Does this change how you think?

I just watched this video. I wonder, does this change how you think or how you will do things, or do you just think it is bull?


I have to admit, I have used many of the bits shown in the video. I have ridden many horses in double bridles as well. I tend to ride in a loose rein and have never had rough hands on a horse. I tend to cringe when I see some folks ride as their hands are so hard. I can't help but wonder when seeing something like this, if there are not things I can do better. I wonder how important MY goals are in riding?

What are your thoughts?

I don't know ...
I honestly think whoever made this is extremely biased against any sort of artificial aid, such as a crop or bit. I think a lot of this is very good to announce - because there are people that are too rough in their hands that need to see this. But I also think there are some things that are a bit extreme, and a little over the top. It's like watching the news - sometimes you have to watch 2 stations to get 1 piece of solid information.

I don't know. It does seem pretty extreme. I'm really careful about how I use my hands and what bits go in my horse's mouth, and I've seen really cringe-worthy use of the reins, but what about the riders that know how to use their hands? They seem to be marked as irrelevant in this video.

Bahahahaha! Oh Nevzarov... you never disappoint.
Of course a bit will hurt when it's cranked like some of those riders are showing - clearly that is not proper riding. A bit is a communication tool. I expect my horse to accept the bit and work into the contact, and in return I promise to have nice hands that will allow him to not be afraid of that contact.
Some people will always abuse power.
Nevzarov is a hoot. I love at 5:57 when the jaw snaps off the foam horse. I love all the "suuuper serious study in a lab" shots and the autopsy shots .... when NOTHING is explained. "Here's some horse flesh with a weird black splotch. We'll show you photos of a horse being whipped and hope that you think that this black splotch that we aren't explaining is a bruise caused by a whip right before the horse was killed for dissection. Yeah." "Hey!!!!! Look at the damage some guy in a lab coat can do with a whip and a piece of foam!!!!!! ZOMG!!!!!"

Once I saw who put it out, I ignored it. The guy is trying to talk to his horses in Latin, for goodness sakes! He believes all riding is evil.

Yeah, some folks have rough hands. They shouldn't. Any instructor knows that, and most riders know it. My horses ride better with a bit than without, because they like the more precise transfer of information possible with a bit - and they both like to know what is expected of them. I rode them for 3 years bitless, and with a bit now, and they are happier and more responsive now.

No objections to anyone who wants to ride bitless. Just saying I've tried a lot of variations, and my horses seem happiest and most responsive with a simple full cheek or D-ring snaffle. YMMV.

Well, I will be most impressed when his horses respond back in Latin. Ha ha I do believe that every bit can have a negative effect as I believe that some bits should be outlawed. I don't think people should use harsh bits in place of proper training from the beginning and I would LOVE to know people off their horses when I see the horses bleeding from their mouths due to jerking on their horses mouths.

I am not familiar with this guy and I can obviously see it is a one sided, extreem view. That said, there is a valid (though distorted) point to it. For me, it is always a good reminder to remember the horse first. Not that I forgot. Like I said, I tend to ride with soft hands.

*snort* I love you

I also like how NONE of the bits in the "lab tests" were connected to a headstall. LOL A curb bit works off pressure to the poll as well. And the computer generated bits were a riot too. I've never in my life seen a curb bit sit straight up and down in a horse's mouth like that. You'd have to have a very loose curb strap and be yanking the heck out of your horse for that to happen, but somehow that's where the bit starts every time it cuts to that silly computer graphic. If your port is banging the horse in the roof of the mouth, you're doing something wrong.

Oh yes, and what exactly were they trying to prove by beating a piece of clay with a crop at a completely different angle than you would even be able to hit a horse at when mounted? I was very confused at that point. Silly, silly people.

I've seen other videos by this guy. They're equally terrible, and frankly inaccurate. While bits have the ability to cause pain and/or harm, the more than often do not, especially in quiet respectful hands. My mare practically grabs the bit out of my hand every time I put the bridle on, and takes forever to spit it back out when we're done. Clearly she is an animal that is in extreme duress every time I put one of those "evil" contraptions in her mouth

Haha, that was certainly amusing! JDI said it best. I think my favorite parts are when they snap the clay/foam horse's lower jaw off with the curb [because that happens all the time in real life, dontchaknow] and the CGI that tried to say a horse galloping is painful to its lungs and face [because horses don't ever run, ever].
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Course it does! That's why us Dressage riders buy horses with jaws of steel. Ulla's horses have the strongest jaws of the game, she tends to ski off their lower jaw with the curb. I suspect she has reinforced its jaw with diamonds and steel ;)