Metal in the mouth
Harmful effects of the bit
From thousands of years of experience with the use of a metal bit in the horse's mouth, we know the "normal" behavior of horses when ridden or driven. As part of this lore, we have also become aware that some horses show an aversion to the bit and sometimes "run away", are excessively "nervous" with a bit in their mouth.
What is have not known is how very common this aversion is, and that the aversion is manifested in so many different, sometimes subtle, ways. How can such nervousness or a tendency to run away be explained when the same animals, out o pasture or while being groomed in the stable, are perfectly calm and friendly?
There are many reports from riders of all disciplines, which confirm that it is possible to obtain any performance that a horse is capable of achieving without lacing metal in its mouth. It is clearly not necessary for optimal communication that the rider should inflict pain on the horse. However, it is necessary for the rider to become familiar with the natural behavior of the horse, and to learn how a horse reacts to each naturally occurring signal or cue. Every performance, which we demand of a horse, is something that it can, by nature do. The only problem lies in how one can make it clear to the horse in any given situation.
In the thousands of years of shared history between horse and man, the customary way for communication has been to use force and pain, and train the horse to react to signals, which, for the horse, are unnatural. However, in the last few decades, there has been more and more proof that, with a relationship based on kindness and truth, it is possible to obtain every performance without force, pain, or damage to the horse.
