Critique of the film Horses and the Science of Harmony

A critique of the Horses and the Science of Harmony film by Emeritus Professor Robert Cook, FRCVS, PhD.

“Horses and the Science of Harmony” is, as stated in its introduction, a “Full length feature film, seen through the lens of cutting-edge science and groundbreaking research to educate about equine behavior and optimal wellbeing, while simultaneously asking the question ‘what is it about the horse that speaks so strongly to our hearts?”

The film features the ‘who’s who’ of British Eventing, including Mary King, Lucinda Green, and Piggy March, as well as some renown equine veterinarians and researchers – all weighing-in on the concept of harmony between humans and horses.”

Since 2000, much has been learnt about equine behavior and welfare, the two topics upon which the video seeks to provide education. Books and science publications have explained that:

• Horses are free of hoof pain, more sure-footed, and healthier when barefoot (Strasser 2000).
• Horses are free of mouth pain and, during peak performance, will no longer be suffocated when bit-free (Cook and Strasser 2003, Nevzorov 2011, Mellor and Beausoleil 2017, Mellor 2020a).
• Horse welfare can be assessed using the Five Domains Model that recognizes negative mental states and provides guidance on the promotion of positive mental states (Mellor et al 2020).

Regrettably, the film makes no reference to any of this research. As an educational video, it is sadly, out of date, and glosses over serious but correctable problems for the horse, rider and equine sport.

Article Highlights:

• A lame horse may have pain in one or more legs. The film explains how nerve blocks and ultrasound imaging are used to help diagnose which part of a leg is the source of pain.
• Subtle abnormalities of gait may also be caused by bit-induced pain in the horse’s mouth. The film does not discuss this.
• The purpose of this article is to recommend that bit pain is ruled out by comparing bit-ridden and bit-free behaviour. The comparison serves to demonstrate that bit use is incompatible with rider-horse harmony.

Introduction

The horse is a large, powerful, and peace-loving animal that, in the wild, eats grass and lives communally; a prey animal with running as its first line of defense. The horse’s ability to run and willingness to bear loads, be ridden, provide traction and to ‘partner’ with mankind has enabled us to build cities, fight wars, travel, and grow our food. Today, now conscripted as partners in our play, the horse deserves to have company, to breathe freely and to be free of pain.

Unfortunately, we have not kept our side of the bargain by granting these fundamental requirements. Since the Iron Age, our standard method of communication with the horse has been. and still is, the bit method. The horse is a nose-breathing animal that cannot breathe through its mouth. By causing pain and preventing a horse from sealing its lips at exercise, the bit is the most common cause of loss of control, anxiety and suffocation. In the racehorse it is a cause of bleeding from the lungs, poor performance, catastrophic accidents, and sudden death.

The purpose of this article is to reference the published evidence in support of the above; to note the absence of refuting evidence; and to recommend bit-free, pain-free communication as the path for achieving that sense of harmony between horse and rider that is the goal of horsemanship.

In 1835, Bracy Clark (1771-1860), an early graduate of the London Veterinary College (founded 1791 and later to become the Royal Veterinary College), opened his “Treatise on the Bits of Horses” as follows, in the style of expression of the time:

“One of the greatest evils and abuses of the horse that still seems to lie before me to treat of, is the bitting: and which, considering how simple an object it is, surprises me it has not been done long since: but somehow the subject of horse affairs, through the tyranny of those who are occupied with it, seems as it were beset round with some spell or enchantment, so great is the fear of the general public in intermeddling, as they would call it, in these matters; so that abuses are perpetuated before our eyes, and seen every hour of the day, yet none care to interfere. And neither is it with any mean feigning that I say I feel my hands truly feeble for the task, and the arrival of those years that do not improve a writer; yet is the task wanting, and in hoping yet fearing I engage myself in it, heartily wishing it in better hands, which it well deserves.”

The first edition of his treatise was published in 1835, when Clark was 64.

In 1860, Edward Mayhew MRCVS (1835 -1868), another foundation graduate of the London Veterinary College, published the first of many subsequent editions of “The Illustrated Horse Doctor.” (Mayhew 1860). His caption to one of his own engravings (Figure 1) provides a telling comment on abnormal bit-induced behaviors that, 164 years later, remains all too familiar in the 21st century.

“Various modes of forming that which all men speak of with admiration, as ‘a good mouth.” (Mayhew 1890)

BREATHING

Figure 2a. The naming of the parts.

Figure 2a. The naming of the parts ©Dr Cook.

Figure 2b. The ‘buttonhole’ in the soft palate.

The ‘buttonhole’ in the soft palate. Image ©Dr Cook.

When air is evacuated from the oral cavity, the buttonhole makes an airtight seal with the voice box cartilages (orange).

Free-roaming horses in the wild, seal their lips and swallow before running. This evacuates air from the oral cavity and creates a negative pressure (red areas in Fig.2a) that clamps the soft palate to the root of the tongue; buttons up the soft palate ‘buttonhole’ at the level of the double-ended arrow to the ‘button’ of the voice box (larynx); and closes the gullet (oesophageal pharynx). This configures the throat (nasopharynx) for running as opposed to swallowing (Figures 2a b). Horses run with closed mouths and sealed lips. They are ‘nose-breathing’ animals and can suffocate in the absence of this crucial ‘preparation.’ At fast paces, unless the lips are sealed and the soft palate is tethered to the tongue and around the voice box, horses become short of oxygen (hypoxic) and their performance is handicapped.

SUFFOCATING, BLEEDING, AND SUDDEN DEATH

Figure 3. Illustrating why, with a bit in the mouth (yellow), a horse cannot breathe properly.

Why, with a bit in the mouth (yellow), a horse cannot breathe properly. ©Dr Cook.

Breathing is a ‘suck-blow’ process. At each intake of air at the gallop, a powerful suction force is generated in the expanding chest cavity that draws air into the lungs. Unless the soft palate is clamped down, this causes it to elevate and to strangle the horse; hence ‘dorsal displacement of the palate’ as illustrated (Figure.3).

The red markers indicate constriction of the airway at the junction of nasal cavity and nasopharynx. The green markers indicate further constriction at what should be an airtight junction between the nasopharynx and larynx.

In turn, these defects increase the strength of the suction forces at each subsequent section of the airway, causing further dynamic collapse at the level of the larynx and, increasingly throughout the length of the windpipe in the neck, with especially severe constriction at the entrance to the chest (hence ‘scabbard trachea deformity’). A law of physics (Poiseuille’s) determines that pressure drop increases with distance from the site of obstruction. As a result, the suction force during strained inspiration is greatest in the lung. In the racehorse, heavily blood-stained edema fluid is drawn into the delicate and highly vascular air sacs of the lung and floods the bronchial airways; hence the suffocation and the intensely painful condition of negative pressure pulmonary edema (waterlogging of the lung), ‘bleeding’ and sudden death (Cook 2022).

Figure 4. The pathophysiology of ‘swallowing the tongue’.

Figure 4. The pathophysiology of ‘swallowing the tongue’. ©Dr Cook.

The tongue is a muscular hydrostat. Like the elephant’s trunk it has the interesting property of constant volume. A decrease in one dimension causes a compensatory increase in at least one other dimension. When a horse retracts the tip of its tongue behind the bit, the increase occurs at the root of the tongue, elevating the soft palate as in Figure 4 but also pushing back the epiglottal cartilage of the larynx. Both effects seriously obstruct the airway.

MAYHEW SUMS IT UP

The following extracts from Mayhew’s book are especially relevant to horse welfare:

“Cruelty is a very extravagant indulgence. In the writer’s conviction, humanity towards animals should be more commonly practiced; if not from any higher motive, because it is certainly the truest economy. (…) horses are gifted with something beyond the mere sensation which is common to all moving things…

“Save when needless severity urges timidity to madness, the horse is naturally obedient. This is the instinct of the race…

“It is guided by touches…

“Above all things, let no individual employ the reins as instruments of torture.”

Mayhew subsequentially published two more books, “The Illustrated Horse Management” and “The Horse’s Mouth. Showing the Age by the Teeth.”

THE VIDEO

Before commenting on each of Dr. Dyson’s “24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain”, four general comments are necessary.

1. I agree with Dr Dyson that all 24 behaviours are abnormal.
2. There is a causal factor common to all 24 behaviors that Dr. Dyson does not mention. All 24 commonalities can be caused by the bit (Cook and Kibler 2018). Furthermore, all 24 behaviors are absent, as are an additional 45, when the bit is removed.

Use of the bit is a factor common to all racehorse fatalities. It awaits to be demonstrated that, by removing the bit, fatalities will be significantly reduced. In the last 24 years, a burgeoning bit-free movement has developed worldwide, thanks to recreational riders. Reports of accidents attributable to a horse being bit-free have been noticeable by their absence.

Bit-ridden horses are ‘lame in the mouth.’ The words ‘lame’ and ‘lameness’ derive from the Old Norse lemja, to beat or thrash, hence the slang expression ‘to take it on the lam’, i.e., to depart hurriedly or ‘beat it.’ (Partridge 1958). A bit lambastes the horse’s mouth. The word ‘bit’ derives from the Old English ‘bite’ and ‘biting’, giving rise to the sense of ‘cutting edge’, ‘borer’ and ‘boring piece’ i.e., the sense that is retained when we use the word ‘bit’ for the mechanically erosive device of a drill (Onions, 1966).

The word ‘bit’ became the name for the device we install in a horse’s mouth, i.e., the mouthpiece of a bridle. The word disguises its intended purpose, explicit in its design, to cause pain. A more honest name would be ‘mouth-iron’ (Cook 2002). To speak of ‘fitting’ a bit is a doomed endeavor. Every bit is a physiologically contraindicated and painful foreign body in the horse’s mouth, a hypersensitive body cavity. This is an invasive surgical procedure, without anesthesia, carried out daily for periods ranging from minutes to hours and continued throughout a horse’s working life. Thus, the narrator’s recommendation in the video to seek the advice of a ‘bit-fitter’ is erroneous and misguided.

By listing only 24 signs of pain in the ridden horse, Dr. Dyson overlooks and underestimates the enormity of the bit. In a questionnaire study of 66 recreational horses, with and without the bit, 69 bit-induced behaviors were listed, (see Table 1 in Cook and Kibler 2018). The incidence of bit-induced pain, nervousness, fear and many other problems were convincingly reduced when a horse was ridden bit-free. Horses became calmer, more compliant and confident. The total number of abnormal behaviors in the population when bitted was 1575. After horses had been ridden bit-free for about a month, the number was reduced to 208, an 87% reduction. The number of abnormal ridden behaviors in each bit-ridden horse varied from 5 to 51, with an average of 23. When bit-free, the number was 0 to 16, with an average of 2.

Dr. Dyson proposes that eight or more abnormal behaviors in any one horse are a sign of musculoskeletal pain. I question the validity of the numeric guideline, as it underestimates the bit problem. The reality is indicated by the above figures. When the average number of abnormal behaviors for the bit-ridden horse is as high as 23, abnormal behaviors less than eight will be uncommon. Even when less than eight occur in a bit-ridden horse, they will still constitute an unacceptable level of pain.

The horses examined by Dr. Dyson will have been bit-ridden but the possible effect of the bit in causing lameness was overlooked. Double bridles (two mouth-irons) may have been the equipment on some of the horses. I cannot help wondering how many of the 24 abnormal behaviors would have been eliminated if removal of the bit had been part of the lameness examination. Using the term ‘musculoskeletal pain’, Dr. Dyson appears to be referring solely to pain in either the limbs or spine, without considering bit-induced mouth pain. Nerve blocks of the limbs were used to locate the site of limb pain. As the oral cavity comprises the highly muscular lips, tongue, soft palate and pharynx, together with bone, the oral cavity is unquestionably ‘musculoskeletal’. Snaffles and curbs are common causes of musculoskeletal pain. Thus, bit-induced lameness is one effect.

Though Dr. Dyson and I have both compiled a list of pain indices, there is remarkably little commonality between our lists. My questionnaire of 69 pain indices does not include 6 items on Dr. Dyson’s list of 24. Likewise, Dr. Dyson’s list does not include 45 items on my list of 69. Neither of us lists such unquestionably painful indices as blue tongues, tendon and ligament damage, dislocations of joints, fractures, intense chest pain, trigeminocardiac reflex responses (heart attacks), asphyxia, negative pressure pulmonary edema (‘bleeding’ and ‘waterlogging’ of the lung), physical exhaustion, fear, falls and sudden death.

In the copy below of Dr. Dyson’s “24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain” (Dyson 2022), Dyson’s text is in italics and my comments are in square brackets. My comment ‘frequently bit-induced’ indicates that the sign was significantly reduced in incidence by removing the bit (see Table 1 in Cook and Kibler 2018).

Dr DYSON’S CHECKLIST OF 24 ELEMENTS OF THE RIDDEN HORSE IN PAIN

According to the Ridden Horse Pain Checklist a total score of 8 or more indicates the presence of musculoskeletal pain.

1. Ears Back: Ears behind vertical position for at least 5 seconds. There can be many reasons why each individual behavior may occur. Some lame horses may have a score of less than 8. [‘Ears back’ is a common sign of bit-induced pain]
2. Eyes Closed: Eye lids half closed or closed for at least 2-5 seconds. [Frequently bit-induced]
3. White of the Eye: Repeated exposure of the sclera (white of the eye). [Frequently bit-induced]
4. Intense Stare: Glazed expression (zoned out) or staring intensely for at least 5 seconds. [Though this sign has been criticized as too subjective and difficult to detect it may, nevertheless, be a sign that is frequently bit-induced.]
5. Mouth Open: Mouth open with separation of teeth for at least 10 seconds, or repeatedly opening and shutting mouth with separation of teeth for at least 10 seconds. [Free-roaming horses in the wild run with sealed lips and a negative atmospheric pressure in the oral cavity. This clamps the soft palate firmly to the root of an immobile tongue and prevents it from elevating (as in dorsal displacement of the soft palate, Fig 3,) and constricting the throat airway when running (see more diagrams at Cook 2023). The low oral pressure (i.e., a vacuum) is created by a swallow with sealed lips prior to running. We can experience this oral vacuum for ourselves by closing our mouth and swallowing. An open mouth at exercise in the horse is a sign of bit-induced mouth pain and is evidence that such a horse is unable to breathe freely at fast paces because the lip seal is broken by the bit, dissipating what should be a vacuum. At rest, yawning is a sign that is significantly reduced by removal of the bit (see Table 1 in Cook and Kibler 2018). In the film, Dr. Dyson stands alongside a yawning horse without commenting on the behavior.]
6. Tongue Out: Tongue hanging out or moving in and out more than once. [Frequently bit-induced. In free-roaming horses in the wild, the tongue is invisible at all paces]
   Bit pulled through to one side of the mouth: [Though Dr. Dyson notes that this happens, there is no acknowledgement that this causes pain. Her protocol for diagnosis does not include removal of the bit and a bit-free, ridden-horse test.]
7. Head Up/Down: There can be many reasons why each individual behavior may occur. Some lame horses may have a score of less than 8. Before applying the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram, see important tips in the footnotes.
8. Repeated up and down head movement not in rhythm with trot. [Repeated head tossing is most frequently bit-induced. A cause confirmed by removing the bit].Head Tilt: Repeatedly tilting head. [A sign that is often eliminated when the horse is ridden bit-free]
9. Above Vertical: Head in front of vertical (more than 30 degrees) for at least 10 seconds. [Head-tossing is frequently bit-induced]
10. Behind Vertical: Head behind the vertical (more than 10 degrees) for at least 10 seconds. [Frequently bit-induced by prolonged bit pressure
11. Head Side to Side, Head tossing: twisting or swinging repeatedly side to side. [Frequently bit-induced]Tail Position, Crooked tail (held to one side): Tail clamped to the midline: [This may also be caused by bit pain, though no data have been collected]
12. Tail Swishing: Swishing tail repeatedly: [Frequently bit-induced]
13. Rushed Gait: There can be many reasons why each individual behavior may occur. Some lame horses may have a score of less than 8. Before applying the ethogram see important tips in the footnotes, e.g., the frequency of more than 40 trot steps per 15 seconds; irregular rhythm in trot or canter with repeated changes of speed. [A possible sign of bit-induced pain, though no data have been collected]
14. Slowed Gait: Frequency of fewer than 35 trot steps per 15 seconds, often appearing as a passage-like trot. [Dyson’s guideline of ‘35 trot steps per 15 second’ is an interesting observation if confirmed by data but show jumpers are mostly cantering. At all paces, horses take one breath for every stride. Respiratory rate and stride rate are synchronized. For any given stride rate, the longer the stride the faster the horse. A horse in pain, from whatever the cause, will take shorter strides. Because a bit-free horse no longer experiences mouth pain and can breathe more freely, a horse when bit-free will, I predict, walk and run faster than when bit-ridden. Again, data are needed].
15. Moving on 3 Tracks: Hindlimbs do not follow the tracks of the forelimbs (moving crookedly on three tracks). [During five furlongs beach gallops with and without a bit, Dr. Fridtjof Hanson (Hanson and Cook 2015) noted that: a) The bitted horse at the gallop swayed more from side-to-side at each step than when bit-free, as judged by its footprints in the sand. b) He experienced a ‘judder’ in the bitted gallop that he likened to driving a car with an unbalanced wheel. c). On two occasions the paired gallops were timed, and the bit-free gallop (using a Bedouin bridle) was faster by several seconds. Clearly, such trials need to be repeated as even a difference of one second, if confirmed, would be of electrifying interest to the owner of a racehorse]
16. Canter Dysfunction: Repeatedly striking off with incorrect forelimb leading; disunited or cross-cantering; changing leg in front and/or behind. [Frequently bit-induced]
17. Spontaneous Change of Pace: Breaking from one gait to another, for example from canter to trot. [Frequently bit-induced]
18. Stumble, Trip, Toe Drag: Repeated bilateral hindlimb toe drag disturbing the ground surface. Stumbling or tripping repeatedly in front or behind. [Frequently bit-induced]
19. Changing Direction, Spooking suddenly: Changing direction against the rider’s cues; [Frequently bit-induced. Fear of the bit makes a horse nervous ‘highly strung’ and more likely to spook in the first instance. Unbalanced by the spook, bitted riders clutch at the reins to regain their balance and, unintentionally, hit the horse in the mouth, at which the horse may rear or bolt. A tug on the head from a bit-free/pain-free bridle does not cause pain, so a spook does not escalate into a crisis.]
20. Resistant: There can be many reasons why each individual behavior may occur. Some lame horses may have a score of less than 8. Before applying the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram, see important tips in the footnotes.
21. Reluctant to go forward; needing repeated physical or verbal encouragement. Stops spontaneously. [‘Resistant’ behaviors, often referred to as ‘conflict behaviors’, are frequently bit-induced]
22. Rearing: [Bit-induced pain is the most common cause of rearing]
23. Bucking [Both rearing and bucking are common signs of bit-induced pain, nervousness, and fear.]

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Horses should be assessed performing their full repertoire of movements for approximately 10 minutes after a period of warm up. [Dr. Dyson could have also recommended that the horse should be ridden both bitted and bit-free]. When applying the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram, the horse should be assessed from the side, from behind and from the front.
• White of the Eye – Some horses have a blue eye or a small iris in one or both eyes, so the sclera (white of the eye) is visible at rest. The criteria for this behavior cannot be applied to these horses. [An exposed sclera is a common sign of bit pain]
• Bit Pulled Through – If the canons (mouthpieces of the bit) are too wide for the horse’s mouth, it will be difficult to evaluate this. [Regardless of the length of the mouthpiece, there is no ‘difficulty’ in evaluating the bit as a source of mouth pain]
• Stumble, Trip, Toe Drag – If the horse is being worked in an arena with deep footing or in long grass, it may appear to have a hindlimb toe drag, so this behavior cannot be evaluated. This worksheet does not constitute diagnosis, nor suggest specific treatment. If you suspect that your horse is experiencing discomfort or pain, seek help from a veterinarian. [As bit-ridden horses commonly exhibit bit-induced pain (namely, most of the 24 behaviors in Dr. Dyson’s ethogram), the bit as a cause of stumbling needs to be ruled out before considering other possible causes.
• Seven of the 24 behaviors are defined based on their duration. To take #5 ‘Mouth open for at least 10 seconds’ as an example, Dr Dyson implies that an open mouth for say 5 seconds is of no consequence.
• #2 Eyes Closed: Eye lids half closed or closed for at least 2-5 seconds. Clearly this sign must be differentiated from a normal blink, so here the duration is important.

FIVE DISHARMONIZING EFFECTS OF THE BIT

1. The bit breaks the lip seal, and a horse is denied the ability to breathe freely when ridden or driven at speed. Racehorses experience constriction of the throat airway (strangulation) that leads to waterlogging of the lungs (negative pressure pulmonary edema), ‘bleeding’, physical exhaustion, falls, catastrophic accidents, and sudden death (Cook 2023a b)
2. The bit causes pain and, over time, damage to oral soft tissues, bone spurs on the bars of the mouth, dental erosion and paradontal disease. During peak performance, the bit may trigger a trigeminocardiac reflex and cause sudden death from heart failure (Cook 2022, Chowdhury and Schaller 2015).
3. The bit interferes with a horse’s balance when ridden at speed on the flat or over jumps. Stumbling and falls are common. Dressage horses experience bit-induced overbending (Rollkur, LDR), cyanosis of the tongue, gait abnormalities and bit-induced lameness.
4. The bit method of communication is inhumane, cruel, unnecessary, and unsporting. Bit usage is counter-productive, incompatible with human/horse harmony and a cause of dyad discord.
5. Use of the bit is incompatible with the concept of ‘the happy athlete.’

It is common knowledge that riders signal to the horse, but fewer studies have been made on horses signaling to the rider. In the second part of the questionnaire-based study (Cook and Kibler 2018), an additional ten questions were answered by 45 of the 66 riders. They reported how their personal feelings about riding changed when they rode bit-free (Cook and Kibler 2022). The hypothesis tested was that riders would have fewer negative perceptions about riding when their horse was bit-free and not experiencing bit-induced pain.

• When using a bit, 45 riders reported having a total of 200 negative feelings about riding.
• When bit-free, they reported 18, a reduction of 91%.
• Consistent with the hypothesis, rider’s feelings were negatively influenced by their horse’s aversion to a bit

A dressage study with four mature school horses tested the hypothesis that if a horse is ridden in a snaffle bridle and then a crossunder bitless bridle, there will be a change for the better in its behavior when bit-free (Cook and Mills 2009). Four horses, none of which had ever been ridden in a cross-under bitless bridle, were ridden through two 4-minute dressage tests, first bitted then bit-free. An independent judge marked the 27 phases of each test on a 10-point scale and comments and scores were recorded on a video soundtrack. The results were consistent with the hypothesis. Mean score, when bitted, was 37%; and through the ‘first-ever’ 4 minutes of being bit-free, 64% The statistics indicated that the results were significantly different from random effects. All 4 horses accepted the cross-under bit-free bridle without hesitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the Five Domains Model to assess welfare in horses (Mellor et al 2020), it becomes evident that use of the bit causes welfare compromise in several domains, leading to negative mental states and denying positive and pleasurable experiences. Use of the bit is incompatible with the physiology of the horse and the most common cause of a rider’s or driver’s loss of control.

As was stated (Cook and Kibler 2018), “The welfare of 65 of 66 horses was enhanced by removing the bit, reducing negative emotions (pain) and increasing the potential to experience positive emotions (pleasure).” The one horse that failed to benefit from removal of the bit was a show jumper that had been retired and turned out to grass because of a fractured sesamoid bone in a hind leg. At grass, it continued to toss its head.

Grading welfare on the Five Domains Model, it was judged that – when bitted – the 66-horse population exhibited ‘marked to severe welfare compromise and no enhancement’ and – when bit-free – ‘low welfare compromise and mid-level enhancement. The bit-free data were consistent with the ‘one-welfare’ criteria of minimizing risk and preventing avoidable suffering.

“Removal of the bit significantly reduced the prevalence of bit-induced abnormal behavior in the horse and the level of concern in the rider, thereby increasing safety, improving performance and allowing riders to achieve that sense of harmony with their horse that is the goal of horsemanship” (Cook and Kibler 2022). Based on welfare and safety grounds for both horse and rider, it is recommended that rules requiring mandatory-use of the bit for equestrian sport be repealed, allowing riders the choice of competing bit-free.

A bitted rein (a ‘mouth-iron’) is a whip by another name. There can be no harmony between rider and horse when the mouth-iron method of communication is used.

To sustain the social license of equestrian sport, a two-stage approach is needed by each administration:

1. Bit-free trials to be conducted.
2. Mandatory-bit rules to be repealed, allowing bit-free choice.

For many years, the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation has offered bit-free virtual dressage at all levels short of Grand Prix. Earlier this year, thanks to Dr. Andrew McClean, Pony Club Australia has allowed members to compete bit-free on application. Pony Clubs around the world are following suite.

Think win-win-win. By allowing bit-free competition, the horse, rider and equine sport will all benefit. After years of stasis, performance will improve, horses will run faster, and the record books will be rewritten.

Dr. Dyson observed in the video that “the horse industry is rather slow to change”. In so many words, another veterinarian has observed that the same might be said about the veterinary profession’s response to the topic of bit-induced pain, “Whilst the profession has developed exceptional advances in recognizing some forms of pain, such as foot and limb pain, recognition of oral pain has appeared to lag behind” (Harvey 2023).

Resistance to change is a familiar problem in human and veterinary medicine. A satirical article in the British Medical Journal, “Easy ways to resist change in medicine” (Shaughnessy et al 2004), explains the status quo problem in equine sport, a legacy from the Iron Age. The authors write:

“These time-honored techniques will help doctors resist the forces that prevail on them to change their ways of taking care of patients. 

“Techniques are available, however, that will allow doctors to practice unimpeded by new information that should induce change.

“To avoid succumbing to both the inner and outer forces prompting change, we offer the following techniques and methods:

“Don’t pay attention. Get so busy with your practice that you do not have the time to read, attend meetings, understand your own practice, or observe the practice of colleagues.

“Forget about Stephen Covey’s seventh habit of Highly Effective People – sharpening the saw. Create your own habit of sawing harder and harder, with a dull saw.” … and so it goes on.

DECLARATION

The author has no conflicts of interest to declare. From 2000-2016, he marketed the bit-free bridle that launched the revival in bit-free riding. Since selling the company 8 years ago he has had no conflict of interest.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

1. Clark, Bracy, (1885): “A Treatise on the Bits of Horses.” Andesite Press, Scholar Select.
2. Chowdhury, T. & Schaller, B. (2015): “Trigeminocardiac Reflex.” Elsevier, Amsterdam, Boston, Heidelberg, London, New York et al.
3. Cook, W.R. (1999): “The pathophysiology of bit control in the horse.” Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 19, 3. 196-203 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0737-0806(99)80067-7
   Cook, W.R. (1999): “The Ear, the Nose and the Lie in the Throat.” In Guardians of the Horse: Past, Present and Future. Editors: P.D. Rossdale, T.R.C. Greet, P.A. Harris, R.E. Green, & S. Hall. British Equine Veterinary Association, Romney Publications.
4. Cook, W.R. (2000): “A solution to respiratory and other problems caused by the bit.” Pferdeheilkunde, 16, 333-351, 2000
5. Cook, W.R. (2002):” On ‘Mouth-Irons’, ‘Hoof Cramps’ and the Dawn of the Metal-free Horse.” The Horse’s Hoof.com
6. Harris, P.A, Green, R.E. & Hall, S. (1999): British Equine Veterinary Association, Romney Publications, pp175-182.
7. Cook, W.R. (2011): “Damage by the bit to the equine interdental space and second lower premolar.” Equine Veterinary Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3292.2010.00167.x
8. Cook, W.R. (2022): “Sudden death in the racehorse.” https://worldbitlessassociation.org/resources/sudden-death-in-the-racehorse/
9. Cook, W.R. (2023): “A bit-free, pain-free future for the free-breathing horse. World Bitless Association.com/Resources.
10. Cook, W.R. & Mills, D.S. (2009). “Preliminary study of jointed snaffle bridle vs. crossunder bitless bridle: A quantified comparison of behaviour in four horses.” Equine Veterinary Journal, 41 (8) 827-830 doi: 10.2746/042516409X47215
11. Cook W.R. & Kibler, M. (2018): “Behavioural assessment of pain in 66 horses, with and without a bit.” Equine Veterinary Education. 31, 551-560 https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.12916
12. Cook W.R & Kibler, M (2022): “The effect of bit-induced pain in the horse on the feelings of riders about riding.” World Bitless Association/Resources
13. Dyson, S. & Pollard, D. (2021). “Application of the ridden horse pain ethogram to elite dressage horses competing in World Cup Grand Prix competitions.” Animals 11 (5), 1187. doi:10.3390/ani11051187
14. Dyson, S (2022): “The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness.” A video documentary produced by US-based Padma Video, in partnership with the ‘Train with Trust Project’.  https://youtu.be/hrZgtrqbMVI
15. Dyson, S. (2024). “Horses and the Science of Harmony”, a US-Padma Video, executive producer S. Dyson, accessed on 25 October 2024 at https://youtu.be/3ulkLHqHZ3g?si=TF1aYfGGVd_u5rwz
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