Horses Prefer Bridles That Have A B...( at the same time it has to stop breat...)

at the same time, it has to stop breathing to swallow excess saliva, otherwise it may choke. The bit also interferes with breathing by changing the angle of the head and neck. Normally a horse runs with its head outstretched, to produce a long straight airway. Bending the head also bends the airway, causing turbulence and increasing the effort needed for breathing.

While most horses get used to the bit, some fight against it. Cook believes that the behavioural problem known as "head shaking" may be a response to discomfort caused by the conventional bridle. He also suggests that breathing difficulties may be a cause of bleeding in the lungs, which in severe cases can end a racehorse's career.

While bitless bridles are not new, says Cook, current devices flex the joint where the horse's head and neck meet-the "poll"-and often restrict the animal's breathing and movement in the same way as a bridle with a bit.

Kerstin Alford, welfare officer with the British Horse Society, has given Buck's invention a guarded welcome. "Some horses do resent having a bit in their mouths. If this provides an alternative for those animals, then all well and good. But any type of riding tack can cause problems for a horse if it's not fitted and used correctly."

If the new bitless bridle is to be widely adopted, the rules of dressage would have to be changed-as the bit is currently required under the rules of the sport.

Author: John Bonner

PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF THIS ARTICLE

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Contact: Claire Bowles
claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk
44 171 331 2751
New Scientist
1-Jul-1998

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