 Often, bits with shanks that also have single- or double-jointed mouthpieces are incorrectly referred to as snaffles.Because of the presence of a shank, they are actually in the curb bit family.The mouthpiece of the bit does not rest on the teeth of the horse, but rather rests on the gums or "bars" of the horse's mouth in an interdental space behind the front incisors and in front of the back molars.