Why is a Bit an Impediment to a Horse?
[2007] An introduction to some of the problems that are caused by bitted bridles. Links are provided to articles providing more in-depth evidence. A metal bit is an invasive foreign body in a sensitive body cavity. It frightens the horse, inflicts pain, obstructs breathing and interferes with the rhythm and grace of the stride. Mythology has it that the bit controls a horse but the reality is that the bit is the most common cause of a rider losing control. As the final link in the long and, therefore, potentially severe line of communication between the rider’s hands and the horse’s mouth, a bit is a device that must be handled with the delicacy and finesse of a neurosurgeon if it is not to become an instrument of torture and a liability. Even at the Olympic level, there are few riders who possess this mastery and can honestly claim that they never hurt their horse. Bit-induced fear and pain triggers flight, fight and freeze responses that include over 100 signs of negative behavior. S
