A group based in the United Kingdom is asking for horse owners’ help in replacing homemade bits often used in India. Friends of Marwari/Kathiawari Horse U.K. has put out an open call for donations of small (5" and under) snaffle bits.

The group said many horse owners use homemade bits, which "are often crudely filed, with sharp shapes on the mouthpiece (spikes and rowels) and as such cause immense suffering and injury to the animal. It is often a lack of education or knowledge by the owner, not a deliberate choice to hurt their steed," the group noted in a statement.

"The bits you donate are given personally to known and respected horse traders, breeders, and farmers, who understand the importance of good horsemanship, and in time it is hoped that they can in turn educate their buyers and fellow horse owners into an alternative, kinder, way of bitting their horses," they said.

All donated bits will go in a March shipment to the Balotra (Mallinath) Fair in Rajasthan