We Need to Stop Blaming Equipment Choices on the Horse

One of the most commonly repeated sayings within horse training facilities is “it’s never the horse’s fault”. This saying is repeated so often that virtually any rider you ask can probably confirm they’ve been told variations of this mindset by a horse trainer in their life. The idea that what occurs in our work with horses, even when negative, is never the fault of the horse is actually an excellent one in theory. We, at the end of the day, are the ones who make the choice to work with horses, to decide to train them, therefore we are responsible for any outcome of said training. Because of our personal choices to take on work with flight animals, we in turn, should accept accountability for anything that occurs in training, whether it may seem like a “deliberate” action from the horse.

So, why, you may ask, am I taking issue with the very saying that I said I support? The fact of the matter is that it is not the saying itself that is the problem, it’s the fact that it is more often than not used fraudulently. If we truly believed that the horse was never at fault, we would not so frequently see riders opting to punish behaviours they don’t want to see, nor would there be a mass culture of riders choosing to use harsher bits to control behaviour problems rather than questioning why said problems exist. I bring up the bits in specific because of how frequently we see riders blaming the horse for the equipment they use. We see people choosing bit set ups such as double twisted wire bits, elevator bits or pelhams with one rein, kimberwickes or waterfords with the excuse of the horse “needing” said set up due to how strong they are or how a certain exercise is otherwise difficult to accomplish without said bit.

This isn’t to say that I’m writing off the value of educated hands opting for certain types of harsher bits in specific situations, nor am I saying there is never an excuse to bit up. But, the increasing frequency of use of training gadgets and the number of new bits and gadgets out on the market that promise to fix X problem are indicative of a major cultural issue in our mindset towards horses. If it is never the horse’s fault, why is it always the horse’s responsibility to put up with the inherent discomfort and in some cases, pain, that follows the use of these training fads? At their core, these pieces of equipment are brought forth to try to achieve an end goal more quickly or more easily, be it starting jumping sooner, moving up over fences faster or trying to fast track getting the horse in a “pretty” headset. None of this realistically actually factors in how the horse feels or whether the horse “needs” such thing, it is all about the rider’s ambitions or safety. Which, again, aren’t necessarily bad things, but is it fair to frame the use of such pieces of equipment as though it is the horse who requires it, rather than the rider?

Not all horses ride the same, this much is true, but at the end of the day, what necessitates use of equipment more often than not is the rider’s experience level, their patience, overall ability and who their mentors are. If you only know how to use a handful of tools and are taught the solutions to most riding problems are to change the equipment, how can you ever fathom alternative options that don’t require opting for a different bit or slapping on draw reins or a martingale? You can’t. You don’t know that these things exist, so the idea of life without them seems like an impossibility. I say this from experience. My first trainers only taught me how to fix my horse’s heaviness using different types of bits or things such as draw reins, 10-ring martingales or see sawing on his mouth. I was never taught how to achieve a proper, soft carriage through my riding so the only solutions in front of me that I could see were the ones that I was taught to see. I was like a horse wearing blinkers, utterly blind to alternatives because my trainers never referenced them due to their lack of ability to teach and use them, so they instead took the easy way. The shortcuts.

“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” -Abraham Maslow

If you only have one tool or a small selection of tools to use, every problem you encounter will be viewed within the framework of utilizing said tools. You will see no other option, because you do not know the option exists. This is the truth of horse training for so many. Seldom does the horse need the extra bit of equipment for control, but frequently, the rider’s personal ambitions result in the horse’s sudden “need” of something new. Something to allow the rider to enjoy the horse in the way they would want to. Strong horses exist, but riders with the tools to create softness through their riding and their exercises they use will find themselves with way less horses who “need” more bit than the ones who don’t think to change up their riding routine or what they ask of the horse and delay the instant gratification of continuing about their current ambitions without a pause.

My Arab and first few OTTBs “needed” kimberwickes, elevator bits or pelhams to jump or go to shows. I was constantly trying new bits to try to find something easier to ride in than my loose ring snaffle and any time my horse was heavy or resistant it was because they “didn’t like” the bit that I was using. Quickly, this caused me to associate softness that was achieved due to a strong as the horse “liking” that bit simply because they responded quicker to my aids due to the inherent sharpness of a harsher bit. Louder cues that increased more quickly if the horse were to resist, meaning their level of resistance drops severely due to the heightened consequence of continued resistance. I anthropomorphized my horse’s behaviours to suit what I wanted to believe. They did not like the harsher bits, they simply had to respond quicker because it would suck more if they didn’t.

A stressed horse showcasing the pulley nature of draw reins and how they can amplify the pressure of the rider’s hands.

Similarly, with training gadgets, my horse’s “need” for them decreased dramatically as my education and training tool box increased. I would frequently ride in draw reins or a 10-ring martingale when I showed Arabs. It made my rides easier due to being able to use a pulley system to muscle my horse into the headset I wanted without it being as much work for me physically. I couldn’t feel him being heavy and was able to increase the action of my reins tenfold with such gadgets. To me, he felt like he was going better when in reality his head looked “pretty” but his back would have been hollow, hind end trailing along. Such lazy use of equipment did a poor job of developing any top line or teaching correct carriage, meaning my Arab unfortunately developed a premature swayback because of it. On top of this, if he was every forced to carry himself in a position that he wasn’t physically able to comfortable maintain for the amount of time he was being asked, he could not escape it and I couldn’t feel his attempts to relieve himself from said position due to the change in leverage that accompanies gadgets such as a draw reins.

As riders, because we cannot feel the physical discomfort our horses might, it becomes easy to ignore. This makes the quick fix promises of more bit or the new hottest gadget on the market all the more tantalizing. To us, they may feel that they work but to the horse, it could feel like the equivalent of working out with a really bad fitness instructor who forces you into certain advanced stretches or pushes you past your comfortable threshold of physical output and ignores your cries of discomfort when it becomes too much. Most riders do not intend to do this to their beloved horses, it comes from ignorance and apathy surrounding horse training. It is easier to ignore the opinions that conflict with those we have grown comfortable with, too, especially if said opinions call for doing things in a manner that is more work, requires relearning much of what we know and also demands the acknowledgement of past mistakes.

Saying that it is the horse who needs a certain bit or likes to be ridden in a certain gadget, in my opinion, is an attempt at safe guarding the rider and pawning off accountability onto the horse. It is easier to claim a horse is too strong or too dangerous to be fixed to be ridden in a softer manner than it is to admit that you as a rider aren’t able to do it. It is easier to claim your horse answers your cues better because of your bit or gadget due to their enjoyment of such piece of equipment than to admit they respond quicker because saying no becomes increasingly more uncomfortable.

As a trainer, I do recognize that when working with students there are times that coaches may have to make equipment choices they would not make personally in order to assist in safety of riding for their less experienced student or to help out a rider who is not currently able to physically do what they need to in order to fix a problem without the extra help from a bit. But, what we see in the horse world far too often is an inherent laziness and desire to rush for the benefit of the rider, even if it comes at the detriment of the horse. We could be educating our riders better and we could be setting a better precedent in terms of what we view as acceptable and kind horsemanship. I am so disheartened to see the huge range of bits and gadgets on the market and the claims that they make to suck riders in, then actually critically consider the mechanics of such devices. Mechanics that work against the horse to help the rider feel better rather than helping the horse.

I implore riders everywhere to start considering what it is like for them to start a new fitness program. Imagine you’re trying to extend the time spent holding the plank position, a massive test of core strength and something many people find difficult to maintain for lengthy periods of time. If your instructor punished you every time you needed to rest or used mechanics to force you to hold the position, are you going to be any more capable of physically and comfortably doing so than you were prior? No. Your fitness level and overall ability remains the same because you cannot achieve immensely increased fitness within one session, it takes time. Your horse is very much the same. Sure, you can throw draw reins or a bigger bit on and with this, you may be able to make them carry themselves in the position you want the entire ride or you may be able to rate their speed better towards fences. But, the physical and/or issues causing their inability to maintain a static headset or necessitating rushing towards fences still remain, they’ve not been “fixed” , they’ve just been covered up.

A common lunging training aid, tightly fitted and does not allow for much relief if the horse can no longer comfortably maintain this position.

I used to be the rider who had horses who “needed” bigger bits and who needed to be schooled in draw reins, german martingales or tie downs because of how “difficult” or “strong” the horse was. I have since realized that it is no coincidence that I’ve not needed to resort to such methods in years, despite taking on definitively more difficult horses and sitting on many, many more horses per year than I did back then. I’ve realized now that I was the one who needed such devices, not the horse. It was never the horse that was the problem, it was me. I was just too proud to admit that at the time, it took an awful lot of reeducation and learning different training tools before I learned how much easier it really was just to gain some patience and let the process of physical fitness as a riding horse meander at the pace the horse needed. I realize now how much of a disservice we do to both horses and riders to perpetuate the idea that people who use harsher equipment are just riding inherently more difficult horses or that said riders are more skilled and thereby more able “properly” ride in such equipment. This mindset negates the work of riders with difficult horses who have put the work in to make them soft without resorting to the forms of coercion associated with certain “quick fix” methods. The equipment that a horse is ridden actually says more about the rider than it does the horse. The horse is not the factor that necessitated harsh methods, it is the training they have been put through that has required this. The horse did nothing to ask for this, they are merely responding how they have been conditioned and trained.

It is never the horse’s fault, but the rider’s.

A correctly muscled neck in my current riding horse, Milo. Muscle along the top of the neck and at the base. No excess under muscle indicating frequent hollow carriage.

Very poor neck muscle in one of my OTTBs when I did not rely on training softness but instead tried to muscle it using gadgets. This is an “upside down” neck with lack of muscle at the base and along the top of the neck.