Skip to content
Perhaps it was the eclipse. Perhaps it’s simply that after more than 30 years of working with horses, I can no longer ignore what I am seeing.
For the last six months in particular, I have struggled with my conscience over some of what is expected from bitting, training and ultimately from the horse.
I see many wonderful owners who come to me with exactly the right attitude. Their wish list isn’t simply “make my horse do this.” They want to understand their horse. They want relaxation, confidence, better communication and a partnership that works for both horse and rider.
Those are the people who give me enormous hope.
But I am also seeing something else.
In parts of the competitive world particularly, I feel we are coming full circle when it comes to the horse’s wellbeing. And I cannot, hand on heart, continue to be complicit when what is being asked of the horse conflicts with what I believe is right for that horse physically or mentally.
I haven’t always got everything right.
There are things I have done in the past that, with the knowledge I have today, I would do differently. Some were accepted practice. Some came from the information available to me at the time. And some simply came from not knowing what I know now.
But isn’t that the whole point of learning?
Knowledge should change us.
If we know more about anatomy, biomechanics, pain, compensation, behaviour, the nervous system and the way horses communicate discomfort, surely we have a responsibility to allow that knowledge to change what we do.
We cannot demand better welfare while continuing practices simply because “that’s how it has always been done.”
And I increasingly find myself asking:
Is contorting a horse’s body to produce a particular picture really the end game?
For me, it isn’t.
I don’t want to find a bit that simply makes a horse comply. I want to understand why the horse isn’t comfortable doing what is being asked in the first place.
That is why I work alongside other like-minded equine professionals. Bitting cannot exist in isolation from dentistry, saddle fit, bodywork, physiotherapy, osteopathy, training, rider balance or the horse’s previous physical and emotional experiences.
The horse is one whole animal.
Over the years I have been fortunate that the overwhelming majority of owners have supported me when I have suggested changes designed to create greater relaxation, fluidity, freedom and harmony rather than simply a stronger means of control.
Now I want to take that philosophy further.
My way forward
Before I change a bit, I am going to ask more questions.
Sometimes they may be uncomfortable questions.
What are you hoping to achieve?
What do you believe the problem actually is?
When did it start?
What changed before it started?
Could there be pain, restriction or compensation somewhere else in the horse?
Is this genuinely a bitting problem — or are we asking the bit to disguise something that needs investigating elsewhere?
And most importantly: is what we are asking fair to the horse?
Sometimes the answer may mean changing the bit.
Sometimes it may mean taking equipment away.
Sometimes it may mean involving another professional.
And sometimes it may mean saying, “I don’t think we should be asking the horse to do this at the moment.”
That may not always be what somebody wants to hear.
But I have reached the stage in my career where I would rather lose a job than compromise the horse to produce a result I don’t believe is right.
This isn’t about judging riders. Most people are trying to do the best they can with the information they have.
It is about being brave enough to question ourselves.
Because management matters. Training matters. History matters. Pain matters. Rider confidence matters. Equipment matters. And the horse’s behaviour matters.
Behaviour is information.
Instead of continually asking:
“How do we stop the horse doing that?”
perhaps we need to start asking:
“Why does the horse feel the need to do it?”
That is where I believe the future of Horse Bit Advice lies.
Less restriction.
Less domination.
Less chasing a picture.
More questions.
More collaboration.
More education.
More time.
More understanding.
And above everything else:
Do it right by the horse.
