I'm sure most of us have caught the latest drama in the community - a YouTube video with some arguments as to why SSO should add bitless bridles in the game. It sounds so simple, but it wasn't quite that easy. Time to take a look at why! Let me warn you, though, this is going to be a long post. You'll be here for a while if you want to read it all.
We'll be taking some time today to really dig into this video, this topic in general in relation to SSO and my personal thoughts on it. My intentions here are strictly on the contents of that video, not the creator. By creating and publishing this video, she opened herself up to criticism on that content. Since it's turned into such a thing, I feel like it's time to inspect this a little and try to bring up some questions I hope people will consider. It's important to question things - especially when it comes from someone that does have decent influence on the community.
Throughout my blogpost, I will go off the assumption that you have seen this video or are watching it alongside me. Without having seen the footage (it is somewhat disturbing, however, so be cautious. I believe you should be able to make sense of this post regardless), things may be a little confusing regarding context.
Biggest thing I hope people take away from this - question everything, do your own research and be critical.
Even this very post. Don't just swallow everything I say, do your own research as well.
I have linked the video, but please, don't go there and act like a twat. If you want to watch so you can follow along with my thoughts and questions, sure. If you want to go leave a nasty comment, go sit in the corner and think about that for a while.
Seriously, I want to say this and use bold letters; leave her alone.
I've seen people give her some pretty nasty comments over this. I've seen people go to her posts on Instagram with unkind comments, spam and some logical arguments (which is fine, but I think it's time to stop). I definitively think she took this too far, but let's behave. Sometimes there's no winning an argument and from what I've seen when it comes to her responses, this is a person that isn't interested in looking at your arguments. So don't waste your time, don't seek her out to leave your own hashtag or leave a nasty comment.
Just leave her alone and let's move on with this.
We'll be taking some time today to really dig into this video, this topic in general in relation to SSO and my personal thoughts on it. My intentions here are strictly on the contents of that video, not the creator. By creating and publishing this video, she opened herself up to criticism on that content. Since it's turned into such a thing, I feel like it's time to inspect this a little and try to bring up some questions I hope people will consider. It's important to question things - especially when it comes from someone that does have decent influence on the community.
Throughout my blogpost, I will go off the assumption that you have seen this video or are watching it alongside me. Without having seen the footage (it is somewhat disturbing, however, so be cautious. I believe you should be able to make sense of this post regardless), things may be a little confusing regarding context.
Biggest thing I hope people take away from this - question everything, do your own research and be critical.
Even this very post. Don't just swallow everything I say, do your own research as well.
I have linked the video, but please, don't go there and act like a twat. If you want to watch so you can follow along with my thoughts and questions, sure. If you want to go leave a nasty comment, go sit in the corner and think about that for a while.
Seriously, I want to say this and use bold letters; leave her alone.
I've seen people give her some pretty nasty comments over this. I've seen people go to her posts on Instagram with unkind comments, spam and some logical arguments (which is fine, but I think it's time to stop). I definitively think she took this too far, but let's behave. Sometimes there's no winning an argument and from what I've seen when it comes to her responses, this is a person that isn't interested in looking at your arguments. So don't waste your time, don't seek her out to leave your own hashtag or leave a nasty comment.
Just leave her alone and let's move on with this.
Onto the topic itself. I'll be looking at the arguments themselves from the video, a general look at the topic of bits vs bitless as we go through the video and then the most important part of all; Bitless & SSO.
In the interest of all that is holy, let's establish something right away. There's a harsh reality to everything and I feel like it's time we all sat down and gave this some thinking.
We've taken horses out of their natural environment. No matter what we do with them, we are contributing to their overall wear and tear. Nearly everything we do increase the odds of them getting injured to some extent, increases wear on their bodies and puts them at risk for a number of things they would not face as wild horses. A horse is built to spend nearly all of it's day walking and eating with small rounds of running around. They were never created for riding, being restrained by fences, standing in boxes, getting regular smaller meals or made to do tricks.
I'm not saying these things are wrong. They're not. But it isn't what a horse is meant to do or built for.
Being domesticated has also benefited the horse in many ways. We protect them from many threats like predators and disease and injury, but it also leaves us with an overpopulation of horses as we ensure many horses that would have died in the wild live. We even go out of our way to protect wild horses and even there we face overpopulation in many places.
This can be a bad thing. This here is somewhat of my personal opinion, but I believe that people tend to stretch things too far. We want to heal everything. We want to fix everything. We are afraid of death. Sometimes, this does mean horses suffer. But sometimes we have to let go.
Pain and discomfort is a part of natural life. When you get up on your horse, your actions could have consequences for the health of your horse. Your equipment may be faulty, which is wearing on your horse's body. You being there at all does add to it's wear anyway, even, and in the long run it will show. By taking it out, you put it at risk of injury if something happens. It may step on something, trip, get spooked and any number of things. There is a risk involved that we take every time to do something with our horses.
And that's a part of life. Nothing we do is without risk and we should accept that while being aware of it. Consider the risks, do what you can to ensure safety and make a decision.
That's where our equipment comes in. We have all these fancy toys to aid us with our hobbies and to help keep us and our beloved animals safe. But there is so much equipment out there, it can get overwhelming. Add in this passion we have, this intense love for horses and you're bound to get some really extreme opinions. There will be conflict. But we carry on because we love our horses.
The equipment you use is, in nearly all cases, only as good as the person using it. Some people will be a pest to a horse with a bit, some will do well. Some people will be horrid with a bitless bridle but maybe they'll do good with a bit. While we blunder around in the horse world, exploring the options and finding out paths, we will cause our horses discomfort and pain and they will do the same to us.
No matter how much you try not to, you will fuck up. You will fail and you will make mistakes. Own them. Accept them. Learn from them.
I know I have.
In the interest of all that is holy, let's establish something right away. There's a harsh reality to everything and I feel like it's time we all sat down and gave this some thinking.
We've taken horses out of their natural environment. No matter what we do with them, we are contributing to their overall wear and tear. Nearly everything we do increase the odds of them getting injured to some extent, increases wear on their bodies and puts them at risk for a number of things they would not face as wild horses. A horse is built to spend nearly all of it's day walking and eating with small rounds of running around. They were never created for riding, being restrained by fences, standing in boxes, getting regular smaller meals or made to do tricks.
I'm not saying these things are wrong. They're not. But it isn't what a horse is meant to do or built for.
Being domesticated has also benefited the horse in many ways. We protect them from many threats like predators and disease and injury, but it also leaves us with an overpopulation of horses as we ensure many horses that would have died in the wild live. We even go out of our way to protect wild horses and even there we face overpopulation in many places.
This can be a bad thing. This here is somewhat of my personal opinion, but I believe that people tend to stretch things too far. We want to heal everything. We want to fix everything. We are afraid of death. Sometimes, this does mean horses suffer. But sometimes we have to let go.
Pain and discomfort is a part of natural life. When you get up on your horse, your actions could have consequences for the health of your horse. Your equipment may be faulty, which is wearing on your horse's body. You being there at all does add to it's wear anyway, even, and in the long run it will show. By taking it out, you put it at risk of injury if something happens. It may step on something, trip, get spooked and any number of things. There is a risk involved that we take every time to do something with our horses.
And that's a part of life. Nothing we do is without risk and we should accept that while being aware of it. Consider the risks, do what you can to ensure safety and make a decision.
That's where our equipment comes in. We have all these fancy toys to aid us with our hobbies and to help keep us and our beloved animals safe. But there is so much equipment out there, it can get overwhelming. Add in this passion we have, this intense love for horses and you're bound to get some really extreme opinions. There will be conflict. But we carry on because we love our horses.
The equipment you use is, in nearly all cases, only as good as the person using it. Some people will be a pest to a horse with a bit, some will do well. Some people will be horrid with a bitless bridle but maybe they'll do good with a bit. While we blunder around in the horse world, exploring the options and finding out paths, we will cause our horses discomfort and pain and they will do the same to us.
No matter how much you try not to, you will fuck up. You will fail and you will make mistakes. Own them. Accept them. Learn from them.
I know I have.
One of today's main words will be abuse. This is a word that is frequently used within any animal community and often tossed around like it's funny. It's not. It's also a word that I'll be using fairly often here along with things like research and study.
What I want you to keep in mind as we start digging into this video is that my research is not perfect. Though I try to keep this as unbiased as possible, I am only a human. I encourage you do to your own research alongside me - maybe you'll get different results. Maybe you'll find info I didn't, maybe you'll learn something new. Maybe I've got it totally wrong, even, because that happens. I'm exploring some topics that are totally new to me, so I may misunderstand. And that's okay.
Let's begin. I'll be watching the video as I write this out, so hopefully I'll be able to follow things well and keep it fairly tidy and easy to keep up with!
"Bits are abusive."
This statement, in itself, is flawed. A singular piece of equipment, especially one so common, is not abusive on it's own. We may use a tool, which is what a bit is, in an abusive way. But a bit itself is not abusive.
Most equipment have no way of being abusive at all, as it is our actions with that equipment that lean to being abusive.
The horse world is constantly changing. People are becoming more open to things outside the 'old and traditional' ways. People are taking more and more inspiration in the 'natural way of the horse' and I think that's a great thing. But let's not confuse being open to new things with old things being abusive.
SSO's Together series
In the next part we see some clips from SSO's series, Together, with a fair bit of random text (I assume this is meant to be commentary that the creator of this video has added) popping up in random places. This text that shows up is incredibly biased, I feel, and is taking everything out of context.
Now, I know nothing of this woman. I have heard of Matilde Brandt and her horse, Batman, but as I'm not a huge fan of Friesians nor the 'fairytale' aesthetic, I've never bothered. I am somewhat familar with her from what I’ve heard, but I do not know a lot and cannot say much about her, her opinions or what she does beyond what this clip shows me.
But I feel like this video interprets the snippets of footage very strangely. Batman is described as a sensitive horse and she talks about the issues she had during her first few weeks with him and the advice she was given about more equipment, harsher bits and other things. A recollection of a journey, as far as I can tell, and story of how she found a different path for herself.
She specifically, at one point, says she 'threw away the bridle'. Not the bit, the entire bridle. It appears that she follows a philosophy of less is more, which I'll say I personally agree with, but that less does not mean a bit. It means less of everything as she's shown riding without a bridle at all later in the same section. It's a beautiful story, for sure, and in the end it's her path. Some people may be able to take inspiration in that and find similar paths, while some may not work on such a path at all. It's a story about one woman and her horse and their experiences and how it shaped a path, not The Answer.
I am a big believer in finding your own path and what I gathered from this clip was more along the lines of 'if you're having a problem with your horse, you should also try looking outside the box to find a solution'. Not bits are bad, not you have to ride without tack. Just that you don't have to try the traditional solutions, you can find your own.
The SSO trailer
From reality and into the game - we are shown clips from SSO's trailer next. We jumped straight into the game and here I feel like it's getting a little too much. The creator of the video talks about some basic plot points regarding us being a part of the Soul Riders in the game, our bond with our Soul Horse and how we speak to it, it's our very best friend.
"We're saving the island, but we're putting a bit in it's mouth?"
Why, yes. And this may sound a little snippy, but this is all pretend. It's a pixel horse and it does not care. I use a bit on it (yes, I am aware SSO said that 'we never said it's a bit' but let's also be honest - how does that western bridle work if there's no bit? I am very sure they had bits in mind when designing these bridles lol). I use a saddle on it, too, and I also ran it off a cliff once. It didn't feel any of these things because it is not a real horse.
I generally don't use bits in real life with my horses nor saddles and I absolutely don't run them off cliffs. What I do in SSO, however, is fantasy. If I tried to apply all of my real life beliefs regarding horses to SSO it would drive me nuts. I'd have a shit time playing.
What I want you to keep in mind as we start digging into this video is that my research is not perfect. Though I try to keep this as unbiased as possible, I am only a human. I encourage you do to your own research alongside me - maybe you'll get different results. Maybe you'll find info I didn't, maybe you'll learn something new. Maybe I've got it totally wrong, even, because that happens. I'm exploring some topics that are totally new to me, so I may misunderstand. And that's okay.
Let's begin. I'll be watching the video as I write this out, so hopefully I'll be able to follow things well and keep it fairly tidy and easy to keep up with!
"Bits are abusive."
This statement, in itself, is flawed. A singular piece of equipment, especially one so common, is not abusive on it's own. We may use a tool, which is what a bit is, in an abusive way. But a bit itself is not abusive.
Most equipment have no way of being abusive at all, as it is our actions with that equipment that lean to being abusive.
The horse world is constantly changing. People are becoming more open to things outside the 'old and traditional' ways. People are taking more and more inspiration in the 'natural way of the horse' and I think that's a great thing. But let's not confuse being open to new things with old things being abusive.
SSO's Together series
In the next part we see some clips from SSO's series, Together, with a fair bit of random text (I assume this is meant to be commentary that the creator of this video has added) popping up in random places. This text that shows up is incredibly biased, I feel, and is taking everything out of context.
Now, I know nothing of this woman. I have heard of Matilde Brandt and her horse, Batman, but as I'm not a huge fan of Friesians nor the 'fairytale' aesthetic, I've never bothered. I am somewhat familar with her from what I’ve heard, but I do not know a lot and cannot say much about her, her opinions or what she does beyond what this clip shows me.
But I feel like this video interprets the snippets of footage very strangely. Batman is described as a sensitive horse and she talks about the issues she had during her first few weeks with him and the advice she was given about more equipment, harsher bits and other things. A recollection of a journey, as far as I can tell, and story of how she found a different path for herself.
She specifically, at one point, says she 'threw away the bridle'. Not the bit, the entire bridle. It appears that she follows a philosophy of less is more, which I'll say I personally agree with, but that less does not mean a bit. It means less of everything as she's shown riding without a bridle at all later in the same section. It's a beautiful story, for sure, and in the end it's her path. Some people may be able to take inspiration in that and find similar paths, while some may not work on such a path at all. It's a story about one woman and her horse and their experiences and how it shaped a path, not The Answer.
I am a big believer in finding your own path and what I gathered from this clip was more along the lines of 'if you're having a problem with your horse, you should also try looking outside the box to find a solution'. Not bits are bad, not you have to ride without tack. Just that you don't have to try the traditional solutions, you can find your own.
The SSO trailer
From reality and into the game - we are shown clips from SSO's trailer next. We jumped straight into the game and here I feel like it's getting a little too much. The creator of the video talks about some basic plot points regarding us being a part of the Soul Riders in the game, our bond with our Soul Horse and how we speak to it, it's our very best friend.
"We're saving the island, but we're putting a bit in it's mouth?"
Why, yes. And this may sound a little snippy, but this is all pretend. It's a pixel horse and it does not care. I use a bit on it (yes, I am aware SSO said that 'we never said it's a bit' but let's also be honest - how does that western bridle work if there's no bit? I am very sure they had bits in mind when designing these bridles lol). I use a saddle on it, too, and I also ran it off a cliff once. It didn't feel any of these things because it is not a real horse.
I generally don't use bits in real life with my horses nor saddles and I absolutely don't run them off cliffs. What I do in SSO, however, is fantasy. If I tried to apply all of my real life beliefs regarding horses to SSO it would drive me nuts. I'd have a shit time playing.
The scientifically disturbing part
The next part of the video is what I've opted to call the 'look, science!' part. This is somewhat common for these sort of video, unfortunately, and rely on scare tactics and poorly sourced studies without a solid base. I've seen this applied to all topics - find scary images of something you dislike, find some studies of some sort that reinforce that belief and then send it out into the world.
So, how about we break this part down a little more thoroughly?
The Trigeminal Nerve. Sounds like some fancy stuff and most aren't familiar with that. I wasn't, I've done a little research and I'm still not. But I know this short little video won't educate me, so I took to the internet. I encourage you, once more, to do the same if you're curious.
The trigeminal nerve is in the face and it's kind of everywhere. It's responsible for a lot of important stuff - us humans have it, too! It is a certified Thing That Exists. Great!
'Trigeminal nerve pain is one of the most painful sensation in human experience' is shown and that in itself should raise a teeny bit of a red flag. Yes, horses experience pain. We do, too, but the human pain experience is not the same as that of a horse. And it tells me that this specific tidbit of information and research done was not in direct relation to a horse, but on the nerve itself. And that matters when it is presented as a horse fact. Maybe it's the same sensation for both species, but it's difficult to say.
If a bit was to trigger such intense pain normally, I have no doubt horses would react a lot more than they commonly do. Yes, they're sturdy creatures and don't express pain as we do, but these are very strong claims. I've seen horses in great pain and if a bit is supposed to be one of the worst of all, we would simply be unable to do what we do.
To put it very bluntly - you cannot compare how this works in humans to how it works in horses. I will outright disregard that entire part as it is not a valid argument. There's a reason that when trials are done on, say, mice and other animals (I am not interested in injecting my personal opinions on the subject of testing on animals here, so let's not get into that) they also have to conduct those trials on people, at one point. Because what seems promising on a mouse may be completely ineffective once it reaches human trials.
To dig a little more into the topic of the trigeminal nerve and the horse/human similarities, however, I did find a study on trigeminal-mediated headshaking, which is a painful condition in horses, that compares it to trigeminal neuralgia, a similar condition that appears in humans. I don't believe that I am competent enough to explain what it says properly, so I encourage you to read it yourself to see what you think. It's not super on topic here, but I feel like it does solidify the point that horse/human is not the same. Let's not pretend they are.
You can find the article by clicking here!
I also did a little looking into trigeminal-mediated headshaking to see if I could find any connections between that and bits. Since the video doesn't actually specify what the bit will do beyond 'bad pain', I figured I should see if I could find any other general connections between these two as the trigeminal-mediated headshaking was the most common topic I found when researching the trigmenial nerve in an equine context. I didn't spend a lot of time searching, but I couldn't actually find anything that indicated these two are connected.
From what I can tell, trigeminal-mediated headshaking is somewhat of a mystery in a sense. I couldn't find any specific causes, but I found some speculations and general 'triggers' in light sensitivity, seasonal issues and hormones. But I couldn't actually find anything connecting it to bits - in fact, I one site making a claim (unverified, however) that in 98% of cases no physical cause was identified.
To sum up the issue of the trigeminal nerve and bits - I think this is 'wonky' science. If it truly caused horses so much pain, I don't believe that humans would have been able to use them the way we have for so long. A horse in serious pain doesn't just shut up and work efficiently. A horse in a lot of pain is apathetic, weak and stressed. This nerve will be placed different in every single horse, too, and some may have it placed in a way that makes them more sensitive to stimuli from, say, a bit.
But that doesn't mean we're causing our horses immense pain by using a bit every time.
There's also the text claiming 'neuralgia develops when pain signals caused by the bit are referred (and apparently 'activates all three branches of the nerve')'. Though, if one part being activated activates all three, does that apply to the other parts? Given the other locations of this nerve, does that mean you can achieve the same thing with a bitless bridle pressing hard on the front of the horse's face?
Not only have I only seen neuralgia referred to in context with the human condition, so far, which leaves me a little confused. It could definitively be another name for the trigeminal-mediated headshaking, but considering the mixture between horse/human earlier on I find myself skeptical even here. And without any sources to check this, I will discard this claim as well.
Without further and better information, sources and proper studies, I find that this entire section of the video has little hold.
The next part of the video is what I've opted to call the 'look, science!' part. This is somewhat common for these sort of video, unfortunately, and rely on scare tactics and poorly sourced studies without a solid base. I've seen this applied to all topics - find scary images of something you dislike, find some studies of some sort that reinforce that belief and then send it out into the world.
So, how about we break this part down a little more thoroughly?
The Trigeminal Nerve. Sounds like some fancy stuff and most aren't familiar with that. I wasn't, I've done a little research and I'm still not. But I know this short little video won't educate me, so I took to the internet. I encourage you, once more, to do the same if you're curious.
The trigeminal nerve is in the face and it's kind of everywhere. It's responsible for a lot of important stuff - us humans have it, too! It is a certified Thing That Exists. Great!
'Trigeminal nerve pain is one of the most painful sensation in human experience' is shown and that in itself should raise a teeny bit of a red flag. Yes, horses experience pain. We do, too, but the human pain experience is not the same as that of a horse. And it tells me that this specific tidbit of information and research done was not in direct relation to a horse, but on the nerve itself. And that matters when it is presented as a horse fact. Maybe it's the same sensation for both species, but it's difficult to say.
If a bit was to trigger such intense pain normally, I have no doubt horses would react a lot more than they commonly do. Yes, they're sturdy creatures and don't express pain as we do, but these are very strong claims. I've seen horses in great pain and if a bit is supposed to be one of the worst of all, we would simply be unable to do what we do.
To put it very bluntly - you cannot compare how this works in humans to how it works in horses. I will outright disregard that entire part as it is not a valid argument. There's a reason that when trials are done on, say, mice and other animals (I am not interested in injecting my personal opinions on the subject of testing on animals here, so let's not get into that) they also have to conduct those trials on people, at one point. Because what seems promising on a mouse may be completely ineffective once it reaches human trials.
To dig a little more into the topic of the trigeminal nerve and the horse/human similarities, however, I did find a study on trigeminal-mediated headshaking, which is a painful condition in horses, that compares it to trigeminal neuralgia, a similar condition that appears in humans. I don't believe that I am competent enough to explain what it says properly, so I encourage you to read it yourself to see what you think. It's not super on topic here, but I feel like it does solidify the point that horse/human is not the same. Let's not pretend they are.
You can find the article by clicking here!
I also did a little looking into trigeminal-mediated headshaking to see if I could find any connections between that and bits. Since the video doesn't actually specify what the bit will do beyond 'bad pain', I figured I should see if I could find any other general connections between these two as the trigeminal-mediated headshaking was the most common topic I found when researching the trigmenial nerve in an equine context. I didn't spend a lot of time searching, but I couldn't actually find anything that indicated these two are connected.
From what I can tell, trigeminal-mediated headshaking is somewhat of a mystery in a sense. I couldn't find any specific causes, but I found some speculations and general 'triggers' in light sensitivity, seasonal issues and hormones. But I couldn't actually find anything connecting it to bits - in fact, I one site making a claim (unverified, however) that in 98% of cases no physical cause was identified.
To sum up the issue of the trigeminal nerve and bits - I think this is 'wonky' science. If it truly caused horses so much pain, I don't believe that humans would have been able to use them the way we have for so long. A horse in serious pain doesn't just shut up and work efficiently. A horse in a lot of pain is apathetic, weak and stressed. This nerve will be placed different in every single horse, too, and some may have it placed in a way that makes them more sensitive to stimuli from, say, a bit.
But that doesn't mean we're causing our horses immense pain by using a bit every time.
There's also the text claiming 'neuralgia develops when pain signals caused by the bit are referred (and apparently 'activates all three branches of the nerve')'. Though, if one part being activated activates all three, does that apply to the other parts? Given the other locations of this nerve, does that mean you can achieve the same thing with a bitless bridle pressing hard on the front of the horse's face?
Not only have I only seen neuralgia referred to in context with the human condition, so far, which leaves me a little confused. It could definitively be another name for the trigeminal-mediated headshaking, but considering the mixture between horse/human earlier on I find myself skeptical even here. And without any sources to check this, I will discard this claim as well.
Without further and better information, sources and proper studies, I find that this entire section of the video has little hold.
Not the Nevzorov video again :(
The biggest red flag for me was the giant Nevzorov Haute Ecole logo present during the next part of the video. I'm not here to speak ill of anyone nor do I have a big problem or anything against these people. There are certain things, however, I feel should be said about them to give some insight in what they do and who they are and what principles they follow as it is related to the video they have put out.
The Nevzorov Haute Ecole are somewhat on the extreme side of things. They're known for being very anti many things - bits, equestrian sports and overall riding. They're more about punishment-free dressage, teaching horses latin and trying to drastically change the horse world. I'm not saying these are bad things, as I agree with certain principles, but their beliefs are a bit too intense for my style and it makes me question the integrity of their video. It makes me feel like it is biased - a video painting bits as a horrid thing from people that run a petition to end equestrian sports doesn't feel like a solid source I want to blindly trust.
I am very familiar with their animated video of the horse skeleton with the bit and the 'glowing red pain'. I've seen it so many times and it's brought up nearly every single time someone starts arguing against bits like it's The Answer. It's a biased video in a lot of ways and was probably created to be a 'scare' video, to shock people. To strengthen an agenda. At least that's what it seems like as there's no sources, no studies and no nothing here, either. It's frightening to look at and makes most that love their horses uncomfortable, but how true is it?
Difficult to say.
Frightening horse owners into changing their ways is no the way to go. Educating, encouraging them to try different things and teaching people to be critical, that's important. If we encourage the young equestrians to try, to test and to learn new things - then we can get change. Good change.
Nearly all of the animation of the horse skeleton shows it's 'behaving' in an agitated way, only reinforcing the 'bits are bad' vibe it's giving off. This sort of thing just makes me tired, to some extent, because I'm not inclined to take it seriously.
The only other information provided with that particular clip is a small tidbit about the studies done by Dr. Robert Cook. The studies in question are not linked, either, only very hastily summed up about his big findings. The thing is that Dr. Cook sells bitless bridles. In my mind, that makes him a very biased and not a very credible source at all. Without seeing the study itself and his direct findings, and even then to be honest, I find myself even more skeptical of this than anything claimed earlier on in this video.
He's a bad source. Simple as that. Moving on.
What follows this is the bland mixture of standard, completely out of context shock-value clips. Short clips of riders being 'bad' by yanking on the reins for one reason or another. Does it look bad? Absolutely. Should I be judging a rider based on a clip no more than maybe five seconds? Absolutely not.
In the heat of the moment, we all do stupid things. Someone just happened to be filming these people. I've yanked on a horse's mouth. Am I proud of that? No. Would I want someone to judge me as an equestrian based on that moment in time? No. These sort of clips mean nothing to me these days. It looks brutal, but I've been deceived by these videos before. I've soaked it all up like a sponge and then realized that I judged a handful of people based on what could have been a small mistake, an accident, a bleep on their entire career as equestrians.
So without seeing the rest of those videos, the full extent of those riders' run, I will not be judging them or deciding if I agree or disagree with what they do.
The biggest red flag for me was the giant Nevzorov Haute Ecole logo present during the next part of the video. I'm not here to speak ill of anyone nor do I have a big problem or anything against these people. There are certain things, however, I feel should be said about them to give some insight in what they do and who they are and what principles they follow as it is related to the video they have put out.
The Nevzorov Haute Ecole are somewhat on the extreme side of things. They're known for being very anti many things - bits, equestrian sports and overall riding. They're more about punishment-free dressage, teaching horses latin and trying to drastically change the horse world. I'm not saying these are bad things, as I agree with certain principles, but their beliefs are a bit too intense for my style and it makes me question the integrity of their video. It makes me feel like it is biased - a video painting bits as a horrid thing from people that run a petition to end equestrian sports doesn't feel like a solid source I want to blindly trust.
I am very familiar with their animated video of the horse skeleton with the bit and the 'glowing red pain'. I've seen it so many times and it's brought up nearly every single time someone starts arguing against bits like it's The Answer. It's a biased video in a lot of ways and was probably created to be a 'scare' video, to shock people. To strengthen an agenda. At least that's what it seems like as there's no sources, no studies and no nothing here, either. It's frightening to look at and makes most that love their horses uncomfortable, but how true is it?
Difficult to say.
Frightening horse owners into changing their ways is no the way to go. Educating, encouraging them to try different things and teaching people to be critical, that's important. If we encourage the young equestrians to try, to test and to learn new things - then we can get change. Good change.
Nearly all of the animation of the horse skeleton shows it's 'behaving' in an agitated way, only reinforcing the 'bits are bad' vibe it's giving off. This sort of thing just makes me tired, to some extent, because I'm not inclined to take it seriously.
The only other information provided with that particular clip is a small tidbit about the studies done by Dr. Robert Cook. The studies in question are not linked, either, only very hastily summed up about his big findings. The thing is that Dr. Cook sells bitless bridles. In my mind, that makes him a very biased and not a very credible source at all. Without seeing the study itself and his direct findings, and even then to be honest, I find myself even more skeptical of this than anything claimed earlier on in this video.
He's a bad source. Simple as that. Moving on.
What follows this is the bland mixture of standard, completely out of context shock-value clips. Short clips of riders being 'bad' by yanking on the reins for one reason or another. Does it look bad? Absolutely. Should I be judging a rider based on a clip no more than maybe five seconds? Absolutely not.
In the heat of the moment, we all do stupid things. Someone just happened to be filming these people. I've yanked on a horse's mouth. Am I proud of that? No. Would I want someone to judge me as an equestrian based on that moment in time? No. These sort of clips mean nothing to me these days. It looks brutal, but I've been deceived by these videos before. I've soaked it all up like a sponge and then realized that I judged a handful of people based on what could have been a small mistake, an accident, a bleep on their entire career as equestrians.
So without seeing the rest of those videos, the full extent of those riders' run, I will not be judging them or deciding if I agree or disagree with what they do.
Wow, we've been at this for so long.
Let's try to wrap this up before I turn 30, alright. The next part of the clip is some chattering, but one thing stood out to me. And it is the following question; After this information, how can you still shove a metal harm device in your companion's mouth?'
This is such a pointless statement. The information I have been supplied so far is questionable at best. And this logic can be applied to anything. You can do this for anything. Find some shocking imagery of the thing you dislike, find some vague information and manufacture a question meant to guilt someone about the thing you dislike. I can do it with anything. Shoes, barefoot, saddle, bareback, food, stables, no stables, whips, spurs and treats. Anything.
After this there's a part of this video I find somewhat pointless. It's a 'rebuttal' to a pretend argument from people that use bits regarding the 'soft hands' thing. The clips show a horse, still with no context, that's getting tacked up and the ridden for a short while. The so-called signs we're supposed to look out for make no sense.
A swishing tail, ears are turned back but not flat back, a stomp. But in the video it's summer. Tail swishing could be to swat off flies, the stomp could be because of insects that are frustrating and annoying and those ears could just be the horse fed up with you. It's summer, it's probably warm and horses aren't always in the mood. None of these signs scream 'I don't want to have that in my mouth!' to me.
It seems more like 'I'm bored and want to eat and you're annoying.'
The next question she asks that I want to look at is the following; Why not just convert to a bitless bridle?
Because not everyone wants to, can or can afford to. Personally, I think it's possible to ease any horse into working with a bitless bridle. That does not mean I think everyone should try or everyone is willing to put in the work to get there. Not every rider can work with a bitless bridle, not every combination of horse/rider will work with that equipment. It's about experience, personal preference, budget and what's available. Everyone has to decide for themselves and what's best for them! Some will disagree with my beliefs on this and that's cool. I don't mind. As long as people try to be open minded and try their best, I say do whatever you want. Whatever makes you comfortable!
We are returned to the horse from before that was getting tacked up. But now it's a bitless bridle and we're told to pay attention to the same things as before - the tail, ears, you get it. I can't really tell a difference. It's still very out of context, but the horse still looks bored. Tail still swishing, took a step forward instead of a stomp. The ears aren't as back, but that isn't some definite indicator either. How do I know it wasn't listening to something happening behind it in the previous clip? I don't know this horse. Maybe that's just it's face.
Who am I to decide what's going on here when I still know so very little?
The small chat about what SSO should do and whatnot I'm going to save for the next section. Instead, I'll finish this up with the tidbit about buckles. Though, this is a little bit on that topic, too, I suppose.
Just add some rope halters. Less leathery and buckle-y. I personally don't agree with any buckles or metal around a horse's face because buckles can break so easily. Rope is sturdy and will stay on a horse very nicely.
There's a reason buckles break easily. Imagine your horse spooks and yanks back, maybe even tearing the lead from your hands. It bolts, full speed, but oh! It steps on the lead. The sudden yank will pull it's head down with intense force. If you're unlucky, your horse's neck just broke. I've seen this happen. I've also seen horses that injure themselves a lot like this - pulled muscles, sprains. A buckle is not a magical solution, but with some give that halter might snap and off goes the bridle. You're likely to get some injuries then, too, because there's a lot of force going on. But buckles breaking so easily as an argument for them being bad isn't that brilliant.
Personally, I use a mixture of things. I use rope halters with attached rope leads, I use regular fabric halters with basic leads and sometimes regular cloth halters with a runlock rope, connected with a carabiner (which I use specifically because it snaps so easily). I don't think any of these are wrong or bad, really, and there's risk to all of them like with any other equipment. There's advantages and disadvantages to all of them.
Sometimes it's essential to free a horse quickly. You might have seconds before injury happens. There's a reason special tools made for slicing through leather and other materials safely exist and is something everyone should keep around - a panicked horse is a dangerous thing to itself and those around it. Releasing it quickly is sometimes necessary.
The video ends with the basic speech about 'let's get SSO to do this!' and it's not very exciting. It's been a wild ride from start to finish, but I don't feel educated nor informed. So let's take a step back from that video and tackle the last point of this incredibly long, probably boring blogpost; Bitless & SSO:
Let's try to wrap this up before I turn 30, alright. The next part of the clip is some chattering, but one thing stood out to me. And it is the following question; After this information, how can you still shove a metal harm device in your companion's mouth?'
This is such a pointless statement. The information I have been supplied so far is questionable at best. And this logic can be applied to anything. You can do this for anything. Find some shocking imagery of the thing you dislike, find some vague information and manufacture a question meant to guilt someone about the thing you dislike. I can do it with anything. Shoes, barefoot, saddle, bareback, food, stables, no stables, whips, spurs and treats. Anything.
After this there's a part of this video I find somewhat pointless. It's a 'rebuttal' to a pretend argument from people that use bits regarding the 'soft hands' thing. The clips show a horse, still with no context, that's getting tacked up and the ridden for a short while. The so-called signs we're supposed to look out for make no sense.
A swishing tail, ears are turned back but not flat back, a stomp. But in the video it's summer. Tail swishing could be to swat off flies, the stomp could be because of insects that are frustrating and annoying and those ears could just be the horse fed up with you. It's summer, it's probably warm and horses aren't always in the mood. None of these signs scream 'I don't want to have that in my mouth!' to me.
It seems more like 'I'm bored and want to eat and you're annoying.'
The next question she asks that I want to look at is the following; Why not just convert to a bitless bridle?
Because not everyone wants to, can or can afford to. Personally, I think it's possible to ease any horse into working with a bitless bridle. That does not mean I think everyone should try or everyone is willing to put in the work to get there. Not every rider can work with a bitless bridle, not every combination of horse/rider will work with that equipment. It's about experience, personal preference, budget and what's available. Everyone has to decide for themselves and what's best for them! Some will disagree with my beliefs on this and that's cool. I don't mind. As long as people try to be open minded and try their best, I say do whatever you want. Whatever makes you comfortable!
We are returned to the horse from before that was getting tacked up. But now it's a bitless bridle and we're told to pay attention to the same things as before - the tail, ears, you get it. I can't really tell a difference. It's still very out of context, but the horse still looks bored. Tail still swishing, took a step forward instead of a stomp. The ears aren't as back, but that isn't some definite indicator either. How do I know it wasn't listening to something happening behind it in the previous clip? I don't know this horse. Maybe that's just it's face.
Who am I to decide what's going on here when I still know so very little?
The small chat about what SSO should do and whatnot I'm going to save for the next section. Instead, I'll finish this up with the tidbit about buckles. Though, this is a little bit on that topic, too, I suppose.
Just add some rope halters. Less leathery and buckle-y. I personally don't agree with any buckles or metal around a horse's face because buckles can break so easily. Rope is sturdy and will stay on a horse very nicely.
There's a reason buckles break easily. Imagine your horse spooks and yanks back, maybe even tearing the lead from your hands. It bolts, full speed, but oh! It steps on the lead. The sudden yank will pull it's head down with intense force. If you're unlucky, your horse's neck just broke. I've seen this happen. I've also seen horses that injure themselves a lot like this - pulled muscles, sprains. A buckle is not a magical solution, but with some give that halter might snap and off goes the bridle. You're likely to get some injuries then, too, because there's a lot of force going on. But buckles breaking so easily as an argument for them being bad isn't that brilliant.
Personally, I use a mixture of things. I use rope halters with attached rope leads, I use regular fabric halters with basic leads and sometimes regular cloth halters with a runlock rope, connected with a carabiner (which I use specifically because it snaps so easily). I don't think any of these are wrong or bad, really, and there's risk to all of them like with any other equipment. There's advantages and disadvantages to all of them.
Sometimes it's essential to free a horse quickly. You might have seconds before injury happens. There's a reason special tools made for slicing through leather and other materials safely exist and is something everyone should keep around - a panicked horse is a dangerous thing to itself and those around it. Releasing it quickly is sometimes necessary.
The video ends with the basic speech about 'let's get SSO to do this!' and it's not very exciting. It's been a wild ride from start to finish, but I don't feel educated nor informed. So let's take a step back from that video and tackle the last point of this incredibly long, probably boring blogpost; Bitless & SSO:
BITLESS & SSO
I'm amazed you're even still here. It's been a long and probably bland and rant-y read, but here we are. You and me. We make a great team.
So, we've covered the video that started all of this. Now, what about SSO? What should they do? What do I think?
I think they should add bitless bridles. I do. Not because bits are abusive, but because there is quite the lack of variety within the equipment available at this time. I know that SSO themselves have said that their bridles aren't necessarily with bits, but seriously. Then how does that western bridle work, if I may ask?
We all know those bridles were designed to be bridles with bit. And that's fine! I don't mind. I haven't really given that much thought. It doesn't bother me. I do think it's time they expand their selection, however, and I hope they will do that.
I want to see more than just bitless bridles. I want to see boots, TC saddles, bareback saddles, rope halters, blankets, racing gear and the whole lot. I wouldn't use half of that in real life, but I want to see it in game because I enjoy customizing my pretend horses and making them look cool. I enjoy having options and I enjoy trying out things I wouldn't have in real life, to some degree, on these horses that feel nothing and won't be bothered by it. I enjoy all of these things because there is no consequence to annoying these horses and doing these things because they are not real.
And of course I think it would be fun to see the equipment I use in the game. I don't think it's a necessary thing, but it would be super nice. I would love that.
Not because it would educate kids. SSO does advertise themselves somewhat within this subject, but their general ads tend to hang in the 'teaching kids to solve tasks', not 'teaching kids about horses'. They're more focused on other things and that's cool. But variety is something I would love to see in the gear to more accurately represent what the horse world looks like now - it's full of things! Seeing some of them in the game would be wonderful.
I love my pixel horses, I do, but I am also acutely aware of the fact that they are pretend. Sometimes it seems like people take these horses too seriously, start applying their real life ideas to SSO too much and get things a little mixed up. That's not healthy, either, nor would it ever work.
These are not real horses. I love them and enjoy spending time with my pretend horses and writing stories about them and drawing them, I do. I totally understand being attached to these guys, I am. But I don't go far enough into this to start thinking these are real horses nor do I worry if I use bits on them in the game. Spend that energy on something else - not arguing about the welfare of pretend horses.
I, too, thought I had The Answer once. I was thirteen and the equine master, the one that had solved all the issues and had found The Correct Way. I was also an insufferable brat, but that's a whole different story. The problem was that I had an aggressive approach to any opinion that wasn't mine. I needed my way to be correct because I was deathly afraid of being wrong when it came to my horses that I loved so dearly.
Ten years later, some education and courses and lectures later, I don't care nearly as much. I'm not afraid anymore. I'm comfortable on my path and what I do. I don't feel the need to aggressively attack everyone else and defend myself.
I think this is something of the case here. But there is no Answer. SSO doesn't have to do anything. I would like it if they did, but they don't have to. They have no responsibility to educate anyone. I hope we do get more varied equipment, yes, and I hope SSO can expand their features in the game to incorporate more parts of the equine world than just the more traditional ones.
But I sure won't hold it against them if they don't.
- TK out <3
I'm amazed you're even still here. It's been a long and probably bland and rant-y read, but here we are. You and me. We make a great team.
So, we've covered the video that started all of this. Now, what about SSO? What should they do? What do I think?
I think they should add bitless bridles. I do. Not because bits are abusive, but because there is quite the lack of variety within the equipment available at this time. I know that SSO themselves have said that their bridles aren't necessarily with bits, but seriously. Then how does that western bridle work, if I may ask?
We all know those bridles were designed to be bridles with bit. And that's fine! I don't mind. I haven't really given that much thought. It doesn't bother me. I do think it's time they expand their selection, however, and I hope they will do that.
I want to see more than just bitless bridles. I want to see boots, TC saddles, bareback saddles, rope halters, blankets, racing gear and the whole lot. I wouldn't use half of that in real life, but I want to see it in game because I enjoy customizing my pretend horses and making them look cool. I enjoy having options and I enjoy trying out things I wouldn't have in real life, to some degree, on these horses that feel nothing and won't be bothered by it. I enjoy all of these things because there is no consequence to annoying these horses and doing these things because they are not real.
And of course I think it would be fun to see the equipment I use in the game. I don't think it's a necessary thing, but it would be super nice. I would love that.
Not because it would educate kids. SSO does advertise themselves somewhat within this subject, but their general ads tend to hang in the 'teaching kids to solve tasks', not 'teaching kids about horses'. They're more focused on other things and that's cool. But variety is something I would love to see in the gear to more accurately represent what the horse world looks like now - it's full of things! Seeing some of them in the game would be wonderful.
I love my pixel horses, I do, but I am also acutely aware of the fact that they are pretend. Sometimes it seems like people take these horses too seriously, start applying their real life ideas to SSO too much and get things a little mixed up. That's not healthy, either, nor would it ever work.
These are not real horses. I love them and enjoy spending time with my pretend horses and writing stories about them and drawing them, I do. I totally understand being attached to these guys, I am. But I don't go far enough into this to start thinking these are real horses nor do I worry if I use bits on them in the game. Spend that energy on something else - not arguing about the welfare of pretend horses.
I, too, thought I had The Answer once. I was thirteen and the equine master, the one that had solved all the issues and had found The Correct Way. I was also an insufferable brat, but that's a whole different story. The problem was that I had an aggressive approach to any opinion that wasn't mine. I needed my way to be correct because I was deathly afraid of being wrong when it came to my horses that I loved so dearly.
Ten years later, some education and courses and lectures later, I don't care nearly as much. I'm not afraid anymore. I'm comfortable on my path and what I do. I don't feel the need to aggressively attack everyone else and defend myself.
I think this is something of the case here. But there is no Answer. SSO doesn't have to do anything. I would like it if they did, but they don't have to. They have no responsibility to educate anyone. I hope we do get more varied equipment, yes, and I hope SSO can expand their features in the game to incorporate more parts of the equine world than just the more traditional ones.
But I sure won't hold it against them if they don't.
- TK out <3