Double Jointed French Link Pro King Dee Bit

This combines the French Link's flat, evenly-distributing center plate with polymer-covered outer bars — pairing the mildest common double-jointed mouthpiece shape with a soft, palatable material at the points where the mouthpiece rests against the lips and bars.

Design

• The French Link structure remains: a double-jointed mouthpiece with a flat, rounded center lozenge between two outer sections, lying smoothly against the tongue rather than at an angle.
• The outer bars are coated in a soft, flexible polymer, often scented (commonly apple), while the center French Link plate is typically left as plain metal (usually stainless steel), uncoated.
• This mirrors the same construction logic seen in the polymer Dr. Bristol discussed earlier — soft polymer where the mouthpiece contacts the lips and bars, with the functional center piece left in its original material.

Function

• Softer contact at the bars and mouth corners: The polymer-covered bars feel warmer and gentler against the lips and bars than plain stainless steel, and stay at a more neutral, comfortable temperature regardless of weather.
• Retained French Link comfort at the tongue: The flat center lozenge continues to eliminate the "nutcracker" action of a single joint, distributing pressure evenly across the tongue without any sharp or angled edges — since the French Link is already the mildest double-jointed shape, this combination doubles down on comfort rather than adding control.
• Encourages acceptance: The pleasant scent and soft feel of the polymer bars can help horses that are naturally apprehensive of metal, or slow to accept contact, settle more readily and develop positive associations with the bit.
• Even, gentle pressure throughout: Unlike the Dr. Bristol/polymer combination (where the metal center plate still delivers sharper control), the French Link/polymer pairing keeps the entire mouthpiece experience mild — there's no "sharper" mechanism being preserved underneath the soft coating.
• No leverage or added severity: As with any French Link, this remains a true snaffle acting purely on direct pressure.

What it's good for

• Young, green, or very sensitive horses: This is one of the gentlest overall mouthpiece combinations available — ideal for horses just learning to accept a bit, or those with particularly sensitive mouths, lips, or bars.
• Horses apprehensive about cold or hard metal contact: The polymer's warmth and softness can help horses that resist or brace against an all-metal mouthpiece.
• Building positive early associations with contact: The scent and comfort focus make this a popular choice specifically for establishing trust and ease during early bitting and training.
• Horses with sensitive tongues, lips, or bar conformation: The combination of a flat lozenge (gentle on the tongue) and soft polymer bars (gentle on the lips/bars) addresses comfort at every contact point in the mouth.
• Riders prioritizing comfort and acceptance over any added control: Since neither the French Link shape nor the polymer material adds any extra "bite," this is best suited to horses that don't need more control than a standard mild snaffle offers.

A note on classification

• As with the other combinations discussed, the overall lateral action still depends on the cheek style (loose-ring, D-ring, Full Cheek, etc.) this mouthpiece is built into.
• This particular pairing sits at the mild end of the spectrum — there's no equivalent to the Dr. Bristol's retained "control mechanism" here, since the French Link itself has no sharp or angled element to preserve. The whole point of this combination is comfort and acceptance, not a blend of control and softness.

Summary

A Double-Jointed French Link bit with polymer bars combines the gentlest double-jointed mouthpiece shape with a soft, warm, palatable material at every point of contact — making it one of the mildest, most comfort-focused bit options available, particularly well suited to young, green, or sensitive horses that benefit from an approachable, encouraging introduction to bit contact.