The Best Bits

21/09/2025

Are We Looking Close Enough?

We often describe equestrian sport as a partnership between horse and rider.

But if we pause and really look, what picture emerges?

Are there Gadgets, harsh bits, restrictive nosebands, martingales, flashes, and riders relying on forceful hands rather than feel?

These things are often presented as “essentials,” but in reality don't they highlight something missing: true skill, patience, and understanding?

Young horses are being asked to carry themselves in ways their bodies and minds simply aren’t ready for.

The pressure to move up the levels quickly can mean their welfare takes a back seat.

How often do we see tight nosebands used to hide resistance, while mechanical aids create an image of control and “polish” that isn’t genuine harmony.

What we should all be very concerned with is how common these practices have become — even at the very highest levels, the places that are meant to show us the best of horsemanship.

When a horse’s mouth is strapped shut, when their natural expression is replaced with tension, can we really call this partnership?

Or are we simply normalizing discomfort and calling it achievement?

It’s easy to be swept up in the spectacle of competition or a charismatic trainer, but if we care about horses, we need to look closer.

The medals, the applause, the picture-perfect frames can distract us from the subtle signs of stress and strain.

True horsemanship isn’t about suppression; it’s about listening, adapting, and giving the horse the time and freedom to grow.

So next time you watch a “performance,” take a moment to zoom in.

What does the horse’s body language tell you? What do the gadgets reveal about the rider’s approach?

What may look like brilliance might, in reality, be exploitation.

If we truly love horses, we owe it to them to see clearly — and to expect better.

Let's move away from opinions and blind adulation and start following and leading with the evidence and research based protocols that inform us of the horse's experience.

Join the evolution today and let's advocate for our horses first!

https://equitopiacenter.com/equitopia-start-learning-today/

21/09/2025

Recognizing pain and discomfort in the ridden horse requires both knowledge and skill – but for far too long, traditional horse culture has encouraged riders to dismiss the very signs horses use to communicate.

Behaviors such as tail swishing, head tossing, reluctance to go forward, or resistance to the bit have often been mislabeled as “naughty,” “lazy,” “stubborn,” or “disrespectful.”

These labels don’t reflect how horses actually learn or express themselves; instead, they mask the horse’s attempts to say: “Something isn’t right.”

This outdated mindset has led generations of riders to suppress or punish signs of pain, rather than investigate them.

The result? Countless horses working through discomfort, with their welfare compromised and their performance limited.

Thanks to groundbreaking research by Dr. Sue Dyson, we now have the tools to change this narrative.

Her Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) identifies 24 specific behaviors that are reliable indicators of pain in the ridden horse.

This research is transforming equestrian culture by replacing outdated beliefs with an evidence-based framework.

By learning these behaviors, riders and trainers can make informed, compassionate decisions that improve horse welfare, deepen partnership, and enhance performance.

Horses deserve to be heard, and we now have the knowledge to truly listen.

👉 Equip yourself with these essential skills by enrolling in the 24 Behaviors Indicating Pain in the Ridden Horse course:

https://courses.equitopiacenter.com/product/how-to-recognize-the-24-behaviors-indicating-pain-in-the-ridden-horse/

21/09/2025

How Do Horses Really Learn?

For centuries, horse culture has been shaped by myths, traditions, and human-centered perspectives.

We’ve been taught to see training through the lens of dominance, “leadership,” and compliance.

But here’s a truth we often overlook: horses have no idea what riding, bridles, or training are.

They have no inherent interest in carrying us or adapting to our agendas.

Their world revolves around safety, food, social connection, and comfort.

So why do we keep framing everything from our perspective?

Too often, we fail to ask the deeper questions.

What does communication look like from the horse’s point of view?

What if the very foundation of “dominance-based” theories ignores the fact that horses are not humans—and we are certainly not horses?

We don’t try to emulate wolves to communicate with our dogs, yet we cling to outdated herd-behavior myths when it comes to horses.

This mismatch creates countless unhappy, anxious, fearful horses displaying pain-related behaviors that many still label as “disobedience.”

In reality, these are messages. They are telling us that our methods—rooted in old beliefs rather than evidence—do not align with their basic needs or instincts.

If we truly want to evolve as horse people, we must commit to critical thinking and scientific understanding.

We must question everything: how we manage their diet, turnout, and social lives; how we evaluate saddles, bits, and bridles; how we interpret their behavior—not as resistance, but as communication.

The path forward is clear: follow the evidence, learn from equine behavioral science, and challenge the cultural norms that compromise horse welfare.

👉 Ready to make that shift? Join Equitopia’s cutting-edge membership program to gain the mindset and skills needed to be part of this evolution:

https://equitopiacenter.com/equitopia-start-learning-today/

21/09/2025

Horse and Hound article featuring two studies which we recently presented at the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress, Birmingham, Uk.

🔬Does bridle type influence frequency of occurrence of conflict behaviours in high-level dressage horses?

R. MacKechnie-Guire, C. Hole, D. Marlin, H. Clayton, M. Fisher, D. Fisher, V. Walker, J. Williams, M. Pierard and R. Murray https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.70032

This was an interesting study, as two conflict behaviours were increased when horses were ridden I the snaffle bridle vs. when ridden in the double bridle. The article discusses potential reasons, however it is important to note that this was in elite horses/riders. Whilst this is a step forward in our understanding, more work is needed (and underway).

The second piece of research

🔬Relationship between noseband tightness and noseband pressures in novice horses and riders: Implications for guidance to support horse welfare

R. MacKechnie-Guire, D. Marlin, H. Clayton, M. Fisher, D. Fisher, V. Walker, J. Williams and R. Murray https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.70033

This work looked at noseband tightness in non elite horses and riders. The findings were similar to our previous publications in elite horses, in that there were no differences in noseband pressures when the noseband was adjusted from 2.0 to 1.5 F tightness. Great to see acknowledgement that we have “come a long way”…..

Publications are underway and will be out later this year.

🤓

17/09/2025

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15/09/2025

15/09/2025

Ignore your horse's posture at your peril. Without it, your horse cannot achieve true physical fitness or reach his full potential.

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15/09/2025

The Importance of Mindset When Choosing Training Methods

When it comes to working with horses, the mindset we bring to training is just as important as the techniques we use.

With so many training methods being promoted today, curiosity and critical thinking are essential.

We need to ask ourselves: What is this method based on? Does it align with what we know from equine learning theory and science, or is it built on outdated beliefs?

One of the most deeply ingrained ideas still circulating is the theory of dominance.

These methods are often explained in ways that initially sound logical—horses live in herds, they have leaders, therefore we must be the “alpha.”

But when examined through the lens of modern equine behavior science, this reasoning begins to unravel.

Research tells us horses learn not through dominance, but through clear, consistent communication, timing, and reinforcement.

This is where horse welfare becomes central.

Every decision we make—from the training methods we choose, to hoof balance, saddle fit, rider posture, even the skill with which we handle pressure—has a direct impact on our horse’s physical, mental, and emotional state.

The Five Domains of Horse Welfare remind us that our choices either support or compromise wellbeing.

A horse in pain, anxious, or shut down is not only suffering, but may be one step away from an avoidable accident.

True horsemanship is about responsibility.

It means recognizing that our actions ripple through every aspect of a horse’s life and experience.

When we approach training with an informed mindset—backed by research, compassion, and a willingness to question old assumptions—we create safer, more ethical, and more rewarding partnerships.

✨ Join the evolution towards ethical and responsible horsemanship—by learning to see the world through the horse’s perspective and embracing the science of equine behavior.

https://equitopiacenter.com/equitopia-start-learning-today/

04/09/2025

BEWARE !!
Please be aware when buying a cheaper bit that looks like a more expensive branded bit, that they are not made to the same safety standards and quality.

24/08/2025

Good horsemanship isn’t just about how we ride, train, or compete—it begins with how we meet our horse’s most basic needs.

Research and experience tell us that basic welfare rests on three pillars: friends, freedom, and forage.

Friends: Horses are herd animals. Isolation is deeply stressful for them, even if they can “see” others.

Social contact—grooming, playing, resting together—is essential to their mental and emotional health.

Freedom: Horses are built to move. Stabling or restricted turnout limits natural movement, which can lead to stiffness, ulcers, or stress behaviors.

Movement isn’t just exercise; it’s how their bodies and minds function best.

Forage: Horses are trickle feeders. Their digestive systems are designed for near-constant intake of forage.

Long gaps without roughage can cause colic, ulcers, and anxiety.

Any situation that limits these three is a compromise.

Sometimes compromises are unavoidable—but our responsibility is to recognize them, and then actively find ways to make those circumstances tolerable for the horse.

That requires critical thinking: does this decision make sense from my horse’s perspective—physically, mentally, and emotionally?

True horsemanship means committing to ongoing learning.

Evidence and research give us clear guidance on how our management choices affect welfare.

If we don’t educate ourselves and adapt, then we fall short in our duty as horse people.

This calls for a mindset shift.

Convenience or tradition can no longer be excuses to ignore welfare fundamentals.

We must move toward a culture where knowledge, empathy, and responsibility guide how we keep and work with horses.

When horses have friends, freedom, and forage, they are healthier, happier, and easier to live and work with.

Meeting these needs is not optional—it’s the foundation of responsible horse ownership.

Join us at www.equitopiacenter.com where the evidence and research can guide us to better standards and protocols that prioritize horse welfare as part of being a skilled and responsible horse owner, rider or equine professional - www.equitopiacenter.com

24/08/2025

So many of the familiar phrases in horse training circles reveal just how far we still need to go in redefining what horsemanship truly means.

Take, for example, the widely repeated line: “Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy.”

On the surface it sounds reasonable, but in practice, it often creates stress and undermines the very trust we claim to be building.

Trailer loading is a clear example.

A horse is asked to walk into a dark, rattling, confined space.

Understandably, many hesitate.

Instead of addressing the fear, some trainers send them away to run in tight circles, then offer the trailer again as the “easier” option.

But what does this teach?

The horse isn’t learning confidence, nor is he/she gaining understanding.

The horse is simply choosing the lesser of two discomforts: physical exhaustion or entering something he/she does not feel safe about.

Where is the communication in this?

Where is the patience?

Where is any genuine attempt to understand how horses learn and how they experience the world?

Another oft-repeated phrase is: “Keep the feet moving" as a way of gaining or maintaining "respect", a concept that means nothing to horses!

This method is based on the idea that if a horse resists, the handler must drive him/her harder, never allowing stillness until he/she complies.

This approach requires no skill, no reflection on the horse’s emotional state, and no empathy.

It is rooted in dominance, not in partnership.

It shuts down curiosity and replaces learning with stress, confusion, and, ultimately, learned helplessness.

It is time to call these ideas what they are: outdated, harmful, and unworthy of the word “horsemanship.”

We must evolve.

True connection grows from patience, understanding, and respect for the horse’s perspective.

Science, research, and common sense all point in the same direction. If we love horses, we must do better.

Join us in this evolution towards protocols that work for teaching our horses without compromising their physical, mental or emotional well being. www.equitopiacenter.com