03/14/2024
Something I find troubling is that almost every time I make any type of criticism towards harsh bits, people try to frame it as an attack on ALL bits.
Most often, on this page, I intentionally choose extremely harsh equipment to use as examples for clarity sake, because while there is other less harsh equipment that I personally still would not use, it is enough of a gray area that people will miss the point that I am making if I choose something that is more popularly accepted.
Even with posts on Horse behavior, I try to select images where horses are expressing high levels of distress, because if I go with the more subtle examples, people are quicker to discredit it, because it closer resembles expressions that they see on a regular basis, thus making it more likely that they will miss what I am trying to say.
So, with that said, it concerns me that people take criticism against devices like double twisted wire gags as an attack on all bit types, because there is so much available in between the softest option possible and a bit that harsh.
Viewing things in such a black-and-white manner that ANY criticism of any type of bit is framed as if it is an attack on every single bit on the market is dangerous because it seeks to justify the harshest possible option using the slippery slope logical fallacy where the assumption is that if we ever criticize the most aggressive equipment, it is criticism of everything.
Never on this page, or anywhere online, have I ever stated that I am completely against ALL bits.
Yet, because of my criticism of harsher options, this is a sentiment that people often liken to me, despite the fact that I have never once uttered these words.
It’s troubling because it’s used as a means of trying to make me come across as an extremist, adding context that I have never said online to try to discredit what I say.
To be frank, I don’t necessarily think it is realistic in this current time to ban all types of bits, given peoples reliance on them, and given the level of harshness that is legally able to be acquired on the market today.
So, as such, my priority is talking about the types of harsh options that are normalized, and that people disconnect from the real mechanics of, failing to account for how the equipment they select, might feel to their horse.
When we are making decisions for our horses, it is absolutely imperative, that we are completely aware of the reality of how the mechanics work, and how it will feel to the horse, even with the best possible use on the part of the rider.
And it is extremely important that we stop, letting ourselves off the hook for the decisions that we make for our horses using the justification that the the equipment we use, is only as harsh as the hands behind it, because that fails to take count of how many bits have mechanics that are quite quite literally created to amplify the effect of the riders hands, meaning, even if the writer feels like they are being extremely soft, to the horse it feels much harder.
I think it’s also important that every single rider out there realizes that their horse, suddenly being way softer and more controllable in a piece of equipment, does not mean that they “like” that piece of equipment.
It can often mean that the new equipment is just so aversive and aggressive, that the horse simply has to answer to it quicker.
When we use how easily we can make horses do things as a measure of how much our horses like equipment, it is a dangerous mindset to hold.
Because with that mindset, we can justify just about anything we do when it conveniences us.
Regardless of the equipment that we select, I think it is important that we recognize that, at best, most of the equipment we put on horses is a neutral stimulus.
They are not likely to enjoy the stimulus of having a bit pulled on in their mouth, no matter how gently, or having their halter tugged on, no matter how gently.
Those aren’t enjoyable sensations, whereas, grooming in their favourite area might be.
But when we claim that they like something, we are claiming that it is an enjoyable sensation, and that they like the feeling of that object itself.
What people really mean when they say their horse likes a certain bit or piece of equipment is that their horses easier to ride in it and that the ride is more enjoyable for them, the rider.
And while that might seem small, that specific context is actually very important because it will help us make better decisions for our horse, if we are looking at the reality of things without bias in our favour.
