If equestrian sport remains in the grip of an Iron Age custom, and continues using the bit as the means of rider-horse communication, its social license to operate will be lost. It is time to relinquish the A.B.C. of Atrocity, Bit usage and Cruelty that stems from the time when the horse was weaponised as an instrument of war.

On the other hand, if 21st century knowledge about bit-free equitation is applied, equestrian sport can look forward to a new age of healthy growth. Three steps are required:

  • First, mandatory-bit rules to be repealed.
  • Secondly, rules allowing for bit-free choice to be introduced.
  • Thirdly, for horseracing, bit usage to be no longer regarded as ‘standard practice.’

This article documents and provides access to the surge in the science of equitation in the last 25 years that constitutes the evidence for changing the rules:

1997: A 5-year-old, off-the-track Thoroughbred with multiple behavioral problems when bit-ridden was transitioned from bit to bit-free. The result was a ‘night-and-day’ difference for horse and rider on day one. This horse has since proved to be the forerunner of many thousands of similarly successful transitions by recreational riders worldwide, marking the development of a burgeoning bit-free movement in ‘English’ Horsemanship. See subsequent user comments from the period 2000-2016 during which I marketed a crossunder bit-free bridle drove-home-singing.pdf (bitlessbridle.com)

1998: Letter to the editor, questioning use of the bit. Cook, W.R. Veterinary Record, 142: 676.

1999: “The pathophysiology of bit control in the horse.” Cook, W.R. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 19, 3. 196-203 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0737-0806(99)80067-7

2002: “The effect of a tongue-tie in horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate.” Equine Veterinary Journal. Franklin, S.H.; Naylor, J.R.; Lane, J. 34, 430–433, doi:10.1111/j.2042-3306.2002.tb05461.x.

2003: “Metal in the Mouth: The abusive effect of bitted bridles.” Cook, W.R. and Strasser, H. Sabine Kells, Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada.

2009: “Preliminary study of jointed snaffle bridle vs. crossunder bitless bridle: A quantified comparison of behaviour in four horses.”  Cook, W.R. and Mills, D.S. Equine Veterinary Journal, 41 (8), pp 827-830

2011: “Damage by the bit to the equine interdental space and second lower premolar.” Cook, W.R. Equine Veterinary Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3292.2010.00167.x

2013: “A method for measuring bit-induced pain and distress in the ridden horse.” Cook, W.R.

2014: “A hypothetical etiological relationship between the horse’s bit, nasopharyngeal asphyxia and negative pressure pulmonary edema (bleeding).” Cook, W.R. Equine Veterinary Education. 26, pp 381-389 https://doi:10.1111/eve.12196 

2014: “Bit-related lesions in Icelandic competition horses.” Björnsdóttir S, Frey R, Kristjansson T, Lundström T.Acta Vet Scand. 2014 Aug 13;56(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s13028-014-0040-8.PMID: 25116656

2015: “Introducing breathlessness as an animal welfare issue.” Beausoleil, N.J. and Mellor, D.J. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 63, pp44-51.

2016: “Bit‐induced asphyxia in the racehorse as a cause of sudden death.” Cook, W.R. Equine Veterinary Education. 28, pp 405-409 https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.12455 21

2017: “Equine welfare during exercise: An evaluation of breathing, breathlessness and bridles.” Mellor, D.J. and Beausoleil, N.J. Animals. 7, 41 doi:10.3390/ani7060041

2018: “Over 20% of Australian Horses Race with Their Tongues Tied to Their Lower Jaw.” Franklin, S.; McGreevy, P. The Conversation 2018, July. Available online: https://theconversation.com/over-20-of-australian-horses-race-with-their-tongues-tied-to-their-lower-jaw-99584

 2018: “Behavioural assessment of pain in 66 horses, with and without a bit.” Cook, W.R. and Kibler, M. Equine Veterinary Education. 31, pp551-560 https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.12916

2019: “Horsemanship’s elephant in the room.” Cook, W.R. Weltexpress, 15 February; https://en.weltexpress.info/2019/02/15/horsehumanships-elephant-in-the-room-the-bit-as-a-cause-of-unsolved-problems-affecting-both-horse-and-rider/ [Accessed online 19 January 2024]

2019: “Man bites horse.” Cook, W.R. Weltexpress, September 8, https://en.weltexpress.info/2019/09/08/human-biteshorse/ [Accessed online 23 January 2024]

2019: “Tongue-ties: Trying to see the whole picture.” Vandermark, S. and Wilkins C.,

2019: “Clearing the Air on the Bit-Free Debate.” Cook, W.R. Horses and People Magazine, November-December issue.

2020: “Mouth Pain in Horses, Physiological Foundations, Behavioural Indices, Welfare Implications, and a Suggested Solution.” Mellor, D.J. Animals 2020 Mar 29;10(4):572. doi:0.3390/ani10040572.

2020: “Bit Blindness.” Mellor, D.J. Vet Script, New Zealand Veterinary Association, September, p32-34

2020: “The 2020 Five Domains Model: Including Human–Animal Interactions in Assessments of Animal Welfare.” Mellor, D.J., Beausoleil, N.J., Littlewood, K.E., McLean, A.N., McGreevy, P.D., Jones, B. and Wilkins, C.  Animals 10 (10), 1870; doi:10.3390/ani10101870

2020: “Tokyo Olympics: SAINT BOY’S demonstration of bit-induced conflict behaviors.”

2020: “World Bitless Association Survey.” Overwhelming support for bit-free; 9 out of 10 want to see bit free. https://worldbitlessassociation.org/resources/the-general-report-of-the-2020-wba-survey/

2021: “Oral Lesions in the Bit Area in Finnish Trotters After a Race: Lesion Evaluation, Scoring, and Occurrence.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
DOI:10.3389/fvets.2019.00206.” Kati Tuomola, Nina Mäki-Kihniä, Anna Valros, Anna Mykkänen, Minna Kujala-Wirth. Equine Vet J. 2021 Nov; 53(6): 1132-1140. DOI: 10.1111/evj.13401.

2022: “Champing at the bit.” A paper by Tim Hughes and Ashleigh.F. Brown referring to the resistance to bit-free change. https://worldbitlessassociation.org/resources/champing-at-the-bit-for-improvements-a-review-of-equine-welfare-in-equestrian-sports-in-the-united-kingdom/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9100173/

2022: “Pony Club Australia New syllabus.” Members of Pony Club Australia can now apply to compete bit-free. Overseeing the new syllabus has been a leading proponent of Equitation Science, Dr Andrew McLean; CEO of Equitation Science International, Behaviour Consultant to Melbourne University Veterinary Hospital, and a member of the Board of Pony Club Australia from 2016 – 2022.

2022: What is a tongue-tie? Wilkins, C.

2022: “The effect of bit-induced pain in the horse on the feelings of riders about riding.” Cook W.R and Kibler, M. The effect of bit-induced pain in the horse on the feelings of riders about riding (2022) – World Bitless Association

2022: “I Can’t Watch Anymore: The Case for dropping equestrian from the Olympic Games.” Taylor, J. An Open Letter to the International Olympic Committee.” Epona Media Copenhagen www.epona.tv

2022: “Full Report (English): Horse Welfare Overhaul for Paris 2024.” Wilkins, C. Horses and People Magazine. Horse Welfare Recommendations for Paris 2024

2022: “Bit-free virtual dressage.” For many years, members of the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS) have been able to compete bit-free, in all classes short of Grand Prix.

2023: “Data and visual evidence for the bit-free debate.” Cook, W.R. Data and Visual evidence for the Bit-free debate – World Bitless Association

2023: “Why not bit-free? Expert says it’s time to draw the equestrian iron age to a close.” Cook, W.R. Horses and People Magazine. horsesandpeople.com.au April 19, 2023.

2023: “A Bit of a Problem in Equine Welfare: What is the Role of Veterinarians?” Harvey, A. Center for Veterinary Education, Control and Therapy Series, Number 6001. Issue 313, pp23-26

2023: “Bit use and its relevance for rider safety, rider satisfaction and horse welfare in equestrian sport” Karen L. Luke, Tina McAdie, Amanda K. Warren-Smith, Bradley P. Smith. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Volume 259, February 2023, 105855.

2023: “A guide on how to transition a horse from bit to bit-free.”  https://worldbitlessassociation.org/bitted-to-bitless-free-download/

2024: “Horse Sports’ Option: Ban or be Banned.” Cook, W.R. Horses and People Magazine. https://horsesandpeople.com.au/horse-sports-options-to-ban-or-be-banned/

2024: “Look Again: The power of noticing what was already there.” Sharot, T. and Sunstein, C.R. One Signal Publishers, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, New Delhi.

2024: “A Bit-free, pain-free future for the free-breathing horse.” Cook, W.R, https://worldbitlessassociation.org/resources/bit-free-pain-free-future-for-the-free-breathing-horse/

2024: “Analysis on the British Horseracing Authority’s ‘Welcome to Horse PWR’ website.”  https://worldbitlessassociation.org/safety-and-welfare-in-horse-racing/

Bit-induced symptoms 

Mouth pain, nervousness, and one or more of 69 bit-induced conflict behaviors are the symptoms commonly displayed during daily training exercise. But when peak performance is required, other symptoms can include the fear and effect of suffocation, intense chest pain and a sense of drowning. Shortage of breath, physical exhaustion and airway obstruction can lead to a cascade of falls, catastrophic accidents and sudden death from negative pressure pulmonary edema (‘bleeding’ and ‘waterlogging’ of the lung). As the horse, like all mammals, has a trigemino-cardiac reflex, this may be triggered by bit-pain and be the cause of sudden death from cardiac arrest, i.e., a ‘heart-attack.’

Declaration: Since selling his company (Bitless Bridle Inc.) in 2016, the author has had no conflict of interest to declare.