[RC] To Bit or Not to Bit???? what do you think - Paddi
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, they trigger a cascade of pathophysiological effects that
are incompatible with athletic performance. 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.
