Previously, James Garnham presented compelling statements in poetic form about sport horse welfare [1,2]. The statements here are directed specifically at bit-induced pain: its cruelty; its lack of recognition for millennia; the clear signs of it being revealed by science; resistance to implementing remedies by elite equestrians wanting to retain competition success; delaying tactics by national and international sport horse authorities; a partial bit-free solution and its improvement; and an ethical principle for guiding future corrective actions.
Bits Bite:
We face disgrace when questing for control … mastery’s the aim … coercing for fame … retaining the spotlight … no matter what’s right … no matter their needs … enslaved … our steeds suffer … again and again.
Bits are painful … they excruciate … better fitted … better bitted …better to cause pain … pain’s the controller … again and again … again and again.
Used for millennia … traditional … unconditional … deeply enshrined … embedded … metal in the mouth … reins in the hand … reined-in to control … reined-in for pain … again and again and again and again.
Millennia evolved … bit pain persisted … its signs unknown … “bit blindness” existed … ‘til science intervened … the signs then shown, could not go unseen … bit pain was explored … yet … remained widely ignored.
The equestrian elite were aghast … holding fast to the past … their high standing at stake … in great distress … fearing to negate key methods that secured their success … not one jot was surrendered … every detail defended … again and again and again and again.
The solution seemed simple … get rid of the bit … fit bit-free bridles … no bit, no pain … there’d be an end to it … but … fear of horse power … of a headlong dash … out of control to a bone-braking crash … moved bit pain to the headstall … rein pressures oppressive … made face pain a problem … the pain still excessive … again and again and again and again.
The strong urge to restrain led to no gain … hailed as a vict’ry by opponents of bit-free … it was hollow at best … not a fair test … bridle choices were faulty … and rein use still abuse.
Yet bit-free/pain-free bridles exist … using them now is hard to resist … but more is needed than just no bit … head stalls should be padded and loosely fit … and a most gentle touch applied to each rein … so control by pain is not used again … now … encourage not coerce … guide not command … the overall must … seek harmony and trust.
Tack rules as they stand still cause marked pain … revision is certainly needed … yet … successful competitors with self-interest in sight ensure that revision’s impeded … aided and abetted by governing bodies that give welfare weak attention … they seek to convince others that all is alright … engaging in public deception … conceding nothing … each act to delay stains their reputation … rightly deplored … their tactics abhorred … they should raise our strong indignation … for the strain of bit pain will still be felt … again and again and again and again … and … yet again!
Sentient steeds have wide welfare needs … being pain-free is just one of many … so noxious is pain that we need to remain ready to relieve it, if any.
And … when we are the cause we must carefully pause to reflect on what ethics requires … the horse must be paramount, must always be first … ranked much higher than our sporting desires.
Also by James Garnham:
- Garnham, J. (2024). “Thoroughbred Horse Welfare Challenges: From Rape to Relegation.” Horses and People, July 2024: https://horsesandpeople.com.au/thoroughbred-welfare-challenges-from-rape-to-relegation/
- Garnham, J. (2024). “Improving Sports’ Horse Welfare: A Way Forward.” Horses and People, September 2024: https://horsesandpeople.com.au/improving-sports-horse-welfare-a-way-forward/
