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May 2008 • VOLUME 33 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine
“We must be the change we want to see in the world." —Gandhi We all want to see changes to our world. An end to hunger and disease. A world where every child feels safe and wanted and loved. In the equestrian world, which is often a mirror image of the world that we live in, many of us also want to see a change in the world. Different people seeing different things from different perspectives may want different changes. Not every one in the equestrian world sees the same thing that needs changing. But the common thread of those who do want to see changes is that we want changes that will make things better for the horse. The noble steed who puts himself in service to us, with an honesty that cannot be surpassed. Many want to see a move away from bits, with bitless bridles becoming the change that they would like to see. A basic assumption that the bit is wrong and the bitless bridle is right. We like to see things in black and white. If we truly want to be the change that we want to see in the world we need to be a little more open than that. A basic assumption that the bitless bridle cures all evil is to negate the intent behind the change. If the intent is to be kinder to the horse, perhaps a bitless bridle will be the answer. Often a change from the bit to the bitless bridle does bring the horse some relief. There are layers of what we need to learn to develop truly educated and following hands, without that knowledge or instruction every thing that we don’t do right becomes reflected through the bit to the horse and his way of holding himself, his way of moving and how he moves. The bitless bridle in effect softens our effect and our mistakes, giving the horse better opportunity to move correctly. But to move to a bitless bridle and say we are done is to not take responsibility for the rest of the ride. Sad to say we can see clear indications of this with one rider demonstrating how they can ride deep with their horses well behind the vertical. This is no more correct with the bitless bridle than it was with a bitted bridle. Riding with a bitless bridle does not give you a better seat, it does not ensure that you are not restricting your horse in a myraid of different ways. If we truly want to see significant change in the world, we must hold ourselves true to the greater change that we want to see, and that has to mean in essence that we must not hide behind simple solutions.
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