Double Curb Bit first half 17th century South German This kind of curb bit belongs to a rare type, typically German, already recorded in Saxony in the mid-16th century and still produced in the early 1600s. Instead of eliciting one pair of shanks (the levers on the sides of the bit to which the reins were attached), it has two, each one having a different effect on the horse. Pulling back the longest shanks with the reins would have an action on the purchase (the piece at the top of each cheekpiece), pressing on the sensitive poll area through the bridle attached to the bits eyes, and pressing on the chin with the curb chain (missing, would have originally from the hooks). The second pair of shanks would only have an action on the port, the U-shape central part of the mouthpiece. Pulling this second pair of reins would swing forward the elongated piece at the top, and roll it against the horses palate. The mouthpiece itself is harsh, its molded revolving cylinders being very sharp fo