Effects of the bit: snaffle

And yet all they show is horses getting the crap beaten out of them and their faces being ripped off..

The problem in that video is the riders, not the bit. There is nothing at all wrong with bits, as long as they are understood and used as a communication tool, not a "listen to me or else" device.

Right up untill the last comment on the video I thought it might be kind of educational. When he starts talking about how the horse is beaten incessantly and cruelly that's kind of when I tuned out. Without a doubt the people in the video were abusing thier horses and should have a whip taken to them. It is not the norm from what I have seen (this video was from Russia so it may be different) and would not be tollerated around here regardless of the discipline. If I had seen the man on the black horse riding around me we would soon find out who could hit the hardest because I would drag him off his horse and discuss proper riding techniques.

I think there are better places to learn about the effects of a bit. This is an extreme example.

You're right there! This was a far more subtle video at the beginning than most of them are.

I just don't understand how people can tie up their horse's head to it's neck basically, then yank on the reins? Not like it's going to go anywhere... seems in this video that the riders just need a lesson in anger management! Or pretty much like Kevin said he would, have someone yank them off their horse and show them how to do it right... after a kick in the face.

What the hell.......That was terrible.

This is a pretty ridiculous video. The title should be "Effects of the Abusive Rider". A horse could be injured no matter what bit was in it's mouth with that kind of riding.

ElizabethM said:

This is a pretty ridiculous video. The title should be "Effects of the Abusive Rider". A horse could be injured no matter what bit was in it's mouth with that kind of riding.

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^Amen! This tripe just takes the worst of the worst riders (I refuse to deign to call this horsemanship), and generalizes it to everyone who puts a bit in their horse's mouth. The bit isn't the torture device, the hands on the reins can be. Responsibility lies in using the bit to communicate and refine, not to punish.

The narrator is Alexander Nevzorov, there was a thread about him in the NH forum a while back, and he sounds a bit nutty in general. Give his website a read. He's got a few videos of his "horsemanship" on Youtube as well that made me wonder where his head is at...

Nevzorov Haute Ecole

What a crock! You can splice a video just like that about ANY bit or type of riding. Yes, even western.
I guess there is a PETA in Russia too.

There are poor sportsmen in EVERY discipline.

Nevzarv is a nutter. A while back someone got into his forums and cached it - Reading the stuff in there was absolutely hilarious!

Anything that comes out of his camp will be anti-bit, anti-modern horsemanship propaganda, nothing more.

I have seen that video before, and thought it was ridiculous. Not ridiculous because of it's information but the way that he generalizes the sport was obscene. I don't understand how people could sit and watch as these "riders" abused their horses in that way. As they "see sawed" the reins or the one rider who smacked his horse in the eye. It is videos like this that give this sport a bad name.

The video contains an amusing use of the word "stiffed," but that's about all it's good for.

Anybody who's watched even one show jumping competition knows that not all people ride like this.

westonsma said:

All the more reason I ride western... couldn't bear to have this affect on my horse's face.

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Hmmm.... I see some barrel racing people and cutting people riding. They use the bit and spurs same nasty way as people here using bit and crop. In same time in 2 barns I go (high level jumping) people (including the trainer who trains jumping) are very gentle with the horses. It's not about engilsh or western, or type of bit, it's all about the rider!

I think I'm an abuser according to the very end of this video: I tap my horses butts almost every day I go to the field. And (surprisingly enough?) they enjoy it. :lol:

Those people in clip are awful and the judges at the competitions should watch out for that. But I have a bad feeling this video is done by PETA and the final point is no riding, no competitions, and everyone is an abuser.

Allison Finch said:

I guess there is a PETA in Russia too.

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I believe American PETA (!!!) goes to Russia too. As far as I heard. I havn't heard about the russian equivalent to it yet.

lol, glad I didn't watch the video. I just read everyone's responses instead and am now moving on lol.

good god the mans a nutcase and i am hoping that does what i did and googled him realises that.
I am all for being gentle and kind to my horses, however i do ride in bridles and bits and it takes only the lightest touch on those reins to convey to my horses what i am asking. there is no "sawing" on my horses mouths.

all in all what a horrible generalisation.

So we can blame bad riding on a tool instead of an idiot. Easier than a human taking the blame for their own stupidity...

My daughter rides western in a snaffle bit. Even if her instructor didn't, if I saw her ranking on her lesson horse's mouth like that, I'd march into the arena and pull her off her horse. Loose reins, and gentle corrections were possible for her to pull of at 6 when she started riding. Granted, she's trotting and loping at best, but still, being pulled on like those horses is a sure way to seem them react.

Those riders had me cringing. The way they ride is the equivalent of going up to your friend and just screaming in their ear.