If you NEED a bit as a lifeline, you're doing it wrong. Good riding comes from all parts of the body, not just the hands and I think it's actually impressive if someone can ride without a bit and still perform just as well as someone with a bit ; I also think that it wouldn't be a crutch, if anything competing with less and not more is equally as impressive as well.
Its unfortunate dressage requires a bit and bridle, and I am one of many that hopes they allow bitless because my horse loathes them. I mean I don't think we should be banning bits from dressage, but it's absolutely possible to ride without one and I have zero problems with allowing people to compete bitless.
Honestly, a horse being "on the bit" really has very little with a bit. I disagree. Bitless doesn't work for me personally, but I do know other riders who show bitless and do a great job.
Personally, I dislike nutcracker bits and tying them in a horse's mouth. We all have what works for us. And the United States Confederation for Working Equitation allows "Bitted bridles, bitless bridles, and sidepulls are allowed. Natural or authentic bosal hackamores are allowed.
And bitless is allowed. Can't state of better than already stated. My only thought is that even on a green as grass mare, if I can't do a movement on her without facial contact my trainer will not let us move on. The most important part is her listening to my legs and seat first She has no need to go bitless but I love the idea, that would take care of blue tongues, gadgets, bloody mouths etc! High level dressage can be done bridless. Many jumpers compete in hacks, those are some powerful and sometime high strung, horses there.
Eventers go xc in hacks. That is certainly a place where all heck could break loose, and yet it doesn't. The group that I fox hunt with has two field masters that go in a hack, even more so than eventing things could go really, really wrong there.
Yet they typically don't. Sure you want a dressage horse on the bit, but you also want them light in the bridle and carrying themselves. Which means essentially that you shouldn't really need the bit there anyway. Lastly, western dressage does allow a horse to be shown in a bosal or Dr. Cook bridle. I would consider WDAA to be a credible orginazation that has worked closely with USDF officials and judges to help build and define western dressage while staying true to both the western aspect and the dressage aspect.
Seat belts on, girls. I agree that bitless dressage has some problems, but not the ones you stated. Um, no. The nose is very sensitive and many of the bitless options have a leverage component. A badly used hackamore is not kinder than a bit in any way, shape, or form. Even one of those Dr. Cook bridles in bad hands or a run away horse that doesn't respect it can be cruel. Add to that the pressure of competition and trying to prove you can do it? It could easily turn into people forcing the nose in and down by pressure on that sensitive nose.
Um, nope. I don't see that as a step in the right direction for horse rights. Be it mental, dental, conformation, history, whatever. I've seen some gorgeous dressage done in a halter on a horse that truly understood self carriage. A bit is not a crucial piece of equipment for dressage. Your legs, seat, and years of muscle building and training to gain true self carriage and connection is crucial.
The bit is a conventional piece of dressage equipment and what our traditions are built off of. The double is still mandatory at FEI, I don't see bitless becoming a welcome addition any time soon. And for the average, low level dressage rider, it's going to be difficult to get that level of self carriage without a bit.
All the books and training are currently based on that assumption and, as someone trying to learn that skill right now, doing it without expert guidance is going to be freaking tough. But if your horse doesn't want to wear a bit and you still want to show?
Go ahead. Just be aware that you'll be at a disadvantage because your communication will be different and you will have a harder time getting the outline the judge is used to seeing. It's just reality. And don't get all superior about how kind you are. You are just as capable of wrecking a horse without a bit as you are with one. I've met plenty of horses with white hairs on their nose while their owners tell me how they are superior riders because they go bitless.
I see no harm in the rule itself. And yes, someone will show upper level with no bit, good for them. But I can't do it, I'm not good enough, and most of the proponents aren't. And they're going to scream bloody murder when the cruel judges don't see their super special magical connection.
I'll get the popcorn. Honestly, it's the exact same debate they had when they allowed snaffles in the FEI classes at the national level. Can you do it in a snaffle? Good for you! While it is incredible to watch horses run and leap with their powerful bodies, it is depressing to watch horses methodically step like they are trying to wake their legs up after sitting on the toilet a little too long.
Cricket, lacrosse, softball leaving the Olympics after this year , and even something awesome but maybe not so sporty, like tug-of-war. Josh Bard is a guy. Never been a Guy Fieri guy, though.
Prompt Images. Fuck equestrian dressage and the horse it rode in on. New rule for the Olympics: Equestrian Dressage is immediately kicked out of the games. No dressage is not dead. More so it is the quieter sibling to the loud, brash big brother hell bent on marketing, money and fame…… True dressage will never be dead…. Perhaps rather than following the crowd and crying out in anguish giving those riders even more spotlight and press we should quietly revolt, go out compete, show there is another way.
Rather compete to show an example of the horse and rider in harmony…. Show a different way often enough, if you care to, and people will begin to see the differences……. I do however agree that the methods used with most dressage training is horribly cruel and unnecessary. A well trained rider should be able to get their to perform without pain and torture to the supposed beloved horse.
Well…and we all need to ride in high saddles that are holding us in too! Whoever thought it was a good idea to commence this article with a photograph of a dead horse needs to give their head a shake. And it fills me with a level of disgust that makes me think anyone with that such monumentally poor judgement has nothing to say that is worth reading. We-ell — there are alternatives. Then everyone would be smiling again.
And our of interest… CRC dressage is doing its best to redress the balance — not to pull in the crowds — but for the same reasons….
For someone who just lost a horse, this was the last thing i needed to see this morning. You should be ashamed of yourself for such a picture for this article…All competitive disciplines have gone politics..
Absolutely the wrong time and place to be trying to get shock value from a dead horse photo. Is there any hope left for those out there who would like to both show and still be able to ride in lightness and harmony? Commenting on the same tired complaints about Anky, or Parelli, or Rollkur to get clicks on a blog are dead can we move on? This incendiary post seems to imply that modern competition riders are incapable of balancing their horse or riding with harmony. This complaint is reminiscent of the older generation lamenting that music was dead after the popularity of the Beatles.
The horses that competitive riders are now riding are physiologically different, through breeding, to the horses of the previous generations that you idolize.
Their horses were less far removed from the heavy boned horses used previous to the industrial revolution. I too love those horses and riders but having ridden old style and more modern warmbloods the more refined horses are easier to maneuver generally and have considerably hotter temperaments generally.
We need to look at the longterm future of Dressage as a sport. So far in the past few years, I have seen public interest in Dressage range from total ignorance of it to using it as the butt of a joke. Equestrians need to face the fact that Dressage has seldom or never been a popular sport in the United States. If we want to gain publicity, popularity, and respect we will have to obtain wealthy sponsors.
Once our sport is put out there on prime-time television networks more people will watch us. Following my fantasy scenario here, imagine that the more people watch our sport on TV the more will aspire to be Equestrians Equestriennes. The more people join the Dressage sport, the more our judges will be accountable for how they score the tests!
There will be higher standards because by default, any time that you gain more public eye on your sport the more scrutinizing there will be.
Just pick any other popular sport as an example. No, because you have millions of people watching everything the referee does.
Another example is what happened to Tiger Woods during a tournament. He picked up his ball and did not drop it according to the official rules of golf. Someone on TV was watching the tournament and actually called in to report that he made an error.
The officials played back the tape and saw that Tiger did make an error and penalized him. Just think about if this happened with Dressage and other equestrian sports? One can dream, right? Good dressage has only ever been achieved by masterful riders. Work on your riding and training ability and you will be able to be competitive and compassionate at the same time.
I agree the dead horse was appalling. For those who may be interested, the horse in the photo is Pride of Westbury, a jumps racing horse who died in Australia. I hope this post has the effect of stirring up those dressage folk who believe the recent positive trend toward harmony should continue on to widespread change. Also, worth noting that Andrew McLean also spoke at the dressage forum, to propose a more objective scoring system that would reward correct training and welfare.
Might be a good way to bring the sport back from the dead…. Spend a day at a hunter show … Yes judges are rewarding horribly wrong extended trots and piaffe… But dressage is not dead… People can chose to pursue which dressage they want to.. The one for the score that wins or the one that focuses on the correctness of the rider horse and movement. Having attended The Dressage Convention last weekend and watched Carl Hester ride Nip Tuck in perfect harmony all weekend, with the horse quite obviously loving every moment of it, I can tell you that competition dressage is very much alive and kicking in the UK!!!
With Carl and Charlotte leading the rest of the world at the moment competition dressage can only flourish. They excel because true harmony and joyful performance with the horse is beautiful and inspiring to watch and obvious to all, including the judges. And the photo is of a dead racehorse from Australia. How is that relevant to what you are trying to say here?
Those top level competitors inspire other lower graded riders to improve their own riding and schooling of their horses. It provides a goal for the rest of us. And if it provides an entertaining spectacle for us to appreciate, why is it wrong to be part of a captivated crowd watching it?
Which leads to people taking short cuts over doing the training correctly the first time. And from what I can tell this sport being governed by an international entity is the only force behind these issues not becoming more rampant.
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