What does Clinton Anderson say about the importance of the snaffle bit in starting young horses?

Clinton Anderson is specific and consistent on the snaffle bit for starting young horses: every horse he starts goes into a snaffle bit for the initial riding phase, and it stays in a snaffle until the foundational responsiveness to rein communication is thoroughly confirmed before any progression to a more complex bit is considered. His reasoning is mechanical and pedagogical. A snaffle bit communicates directly — pressure goes where the rein points, with no leverage amplification, no poll pressure, and no curb chain action. For a horse that is learning for the first time what rein pressure means and how to respond to it, this directness is essential. The horse that yields to a snaffle is learning to yield to rein pressure itself. The horse that appears to yield to a stronger bit may be yielding to the bit's leverage rather than genuinely understanding rein communication, which collapses when the bit is changed. Anderson also notes that the snaffle makes the trainer's errors less damaging. A mistake in timing, a pull that is harder than intended, a confusing signal from inconsistent hands — all of these produce less severe consequences in a snaffle than in a leverage bit. Starting in a snaffle gives both horse and trainer room to learn without the young horse developing the defensive responses — head tossing, going behind the bit, gaping — that mistakes in a curb bit can produce. The specific snaffle Anderson recommends for starting is typically a smooth, medium-weight O-ring or D-ring snaffle — not too light (which the horse can lean on without feeling pressure) and not so heavy that it is distracting. He teaches fitting the snaffle with one to two wrinkles at the corner of the mouth — high enough to be correctly positioned, not so high that it creates constant lip tension.