Re: [RC] To Bit or Not to Bit???? what do you think - Robin & Mary-Anne Dorchester
Hi,
Since I'm from Paddi's neighbourhood (more or less)
and don't feel like digging out of the 6 inches of snow we've had in the last 12
hours (now it's cold AND snowing) , I decided to respond....
Sometimes I ride with a modified sidepull (a friend
"invented" it), sometimes I ride with Paddi's version of the Spirit bridle or
bitless bridle, sometimes I ride with a bit and sometimes I ride with a rope
halter (same horse). I went bitless at first because my horse fought the
bit, head tossing etc. It took a while to figure out what exactly the
problem was but I was smart enough at least, to realize it was bit related and
not just the "stupid horse". I finally figured out the problem, bought a
bit that worked and the horse goes fine in it. What I ride the horse with
largely depends on the circumstance of the day, the horse goes fine in all of
the above arrangements. I like bitless because it's less fuss at races and in
the winter I don't have to remember to bring the bit inside to warm it up before
I ride. On the other hand, I like the bit on the combined bridle for trail
riding because I don't have to carry an extra halter just snap on my rope reins
and I can tie up.
If the bridle arrangement (whether bitless or not)
leads to cutting of the
tongue, dental pain and severe bruising of the gums and underlying bone
or causes the horse to respond to pain by running away or bolting then you're
doing something wrong. As my dad used to say "You're supposed to be
smarter than the horse!"
So, like everything else, consider your horse first
and go with what works for you.
Subject: [RC] To Bit or Not to Bit????
what do you think
I copied this directly from the
patent 6591589 for Dr Cooks bitless bridle.
Since it is cold out and the
barefoot and the dog thread has been hashed so many time maybe this will give
some new interest.
To Bit or Not to Bit....That
is the question.
Such bitted bridles, however, are uncertain in their
action because they initiate an adversarial relationship between the horse and
rider. For example, the bit causes pain and other reactions that are not
consistent with the physiology of exercise. Governance is predicated primarily
upon the application of pain to induce submission. Because the bit is a
foreign object placed inside the mouth of the horse, many horses react
negatively to such a device. Instead of stopping, for example, they sometimes
respond to pain by running away or bolting. Furthermore, many horses chew the
bit, have sore mouths as a result of the bit being placed in their mouth, balk
at the bit, salivate excessively or misbehave during the process of being
bridled and rear their heads so that the bit cannot easily be placed in their
mouths in the first instance. Moreover, it is also known that a bit in the
horse's mouth often leads to cutting of the tongue, dental pain and severe
bruising of the gums and underlying bone. Finally, all bits are
counter-productive and contraindicated as, apart from pain, respond to pain by
running away or bolting. Therefore, bitted bridles are harmful to the horse
since control is dependent on painful pressure on the acutely sensitive tissue
of the mouth and they stimulate other effects that are inconsistent with the
physiological needs of an exercising animal.
This is another site I found while
searching for the Spirit Bridle Link on the Dr. cook Web site.
