Can bits be used ethically? Or are they decidedly cruel no matter how skilled
the rider? Let’s take a closer look at these elements of horse riding ethics.
Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome to another vegan nugget. Horse riding is a
rather controversial topic amongst vegans and animal lovers, and within the animal rights
community. It’s a complex subject with many facets. My first video on horses addressed
the basic ethics of horse riding itself, with a cursory nod to horse riding tack, or equipment,
like saddles, bits, bridles and whips. It also pissed a lot of people off….
Today we’re going to take a deeper look at the use of bits and their effect on horses
both physically and psychologically. In my first video on whether horse riding is cruel,
I pointed out that because horses do not need to be ridden, doing so constitutes using another
being for our own entertainment, an action that is decidedly unethical from a vegan perspective.
This stance does not even take into account how a horse is treated or what equipment is
used; the appropriation of the horse’s body alone is an unethical act.
Now not everyone agrees with this stance, including some vegans, so I think it is important
to talk about the effect of horse tack like bits and whips both for those who are still
going to ride horses, and also for those who may not find the act of riding itself objectionable,
but may not know the impact of these devices.
And just a note, as with my first video on horses, I’ll be including detailed sources
in the blog post for this video, which is linked in the description below. Please reference
these studies and articles for further information and research.
Let’s start with bits. There is quite an array of bit types and variations, each made
to apply pressure to a horse in a specific manner. All bits are designed to control a
horse through this applied pressure, meaning pain. There exists the argument that when
properly fitted and controlled, even the most severe of bit styles can transmit subtle,
nuanced signals to a horse without any pain. The saying goes “a harsh bit in good hands
can be mild, and mild bit is only as harsh as the hands controlling it.” However, even
the gentlest of hands still exerts extreme pressure on a horse’s mouth and nerves,
around 50 to 100kg per 1cm2 of mouth surface. Horses have a complex array of cranial nerves,
which are impacted by the use of a bit. Trigemenial action bits inflict pain on the mandibular
and maximallary branches of the trigeminal nerves. The maximallary nerve division comprises
the principle functions of sensation for the maxilalary teecth, nasal cavity, palate and
infraorbital nerve, among others and the mandibular nerve runs along the bones of the horse’s
lower jaw and further branch off to the bucal, lingual, and inferior alveolar nerves and
that runs along the horse lower jaw. Additionally, the mouthpiece of the trigemenial action bit
hits the horse’s palate and squeezes down on his or her tongue. Dental action bits impact
and damage the 1st and 2nd premolar teeth and bars, or area of the mouth where there
are no teeth, causing the development of bone spurs. The joint of the bit also hits the
horse’s palate when pressure is applied on the reins, causing the inferior alveolar
nerve and infroarbital nerve to transmit pain signals. Horses will often insert their tongue
in between the bit joint and the roof of their mouth in an attempt to escape this pain. Unfortunately
this just results the tongue being pinched or pushed back towards the larynx, impacting
the lingual nerve and causing pain. The mouth is one of the body’s most sensitive areas
and these bits are designed to inflict pressure onto this delicate area.
Bits also obstruct a horse’s airway and interfere with breathing, which is especially
problematic seeing as bits are used mostly when making great physical demands of a horse.
In his article Pathophysilogy of Bit Control in the Horse, published in the Journal of
Equine Veterinary Science, Dr. Robert Cook states that, “the bit method of control
is invasice, physiologically conctraindicated and counterproductive [and it] frightens a
horse and causes pain, suffering and injury.” In his 2002 study, The Effect Of The Bit On
The Behaviour Of The Horse, Dr Cook concluded that, “The bit is responsible for at least
50 problems. The four most frequently cited effects were to instill fear, to make the
horse fight back, to trigger a flight response, and to cause facial neuralgia (headshaking).
These and other behavioural effects were associated primarily with oral pain. However, the responses
were not limited to the oral cavity, for they included a whole cascade of systemic effects.
Predominantly, these involved the nervous system and resulted in adverse behavioural
responses (58%). Musculoskeletal system effects interfered with locomotion (26%) and respiratory
system effects caused dyspnoea (16%). It was concluded that a bit is harmful to the health
and safety of both horse and rider, and an impediment to performance.”
Now it should be noted that Dr. Cook is not opposed to horse riding in the slightest.
He advocates natural horsemanship using a bitless bridle and his analysis of the impact
of bits is from the perspective of bettering the riding experience. So while his studies
and findings are very important, I feel he has missed the mark with their application.
However, for those individuals who intend to continue riding horses, I think it’s
important to note that using a bit is not only detrimental to the horse, but also the
rider as a bitted horse is in a state of pain and fear and much less likely to respond accordingly
to direction, often leading to the injury of both horse and rider.
Aside from the physiological and anatomical impact of bits, the simplest indication of
how a bit affects a horse is the horse’s reaction. You will often see bitted horses
opening their mouths. This is an attempt to escape the pain inflicted by the bit. They
will also shake their head and perform other neurotic behaviors in an effort to stop the
pain. Unfortunately, riders often respond to this behavior by applying even more pressure
to the horse’s bit, causing even more pain and acting out on the part of the horse. This
cycle is remedied, so to speak, by the application of a noseband to close the mouth. While this
certainly stops a horse from opening his or her mouth, he or she remains in pain. Janene
Clemence sums it up well saying “Whichever way a person tries to argue, science can lay
the truth on the table. In the end, it is only a choice...a choice to not cause pain
to the horse, or, to choose to knowingly inflict pain.”
So whether or not you believe that riding horses is unethical, it’s clear that the
use of bits is most decidedly not. If you want to delve deeper into this topic do check
out the blog post in the video description for a slew of articles and resources, including
Fair Horsemanship’s Youtube channel and website with lots of information on horse-friendly
activities and bitless bridles. Now I’d love to hear from you on this subject- what
are your thoughts on the matter? And if you missed the first video in the horse series,
you can watch it by clicking on that top video over there. Give the video a thumbs up if
you liked it and please share it around to spread the word. If you’re new here, be
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