Western performance disciplines: Commonly used in reining, cutting, roping, and general ranch or trail work, where riders want a clear "package" of signals — bar pressure, some tongue relief, poll pressure, and chin groove pressure — working together.
• Horses with average tongue size and mouth conformation: Offering more room than a low port without going as far as a high port, a medium port suits horses that don't have an especially thick tongue or particularly low palate, but still benefit from some tongue accommodation.
• Established, "finished" horses: As with any curb-shank bit, this is generally intended for horses that already understand and yield softly to rein and leverage pressure, rather than green horses still learning basic contact.

A note on severity

• Severity here depends on several combined factors: the port's height and width, the shank's length (longer shank = more leverage), the ratio of shank length above vs. below the mouthpiece, and how tightly the curb strap is adjusted — a medium port on a short-shanked bit with a loosely fitted curb strap behaves quite differently from the same port on a long-shanked bit with a snug strap.
• As with any curb-style bit, this is not appropriate for green horses or riders still developing independent, educated hands, since the combination of leverage and port action can create real discomfort if used harshly or without proper preparation.
• The rider's hands remain the single most important factor in how severe any ported bit feels in practice.

A note on classification

• Unlike the low-port polymer/mullen-style mouthpiece discussed earlier, a medium port is typically paired with genuine leverage via a shank — so its function can't be considered in isolation from the cheek design, the way a snaffle-style mouthpiece can.
• This sits in the middle of the port-height spectrum — offering more tongue relief and a bit more "message" than a low port, but without the more pronounced palate pressure and stronger poll-flexion cue of a high port.

Summary

A Medium Port Stainless Steel bit provides meaningful tongue relief and shifts more pressure onto the bars, typically working alongside a shank's leverage to deliver a combined signal across the bars, chin groove, poll, and some tongue/palate contact — making it a useful step up in communication clarity for established Western performance horses, though its overall severity depends heavily on shank length, curb strap fit, and the rider's hands.