Bit Regulations in the Show World

We are a long time overdue for reflecting on traditional practices in equine sports and considering ways in which we can all better ourselves, alongside the rules and regulations, in order to be more fair to our horses. As it stands currently, there are a lot of things we allow to occur on a frequent basis in the horse world that are not fair or kind to the animals that this sport should care about protecting most: the horse.

If we care more about the horse and how they perceive the goings on in our sports, we will also make humans safer. Stressed, scared or agitated horses are dangerous horses. They are the ones more predisposed to behaving in an erratic manner that can ultimately result in injury of themselves or their rider. Flight animals who are scared are more likely to have flight responses. Flight responses can be quick, spur of the moment responses that serve the purpose of increasing the horse’s distance from a threat and in doing so, can potentially cause injury to a person in the process as these are innate responses that happen quickly, without the horse’s active thinking brain always having time to register and assess the threat appropriately before responding.

How does this play into how we use horses in sports, do you ask? Well, for my first example, I would like to use the show jumping circuit. Of all jumping disciplines, this is the one I hear the most about when it comes to concerns about safety at lower levels. I’ve heard trainers and riders from all across the world express concern about the speed at which some riders fly around, especially at the lower heights, and the lack of control they have of their horses. One of the most common “solutions” I’ve heard for this phenomenon is the belief that all horses and riders should start in the Hunter ring first to learn how to ride properly through lines and not be so speed focused. This isn’t necessarily a wrong statement, but I do think it really really misses the mark and fails to hold our show organizers accountable for how their rules encourage the type of danger so many of us speak out against.

You see, starting in the hunter ring doesn’t undo the fact that at its core, the show jumping discipline enables bad riding, shortcuts and a fixation on careening around the arena because of how it is judged and the equipment that is allowed to be used in this arena. There are very few bitting regulations in the jumper ring. Would it not be more practical and likely to cause change if we simply eliminated riders at the source by not allowing them to try to make up for their lack of control and holes in their horses training by using bigger bitting rigs and more training aids? You can’t force riders to build a foundation in the hunters first, but you can weed out riders who don’t value flatwork foundations by disabling them from using harsh equipment that leverages control by causing increasing discomfort to the horse.

If we want more polished show jumpers and safer rounds depicting happier horses, at some point we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room and ask why it is that we are enabling riders to ride in grotesquely harsh equipment, even at the FEI level, if they so choose. Too often do we see gag bits with abrasive mouthpieces paired with martingales, flash nosebands, rope nosebands and other aids that serve the purpose of trying to prevent the horses’ escape from a bit that is harsh enough on its own, without ever effectively strapping the horse’s mouth shut or trying to remove the horse’s ability to elevate their head in an attempt to escape pressure.

Riders who are ready to jump a course should be riders that can perform well on the flat and over fences without needing the entire kitchen sink on their horses’ faces. We can encourage better riding by no longer enabling the bandaids that allow for bad riding. This isn’t to say that show jumping should have the same standards for equipment as dressage, but holy heck, if we can acknowledge there is an issue in show jumping with rider ability and safety, why in the world are the rules and equipment allowances making it so easy for people to overface themselves and their horses?

An ethical sport requires more work on the part of the rider and less of a desire for instant gratification, but is this not how it should be? Why at any point are we making it our horses’ jobs to suffer through discomfort just so we can get them in the arena faster? At some point, we need to acknowledge the fact that there are a lot of legal show jumping bit and equipment set ups that even with the world’s softest hands are rendered cruel and painful to the horse simply due to the physics of the equipment.

Soft hands don’t undo abrasive mouthpieces that dig into the soft tissues of the horses’ mouth any time pressure is applied. Soft hands don’t innately understand just how much pressure is amplified by the length of the bit shank. In fact, they vastly underestimate it. It’s true. They’ve tested rider perception of rein pressure using pressure gauges and even accomplished upper level riders utilized more pressure than they would have thought. So, with this in mind, we really need to care enough to protect and advocate for the horse because it is far, far too easy to just ignore their distress and continue on when it wins us a ribbon.

The problem in the show jumping ring can be fixed directly in the show jumping ring, by demanding for better riding and training and not allowing people to use equipment in place of that. I say this as someone who used to bit up to solve any minor inconvenience with my horses. It never solved the real problem and while I could take my ewe necked, strung out horses to shows and jump them, it is admittedly a hell of a lot more fun to jump a soft, correct horse who isn’t still trying to run through an already harsh bit due to lack of balance and foundation and a surplus of stress.

We can do better by our horses. They are voiceless and utterly dependent on us to advocate for them. It is easy to be apathetic. It is easy to turn a blind eye. But, why should we take the easy way out when we expect our horses to deal with so many new, unexpected situations that can be unfair to them and do so with grace, if we won’t even do the bare minimum to help guarantee horse welfare?

I’ve said it before and will say it again: Show jumping is the barrel racing of the english world for a reason. It’s due to what we have allowed to have happen and what we have normalized. We’ve normalized the stressed, hot jumper horse who “needs” a harsh bit because they run through “everything else” (even while they actively try to shred their mouth by still trying to run through the harsh bit.) We’ve normalized and poked fun at low level jumpers for the number of riders who go careening around dangerously. What we have not normalized is the ability to point out what one of the likely contributing causes of this very issue is: equipment rules.

I have been turned down by Equine Canada show stewards when I requested to show bridleless at shows. But, it is acceptable for trainers to send in their young students on large, hot headed horses with harsh bits and have them go barreling around the arena Mach 10 just because that equipment is technically legal? Should we not be questioning why it is more acceptable to use equipment that has a greater likelihood of damaging and hurting your horse than it is to use something soft that is dependent on rider aids only? It’s not like a harsh bit guarantees control. We’ve all seen the lack of control in the jumper ring.

Turning down softer options like using a neck rope and going bridleless while allowing for horses to be in active pain on a frequent basis because of the equipment that IS allowed in the arena is a calculated CHOICE. It makes a very clear statement that this is not about rider safety or horse welfare. It is simply about appeasing the masses even if it comes at the detriment of their horses’ welfare.

I, quite frankly, am embarrassed by the fact that legally I have to jump through more hoops to get permission to ride bridleless on a horse who I’ve hacked all over the lower mainland bridless than I would to just waltz into the jump arena with a double twisted wire gag. I could walk write in with rope noseband paired with a gag, even while my horse is distressed by it and have him go around in a manner that isn’t overly controlled and be allowed to do so, but god forbid I don’t have a bridle on, that’s not allowed.

This is not unlike the entire issue with the dressage ring not allowing bitless riding, either. But, at least dressage sets a standard of expectation when it comes to equipment instead of letting virtually anything fly. But, with that said, there is no reason why we should have sports that are exclusionary to horses with oral issues or who simply just prefer bitless while we allow for poor welfare in horses to occur at a rampant rate. Why are we stubbornly carrying on with tradition even when it means turning down softer methods of accomplishing the very same thing? A bitless rider in the dressage ring can be judged the same as anyone else. If their horse lacks connection, pin them lower but at least let them be there.

If, at any point, my horse was out of control and behaving dangerously at a show because I chose to ride him bridleless, I would readily accept the fact that I should lose the privilege of riding him into the arena alone bridleless. But, the fact that people who want to use similar equipment to me are automatically assumed to lack control meanwhile people who use much harsher equipment are freely allowed to compete even when they demonstrate lapses in control is something that I have an issue with. Excuse anyone who is out of control from the arena, regardless of equipment but the notion that softness equates to a lack of control is absurd.

The more equipment needed to leverage control of a horse implies a lack of control, full stop. If the horse was soft and responsive, it would not be needed. This isn’t to say it’s always bad to use what you need to do to keep yourself safe when handling difficult horses, but we can’t kid around and say that the horse who needs a lip chain to walk down the alleyway is better behaved than the ones who can do so in a flat leather halter. By increasing the expectations of the foundation we expect to see in horses prior to bringing them into the show ring, we can help riders be safer and in more control. Giving them more options of equipment to abuse in the name of getting into the arena faster is not the way to do this.

We need better equipment regulations. Kindness, ethicality and understanding will make our sport safer and will allow for riders new and old to put in better rounds. Enabling the continued use of equine discomfort to leverage control will not do this. It may take longer to fix a rushing horse without putting a bit in their mouth that hurts them more if they try to run through it, but your horse will be better for it. We need to draw a line on how harsh of equipment we allow riders to use, not draw one for how soft we allow riders to be.

Otherwise, all we are doing is effectively teaching the entire population of equestrians is that it is more socially acceptable to hurt your horse than it is to soften and try to get to the bottom of the behavioural issues they may be exhibiting.