A Word About Bits

Pain, fear, confusion and torture  

Behaviours Associated with Physical and Psychological Discomfort

Many of us may have experienced the following with our horses;

• Refusal to be caught
• Head tossing/head shaking/neck wringing
• Head shyness
• Will not open mouth for the bit
• Bolting
• Rearing
• Jigging
• Will not go forward
• Flatness - Depression
• Evasion of the bit (avoidance of pain)
• Traveling above or below the bit
• Will not stop or hard to slow down
• "Hard Mouth"
• Lack of impulsion
• Cold backed
• Tension and muscle strain
• "Travels with nose in the air"
• Won't hold condition - hard to put weight on
• Lethargic, non-responsive, "dead" to seat and leg aides

These symptoms and behaviours and many more, are indications that all is not well within the horse. 

Most would agree that many of the examples listed above are disturbingly common. Yet how many riders would stop to analyze the real cause of these behaviours? Sadly, most dismiss these signs of pain/discomfort/confusion as defiance or mis-behaviour in the horse.

In the case of non-responsive behaviours such hard-mouth or dullness, there are growing number of examples in veterinary documentation that show that such behaviours can be indications of a tragic survival mechanism commonly termed Learned Helplessness. 

"Learned Helplessness" is exactly as it sounds.

Explained simply, this is where the animal eventually shuts down it's attention to outside stimuli as a response to continuous and unabating discomfort. The horse physiologically understands that no matter what he does, he has no control over his level of discomfort, so he "learns to endure". It is a tragic survival mechanism, an effort made by the organism to protect itself. In the case of the horse, this can be attributed to the pain so often caused by the bit.

This condition is particularly apparent in those horses that initially had very reactive responses to the bit. After subsequent and repetitive disciplining/abuse for perceived "bad behaviour" the horse learns to cope by becoming unresponsive and what some riders call "dead to the aides". The horse suffers in silence knowing full well that any effort he makes to help himself by running away, rearing or fighting the pain will result in a higher incidence of aggressive retribution. He sees that if he tries to escape he will be punished and suffer more. It is better for his survival to shut down and endure - this same phenonomen can be seen in all manner of situations of abuse, not just with horses, but with people as well.

The tragedy here for the horse, is that the rider may regard this change in behaviour from reactive to dull, as a sign that the horse is now trained and submissive. Meanwhile, the horse continues it's life of pain and suffering in silence, which leads further to it's inevitable physical and mental breakdown.

How Much Trauma and Pain Can Bits Really Cause?

Have you ever done the "bit over the bridge of your nose" experiment? This very simple exercise quickly alleviates any doubt that bits - even the so called gentle ones, are capable of causing extreme pain. It only takes a moment to do but the effect it has on giving a clear insight of your horse's perspective lasts quite a bit longer. 

If you haven't tried it then may I suggest you spend a moment in your horse's shoes. For those that have done it, it is a great reminder.

The task: ask someone you trust to place your usual bit over the bridge of your nose. With their fingers in the rings of the bit, ask your friend to VERY gently ask you to turn and halt as you would a horse. I stress here that the pressure should be extremely gentle, nowhere near what you would use on your own horse's  mouth. You will soon see and feel how little pressure causes you discomfort. Now imagine what it would feel like to have that bit, dragged back and forth over your nose, or thumped about on it. Pretty horrible, right?

Now, imagine the same pain...but now instead of a calm controlled experiment, visualize what it would look and feel like if that you have no escape from the bit. Imagine it no longer a game but deadly serious... No matter which way you turn your head, the bit is there, pushing, rubbing your face raw, hurting. Even if you scream to your friend to stop, the banging and thumping continues. It's almost as if your friend cannot hear you! In fact, the more you protest, the more you try to help yourself, the more clear you try to say that it hurts you - the more painful and forceful it becomes. You are stunned by the pain, your nerves raw, you can't think straight, your confusion is out of control and you are deeply afraid ... why does your friend do this??? You plead with your eyes.... And disbelievingly, above the pain you feel your friend strike you from behind, for your "bad behaviour", she's shouts it is to try and snap you out of it.... It's frightening to think of, isn't it?

The fact is the mucous membranes in the horse's mouth are FAR more vulnerable and sensitive than the bridge of our nose, and are occupied with many more sensitive nerve endings than the outer dermis. The horse's mouth has been designed by nature for grazing, identifying different plants and minerals by texture and for communicating (through touch and vocalization) with fellow herd members - not for carrying, holding or pressure from a foreign object.

The Horse's Mouth  

The horse's mouth is extremely sensitive. Bone is close to the surface and there is a massive nerve supply. The areas affected by the bit include the lips, tongue, palate, the sharp narrow jaw bones the bit sits on (bars) , gums, the inner cheeks, joint of the jaw.

The use of the bit damages the nerves of the mouth - both inside and out. This effectively deadens and numbs many parts of the mouth, sometimes permanently. It is now being suggested that horses with impaired or reduced sensitivity of the mouth can encounter problems with feeding, even in being unable to identify changes in texture such as dirt on the roots of grazed feed. Poisonous plants may also be accidentally eaten as a horse may not be able to identify a noxious plant by touch.

Physical Evidence That Bits Damage Horses

A study of dissected jaws of racehorses in the UK showed disturbing evidence of the damage that bits have caused. 

All of the jaw bones in the study showed significant bony changes including bone spurs, fractures in the jaw and advanced inflammatory arthritis in the joint of the jaw. Many of the horses had a deep groove across the bars of  the mouth where the bone had withered away from pressure of the bit.

Bruising, ulcerations and soft tissue trauma featured in all of the examples.

Experts deduce that these horses would have experienced continuous and considerable agony, whether they were being ridden or not.

But the damage done to horses from the use of bits is not limited only to racehorses and horses in competiton - the truth is sadly far from this.

Even the lightly ridden horse suffers. It only takes minimal pressure to cause the odema, swellings, bruising, ulcerations, blisters or even tears of the sensitive and delicate oral structures.

It doesn't take much to see why horses sometimes react the way they do. How would you react if you were in the horses position?

Add to this, the fact that humans so often mis-interprete behaviours in horses that the suffering in the horse is so often exacerberated by disciplinary action. The horse is handled more roughly in an effort to control the behaviour which was caused by the bit in the first place.

Think of the action of sawing the bit through the horses mouth in an effort to stop it running away. If we are honest, many of us at one time or another have used methods such as this to control our horses. We can accept that we may have been ignorant and knew of no other ways. Or we may argue that we didn't know it was causing so much suffering, torment and injury to our horses. The evidence is in. Bits Hurt Horses. There is no getting around it. The only thing we can do from here is to change our behaviours and actions so that they may have a life of quality and minimal discomfort. 

With this evidence is mind, you can see how the argument for the removal of the bit is not

wind and flowers but based on the fact that bits are the most common and significant cause of torment in the horse. 

Bits Attributed To The Cause Of Severe Pain in Horses

There have been several veterinary documents which report in detail the trauma and damage that bits cause to horses mouths. They report that most of the serious and horrific injuries caused by bits such as ulcerated gums, torn inner cheeks and damaged tongues may go unnoticed by many riders. Much of the damage is further back in the mouth where people may neglect to inspect. Furthermore the long term damage caused by bits on the teeth and bony changes to the jaw itself is often overlooked. Chewing on the bit causes premature wearing of the premolars which is a primary cause of painful periostitis. Constant wear caused by the bit also creates a sharp edge on the teeth which can traumatize neighbouring soft tissues. Additionally, acute trauma to the bars can result in painful swelling which can lead to the permanent bony changes (bone spurs) that cause chronic mouth pain in horses.

Our older horses suffer most. The long term rubbing or chewing of bits on the teeth wears off the protective layer of dentine exposing the sensitive layers of the tooth, causing extreme discomfort. With the protective layer gone, the teeth are exposed to bacteria which can lead to decay and disease. 

As our horses age they have considerably less space for a bit in their mouth. The incisors slope more forward and the wear on the cheek teeth cause the mouth to become more cramped. When riding your older horse in a bit, consider that that bit which may have "fit" his mouth at four or five years may cause him even more pain at fifteen or sixteen years old.

The effect of the bit on the whole organism, muscles and movement

The physical effect of the bit is by no means, limited to the areas of the mouth. This is unfortuantely, far from the case. The use of the bit sets off a whole chain of myological and physiological reactions in the horse's body. Every nerve and muscle is affected. Chemical and biological function of the animal is affected.

There is a distinct difference in the movement of a horse trained with pain-causing means and one who is free of them. The quality of the movement is completely different. A horse that is in pain and influenced by force will have a marionette type of movement, there is no softness in his eye and no joy in his steps. This physical suffering cannot be sustained by any living being without envitable breakdown, psychological and physical, and in most cases, the often violent and extreme rebellion of the horse is an example of this. A desperate attempt by the organism to save his body ...and his sanity.

Bits and pain based methods of control vs. Positive reinforcement and motivation

People are often fearful and concerned when they consider taking away the bit - and this is in many ways, is understandable. After hundreds of years of indoctrination, many people are using the bit simply because their fathers and fore-fathers did. It is the fear of loss of control and a host of other unseen dangers that occupy the mind. Most people cannot fathom what they would do if they do not force or control the horse with bits, spurs or pressure.

There is bound to be some resistance in letting go of all the things we have been taught about bits.

Control of the horse can mean different things. We have found it is very much a varient of the same theme.

Here are some statements that people responded with: 

• Horse understands the aides and knows what is being asked of him
• Horse understands yield to pressure
• Horse is soft and giving to my hand aides
• Horse listens to what I ask
• Horse is not afraid and feels no discomfort
• Horse stops when asked
• Horse responds quickly and positively
• There is trust between rider and horse  

How would you respond if you knew a bit causes soft tissue trauma, bruising of the mouth, misalignment of the jaw, bony changes, reduce blood circulation to the mouth, stress and permanent damage to the joint of the jaw, headaches, teeth pain and strong evasive fearful reactions to pain such as rearing and bolting? You may perhaps see how bits can actually be a contributing factor to the cause of lack of control in the first place.

It is a difficult mindset to alter, because most of us have been taught to believe that having a bit in a horse's mouth equals control. The belief is that in order to have control we need to be able to have painful severe pressure available just in case we need it to force our horses to do what we want. This has evolved from our own fears, lack of knowledge about how horses learn or comprehension of their anatomy, and placing the human before the horse.

It is clear there must be an overhaul of ethics within the world of horseriding, if people feel themselves at such risk of injury or death that they must use such severe pain-causing tools to make an animal submit to their will - for human pleasure and entertainment.

There are many alternatives that use positive reinforcement and motivation for the horse which is not based on avoidance of pain. Such methods are not only proving to be a much faster way to teach horses, but are also far more rewarding for the human, who may for the first time encounter the meaning of true friendship with a horse...

Bits - A poor choice for communication tool

If you have done the "bit over the nose experiment" as mentioned earlier, you will be very aware of just how little is needed to feel pressure from a rein. The problem that often occurs with bits is that the pressure is not always acting in the same manner or on the same area of the horse's mouth each time a signal is given. A minute shift in weight, or position of the hands holding the reins or even the tiniest change in position of the horse's head will alter the way the bit sits in the mouth and on which part it affects. Very simply said, there is no consistency with bits. You can look to any number of the gadgets that people have come up with to fix this problem. Tie downs, martingales, nosebands of every descriptions - all efforts to keep a horse's mouth shut and head in a fixed position.

Head position affects how the bit sits in the mouth and the inconsistency can confuse and irritate horses. The way a horse perceives commands from the rider may feel very different when pain is in the corners of the mouth rather than on the bars of the mouth. This gives the horses mixed messages and creates a kind of hit-and-miss understanding for the horse. In the end, all he can learn is that the bit causes pain for him no matter what he does or how he tries to please you, again, increasing his psychological suffering and mistrust . You can see how horses become confused and frustrated with a bit.

Now add in other factors such as too small or large a bit, worn or sharp edges, pinching, sitting too high or too low in the mouth, dental problems, too thick or too thin a bit, rough insensitive hands and you can quickly see how the bit and it's use has major fundamental problems for the horse.

With constant focus on the uncomfortable "thing" in it's mouth, the horse reacts to every bump, clunk and minute unconscious changes of our hands which leads to even further tension, apprehension (when is the next bump coming?!) and poor and reduced performance. Tension transfers to every fibre and muscle in his body - he hurts, he resists and he suffers.

Mechanical Hackamores

Most often seen in western riding and occasionally seen in some English riding disciplines such as showjumping or the stadium phase of eventing.

The headpiece supports a noseband that is designed to function much like a curb, using leverage for control. Pressure is applied to the reins and the noseband tightens and works on pressure points on the horse's face, nose and chin.  Small pressure at the reins can result in excessive pressure on the horse. Misuse of a hackamore can cause pain and swelling on the horse's nose, or even break the fine bones that protect the nasal passages and cause jaw injuries.

Particularly severe "mechanical hackamores" may have long shanks or a harsh noseband material such as metal or a rubber covered bicycle chain.

This is the least recommended of bitless options as horse's have been known to have their delicate facial bones crushed and fractured and permanent and agonising facial neuraligia due to damaged nerves and facial tissue.

Sidepulls

The sidepull is a modern design inspired by the bosal. It is a heavy noseband with side rings that attach on either side of the nose, allowing very direct pressure to be applied from side to side. Sidepulls are usually used to start young horses or on horses that carry a bit. While severity can be increased by using harder or thinner rope, a sidepull lacks the sophistication of a bosal. Once a horse understands basic commands, the trainer needs to use a bosal or snaffle bit to further refine a horse's training.

Bosals

The bosal is mostly seen in western-style riding. It is a stiff rawhide noseband with reins attached to a large knot or button at the base. To keep the bosal properly balanced and stop any rubbing or excessive pressure on the nose, it is held on with a headstall with a special rope throatlash. 

The bosal acts on the nose and jaw and is most commonly used to start young horses under saddle in "California style" cowboy. The bosal is a sophisticated piece of training equipment. Bosals come in lighter and lighter materials to train the horse to stop to less pressure. Once a horse is well trained in a bosal, a bit is then usually added. 

While designed to be gentle, bosals are equipment intended for use by experienced trainers and should not be used by beginners, as they can be very harsh in the wrong hands.

Halters and Rope Headpieces

Halters and rope headpieces are the simplest and least refined, but very common form of bitless bridle. Often used in natural horsemanship, western and endurance, it's makers often state that they are comfortable for the horse due to the light weight. However, most rope type halters and bridles have specifically spaced "knots" along the noseband and often the cheek pieces - these "knots"sit over pressure points on the horse's face to enable more force to be used on these delicate areas and increase reaction to pressure through discomfort.

Cross over bitless bridles

A popular choice of bitless bridles due to it's often conventional appearance and it's usage does not differ greatly to traditional bridles. The basic design of the bridle is to have a pushing effect on the horse's head rather than a pulling one. For example, when pressure is apllied to the right rein, pressure from that rein is transferred underneath the jaw by a corresponding strap to the opposite sides (left) cheek strap, and pushes the face across into the direction of the pulling rein.

To stop, pressure is applied to the reins in the traditional way and the bitless bridle tranfers pressure to the noseband, pulling the nose in towards the chest and further, to the poll, pushing the head down. As the head is "cradled" by this type of bridle, there needs to be awareness that excessive pulling or jarring on reins can cause significant damage to facial nerves, masseter muscles and muscles at the poll.

Cordeo

A simple cord, soft rope or leather strap which sits over the horse's neck - between the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae. The cordeo rests over the shoulder of the horse and is used to teach a horse movements, amplitude of movement and is a sophisticated tool in the right hands.

It is the most ethical tool of communication as it allows the horse free and voluntary movement of the head and neck and cordeo can never be used to force an unwilling horse.

As such, cordeo should be used when the relationship is developed to a stage of infinate trust, clarity and communication and when there is no possibility of danger to horse or man.