Hi Katherine, I will go and look at the video in a miniute , but before I do I just want to say , the bit is only as harse as the hands holding the other end!! So to go off the deep end and say ( as some people do ) that bits are the bain of all evil is just a bit silly. Same thing with the shoeless bragaide they tend to through the baby out with the bath water lol. I don't beleive for a minite that shoes and bits are the problem, now to see the clip. Cheers Geoffrey

I would second what Geoffrey said about it all being in the hands of the rider. That being said, when I got my gently used Arab last fall I was just getting back into riding after many years off. My muscles were not in shape, my seat was not great, and my horse was , shall we say, "adjusting" to me. Kinda cold backed, jiggy, saucy, and I had the feeling he hadn't been ridden regularly. He came used to this huge snaffle bit. I was used to using a bosal, so I did not feel confident in being light handed enough to use the dang thing. Winter was coming on, and I didn't feel good about this big cold chunk in his mouth. So I said the heck with it and went bitless after a couple of rides. He went just as well or better, so I've stuck with it. I trail ride, I don't show, don't do dressage, he's not a bolter,so it's what works for us. We've had our little issues, but most of them were related to getting a good saddle fit, the right diet, and hours in the saddle, working out whose in charge,not the bit.

Hi Katherine, I've always wanted to try the bitless bridle on my horse. When I first started riding and jumping, I thought the bits were cruel torture devices. I know they do cause pain to the horses mouth, but so long as I keep my hands down and move them smoothly I can keep the pain to a minimum. I think the horses become so immune to the bits after so many years that the don't even recognize the pain unless we cause it with poor hand movements (like I did the other day by raising my arms in a jump accidentally).
I actually bought my horse a bitless bridle but he gets so easily distracted by everything going on that we have had to change bits several times and are now on a kimberwick uxeter. I would love to be able to ride my horses without ever causing them pain. I can only hope that I am not causing as much pain as demonstrated in that video.

Hi Katherine, I've had a look at the video, and there is one word I want to say, PERSPECTIVE, something I think is missing in this video. Yes, there are some valid points made . But lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater, in less educated hands and in horses not mouthed well , sure a bit can be harsh. But is it the bit or is it the hands? Some horses are more sensitive than others, and they need to be ridden with equal sensitivity. 
For every image of a horse going with his mouth open ,I can show you 30 pics of horses going nicely with softness in the jaw.

Article 142 - Abuse of Horses
1. No person may abuse a Horse during an Event or at any other time. “Abuse” means an action or omission which causes or is likely to cause pain or unnecessary discomfort to a Horse,...

The problem with alot of bit users, especially double bridle users, is that they unintentially do cause pain and discomfort to the mouth of the horse. The far more reaching negative effects of this mis-use of bits, is the physical inducement of tetanic contractions into the horses's necks.

Now I dont believe the foot test for all bits. I have a few myler bits and straight bar mullen mouth bits, arch mouth bits etc and if I put them against my bare foot, I feel nothing. They dont pinch, or hurt at all. But in a horses mouth it could be hitting the bars of their mouth, putting pressure on their tounges etc. I think you need to try many different types of bits until you find the right one for that animal. I love the myler bits but I have one pony who hates them. He would prefer a loose ring french link...and thats fine with me. There's nothing wrong with using a bitless bridle but if youre going to show, I would think twice before getting one...

not all horses go well in snaffles, I try a few different bits to see what the horse goes best in. You are sooo right , Harmony and Knowledge is the key. A snaffle on the wrong hands can be very rough.

I've personally chosen to go bitless with my horse since she responds much better if there isn't anything in her mouth.

I think bits are dangerous in the wrong hands, but then so are some bitless bridles like the hackmore or bosals.

What's a bosal?

Hi, Barbara:

If you look in EC's Western Division Rulebook online you should find a picture of a bosal.  They usually have a rawhide (but often steel cable) cord running through the core of the noseband, and there is braided rawhide layered over that.  They're very stiff, and very hard, and in the wrong hands they're just as nasty as a bit.

I agree, it is all subjective as every horse (and rider!) is different.
Is a bitless bridle really better? It is still using pressure, just on points of a horse's head, as opposed to two points in the mouth.
I still say that it all comes down to the hands holding the reins.
I am absolutely sick to death of seeing people using pelhams as a quick fix to get "headset" in the ring. Cranking your horse's head to his chest is not proper riding!

I think people that need bits to ride have poorly trained horses. I trained both of my horses with a rope halter. Don't get me wrong, I ride my draft in a d-ring snaffle with copper rollers on a daily basis, but he does not need the bit to know how to behave. People that rely on bits or move to harsher bits for results are fools. If your horse can't perform off leg and seat aids, then you need to go back in your training and teach him.

I'm not saying "don't ride with a bit" I'm saying train your horse not to rely on mouth pressures...

If you put 6 horses in a corral and you throw them a bale of hay, you will quickly learn how horses use pain to control the other horses' movements. There will be kicking and biting, intimidation and bullying. After a bit, every horse will settle into a spot where he's not annoying others and they will eat the hay in peace.

Pain, causing it and receiving it, is part of a horse's life. It is called the pecking order.

Now, we have all seen and heard about horse owners who don't believe in causing Any pain to their horses. And we shake our heads at the crazy behavior they allow their horses to show.

The problem isn't the bit. Like many others here have said already, a bit, any bit is only as harsh as the hands that wield it. That would include a bosal.

We want to control our horse's movements. We would all like to control them w/out causing them pain every step of the way.
Take a lesson from the horses in the corral. The dominant horse will shoo the offender out of the way using whatever force necessary, then go back to eating on his favorite pile. He will reinforce that command several times, till the offending horse is well away in his own corner.

Use the bit to control the way your horse reacts, but then leave it alone.

Personally, that is why I no longer enjoy english riding. The demands for constant contact leave a sour taste in my mouth. I once trained a dressage horse to 3rd level, only to keep getting dinged by the judges about the lack of contact. The horse was in collection, performing the tricky movements, his head on the vertical, but there was slack in my reins. I found my western hands unable to encourage the contact I would obviously need to make my horse shine. And seeins I know how sensitive a horse's mouth is and how the bit works to affect it, I found myself unwilling to try.

As I'm thinking about this topic, I think about the horses I ride day in and day out. A simple lift of the rein, maybe a touch of the snaffle ring will send them into the new direction. I only grab the bit w/ force to enforce a command I have already given quietly.

Change to western riding. No nosebands, no contact, just better training.

After 22 years of riding bitless in SB, I can tell you unequivically, bits are not necessary.
You can make any excuse you want to condone their useage, however, I have never met a horse that refused to respect SB and the respect it shows the horse.

spirithorse wrote:

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You can make any excuse you want to condone their useage,

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Does that mean that you think I am abusing my horses if I train them to react to a bit?