The Art of Natural Dressage

Well, Leigh, our entire world operates in the physical sense based on very few causal studies and millions, I'd guess, of experiential events by humans over thousands of years, and of course a great deal on studies that are only correlative ... but convincing nonethless.

I can't recall seeing a study that proves that water only runs downhill when you do not put hydraulic pressure behind it to force it to go uphill. Yet it's an accepted fact.

The only 'proof," that bits work, to my knowledge, is that they have used them for so long ... as though someone is waiting -hehehehe- just around the corner to show them the power and force of bitless (the hydraulics from my metaphor above) and that it works.

In other words, all the correlations that can be found in research are really (with humble respect to Cook who inspires us by his work) ineffectual in the real world you describe, but DOING IT AS A DEMONSTRATION is powerful.

I've done that for a very long time. Before during my early career with horses, where I often threw away bridles with bits and used either my hackamore or simple rope halters. I lost then not because I couldn't do it ... I most certainly could and did time and again ... but because everyone kept giving me special status (like the "Horsewhisperers" label nonsense) as though others could not do it. Each time I taught others to do it the same claim would be made. The student had to have been "special," and "hand picked" by me.

I think Dr. Cook is not going to have to labor on mostly alone, and I do not despair about those that know but will not show others. There are just too many examples out there of it being done. And more of us all the time willing to show others.

It's why I teach. Why I go and "evaluate," horses and insist that I can only test them with a halter or hackmore on them. Then the owners see it. The students see it too.

Some of us, not I of course are just a bit too shy to share. However, there is more than one way to skin this particular cat.

I think the media might be one way.

Donald
Nettlepatch Farm

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Love is Trust, trust is All
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So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.

I was thinking the same thing when I read Leigh's last comment. It's one thing to know the truth (because of research or personal experience) and another to pass it on and motivate people to put it into practice. A large percentage of the population ignores research but listens to what they see on TV or see on the internet. The fact that there are so many bitless riding videos on youtube may by the most important free advertisement there is for bitless riding. Of course some other media exposure wouldn't hurt, either. I can think of a number of talkshow hosts in the U.S. who are animal lovers or even animal welfare advocates who would spread the news to several million people at once.
Just brainstorming here: How about attending horse shows/horse fairs and doing demos of bitless/bridleless riding. I know about 20 years ago choke collars were considered the norm for training dogs for obedience competition. Many people made the argument that precision in cuing was otherwise not possible. I had endless arguments with people about it at the time and got very frustrated that even after showing people the greater effectiveness of positive reinforcement they would just insist that they could not change because... (a million different justifications given). The change occurred very slowly at first but suddenly took off like a rocket. (J-curve) Now it is hard to find dog training in our area that is not based on positive reinforcement. Most people need to hear and see something many times for lasting change. I'm convinced that even in 2-3 years there will be lots of competitions in all kinds of different equestrian sports and games that allow people to ride in any tack they want. Dressage may be the last discipline to change because it has such a long history.
Donald, I'm so glad to hear that you have a chance to teach people by evaluating their horses. What a wonderful chance to make a difference.

surely anything that bitless some publicity is good. The more people that read about an alternative to bits the better and maybe like me they will give it a go. When I got my first horse Lu I had only ever ridden with a bit and didn't really know that there was an alternative or even that bits were bad.
I chanced upon an article in a horsey magazine talking about bitless bridles and wanted to find out more, that was when I found the Dr Cooks site and read some of his stuff. My first tack was bitless. I had a new horse, hadn't ridden for over 11 years and my husband thought I was nuts going straight on to bitless - well I have no regrets. Even my children ride Lu bitless and our new boy Shocky (exracehorse) is also on bitless and I am sure it makes him much less nervous.

My daughter ridesf at a nearby poney club and they are all bitted, I now that more often than not when the poneys shy and then galop off this wouldn't happen in a bitless. Children immediately yank on the reins when a horse shys and then of course the poor things mouth is pulled, pain = run to get away and so the problems!

Bravo for Cook for just keeping on pushing, who know one day people will look back and hopefully be thinking how barbaric bits are and why people ever used them - one can but dream!

Shoot, I haven't time to read all... but overdue and to some of us pointless as it may seem, I have to agree with Birgit: it's a good start.

And I have noticed that however logical and DUH! something is to me ... the words 'scientifially proven' are the magic words for those who find some things not so logical and DUH!... as I once found, too (not as long ago as I wish I could claim... )

Apart from all of this. Bob Cook should be on the list for next Nobel price as fare as I am concerned

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www.equusuniversalis.com

Each of us in our own way can contribute to a reduction in the use of bit, spur, and whip.

Note how many of us have taken on so called "difficult," horses. And done it not through force and the tools of force.

Donald
Nettlepatch Farm

_________________
Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.

Of course those of us who are convinced that neuralgia caused from pressure on the trimegal nerve is completely unneccessary, no way are we going to subject our horses to surgery to remove healthy teeth to make way for a comfortably fiited bit, and we are not going back to previously incarnations after horses have shown us a better way.

It is because the bitless community are unwilling to try bitted that these "scientific research" studies are so far behind schedule, but if Dr.Cook and Dr.Millar can convince the bitted community to try bitless, maybe there will be future studies to compare cross-under, sidepull, cavesson, dually, rope halter and nothing at all on the horses head?

Those videos do show a range of fairly typical horse owner/riders, nothing spectacular, but what a huge step to advancing the equestrian world to considering alternatives.
Standing ovation for Dr. Robert Cook

(i am considering a barbed wire gag for Arthur when he matures, but nothing from my past by way of snaffles, pelhams etc.)

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Susie xx
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