I don't necessarily agree with it, as I'm in the "if your horse can't go in a snaffle then you're not training it very well" camp, but I do respect the culture behind it
It's a spanish tradition, Eliot. Only the most well-trained horses are allowed to 'graduate' to them. One of the tests they do is tying horse hair to the bit instead of reins, and if you can ride the horse without breaking the hair (aka not needing a lot of pressure on the reins) then the horse is sensitive enough to go in a spade.
I know what the bit is, but still I personally don't believe in having one. My reiner is fully finished super light mouthed and only ridden with legs and she goes in a small correction while showing.
they use bits like that so if they need to pull they don't have to pull hard just a little bump as if you pull hard in the show pen you will be fined with "abuse"
I prefer no bit at all when I ride. But some horses need it because they lack the training or are just highly temperamental and need constant correcting.
Roan is really 50/50 for me. I either love the roan or I abosolutely hate it. To me it all depends on which horse breed it on (some just look horrific with roan in my opinion) and what type of Roan it is. I like the smooth roan but cant stand the gritty looking one.