Tack n' Talk
Online Equestrian ResourceArchive for June 20, 2012
Happy Mouth Bit Recall
Every once in a while the equestrian community receives notification that something has gone wrong at a feed manufacturing plant that causes a contamination, usually involving monensin, a cattle feed additive that poisons horses. Fortunately, word gets out fairly quickly, especially with the speed and efficiency of the Internet today. But when equestrian equipment is on recall, we stand up and take notice as this happens very rarely.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a notice on 5-31-2012 that Happy Mouth Wire Mouth Bits are being recalled by English Riding Supply.
About 3400 of the bits were sold between July 2003 and April 2012 for $30 to $51.
The problem is that the steel braided wire in the mouthpiece can become frayed, worn or rusted, which can cause the bit to break. If this happens, the rider can lose control and fall from the horse. To date, there have been four reports of injuries due to the bit breaking.
Eight models are being recalled: 462172SS, 462177SS, 462181SS, 462184SS, 464123SS, 466898SS, 466904SS, 467248SS. The bits are labeled “Happy Mouth,” but to know for sure which model you have, you would need the original bit label.
Photos of the recalled bits can be found at the CPSC website.
