Way back in 5000 BC, the Scythian horsemen of central Asia used a simple form of bitless bridle to control their horses. Crude possibly, but nonetheless without a bit.
A mere 7000 years later, the head of equine surgery at the prestigious Tufts University veterinary school in Massachusetts has been looking into some of the many vices and negative behaviours afflicting horses, including bolting, bucking and rearing. His conclusion is that many of these are just a normal reaction of the horse to it’s feelings of fear and pain due to the presence of a bit in their mouth.
Additionally, his research suggests that a bitted bridle can have serious ill effects on a horse’s ability to breathe properly, particularly during the high demands of competition.
This relative lack of oxygen could be a significant factor in some of the catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries that can be so dangerous for both horse and rider, and he is now convinced that the bit might be a significant cause of up to 40 separate conditions such as exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage, epiglottal entrapment and displacement of the soft palate.
He has been looking into and developing an unconventional bitless bridle that uses a crossover beneath the horse’s chin to apply pressure to the side of the head rather than the delicate structures of the mouth (see www.bitlessbridle.com).
Recent trials suggested that horses ridden with this bridle not only adapt quickly but show very significant increases in performance. But Professor Cook has had trouble getting anyone to listen.
“I am 78 and may be getting on a little, but I haven’t finished yet.”