This article linked in EN, https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/11/10/unpalatable-bits-behavioral-breathing-issues/ states that bit issues can lead to anoxia and asphyxia in horses, Essentially, the bit interrupts the seal that the lips create and may prevent the horse from extending its head and neck in the physiologically normal position. The researcher states that this can cause muscle fatigue and thus injury.
Any chance this has relevance when considering falls and safety in eventing?
Iād be curious to see the actual research behind this. Preferably something done by someone not trying to sell bitless bridles.
The dressage frame definitely prevents a horse from extending its head and neck in the physiologically normal position. Thatās a given, but it has little or nothing to do with the mere existence of a bit in the mouth. I do seem to recall reading other studies on the physiological effects of āthe frame.ā I suppose if a horse is ridden in a frame on XC, that might affect stamina, but a bit would not be the culprit.
Even more dangerous XC, of course, is reducing the horseās ability to use its head and neck to balance.
Do horses ridden in hackmores generally show less fatigue than bitted horses?
You can read Dr. Cookās journal article online for free here: https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/2018-08/Equine%20Veterinary%20Education%20July%202014.pdf (starts p381) . Iāve quoted the significant bits here but basically it is all hypothetical rather than research-based, and he has a major conflict of interest.
[B]Conclusion
Currently, the hypothesis that the bit causes pulmonary oedema is not refuted. A flow chart summarises what I believe to be the consequences of bit usage (Fig 11). In my opinion, nasopharyngeal asphyxia is the cause of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), which is analogous to a rare but life-threatening disease in man known as negative pressure pulmonary oedema (NPPE) (Bhaskar and Fraser 2011; Cook 2014). NPPE in man is caused by upper airway obstruction and is, I submit, a model for exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. It would advance the understanding and prevention of this serious problem in the horse if it too was known as NPPE.
Discussion
I propose that the bit is the predominant cause of nasopharyngeal asphyxia and that NPPE is one of its signs. Contributory factors include variations in usage, respiratory rates, rein tension, poll flexion and a horseās pain threshold. Potential relevance: Unless the hypothesis can be refuted a cause will have been suggested (the bit) and a basis for treatment indicated (its removal) for nasopharyngeal asphyxia and NPPE. As sequelae to these common diseases include hypoxaemia, exhaustion, breakdowns, falls, fractures and sudden death, the article is relevant to: ā¢ the welfare and safety of horse and rider/driver ā¢ the public image of racing ā¢ the furosemide debate ā¢ poor performance Medical and surgical interventions do not remove the cause of nasopharyngeal asphyxia. Until at least one racing jurisdiction permits the use of a bitless bridle, removal of the bit cannot be tested under racing conditions but it can be and has been tested during training.
Authorās declaration of interests W.R. Cook is Chairman and major shareholder of Bitless Bridle Inc. and owns a patent on the crossunder bitless bridle.
Source of funding Bitless Bridle Inc.[/B]
I disagree that the dressage frame inherently bad for the horse. Excluding extreme hyperflexation like that produced by rolkur and similar techniques. These were exercises intended to develop war horses. Who in their right mind would want to decrease the strength of the horse they were depending on to keep them alive in battle? I seem to recall that the GP test gives positive weight to the horse playing with the bit. I read an article about tension in the mouth/tongue affecting the large muscles all the way down the neck of the horse. Makes sense. Every nervous horse Iāve ridden has shoved itās poll high into the air, causing itās back to hollow out.
Felicitas Von Neumann Cosel described the correct flexation as the horse leaning out to peek over the edge of a cliff. I like that imagery. As the horse relaxes the muscles of his tongue and jaw and gently rounds his neck, it creates a slight roundness (lift?) in his spine that makes space for him to step under himself with his hind legs. The distribution of the weight between the forehand and hind end equalizes. Ever notice how a normal horse going too fast into a jump tends to crash but a show jumper approaching a jump at a similar speed seems to lighten off his forehand like the nose of an airplane taking off? Similar biomechanics. Probably no accident that Eric Lamazeās stallion, Rio Grande, was an accomplished dressage horse prior to his career switch to jumping.
My money is on over-tight nosebands being the major cause of breathing problems. The pressure on the horseās nose must be bone crushing. Literally. Jimmy Woford is an outspoken critic of tight flashes and figure 8s. I think heMs correct. If I have to strap my horseās mouth shut to prevent him from evading the bit, well, I probably did something terribly wrong with his training from the get-go.
Agreed that Dr. Cook has his own hobby horse in the race, but maybe thereās an idea in his argument thatās worth thinking about - maybe not. As we have discussed aspects of safety before, the notion of hypoxia leading to muscle fatigue resulting in falls maybe should be added to the mix. So many of our horses have tremendous heart and just wonāt quit even when they are near spent. As courses become more technical, are we pushing them to the point where they canāt make a controlled effort to jump and therefore are at risk of falls?
On one level this is a no brainer. Of course a tired horse will be more likely to fall. So maybe we need to monitor blood oxygen levels in order to stop the round before muscle fatigue. Just thinking on my keyboard.
Absolutely-- but I think we also have to be really careful not to present theories/ hypotheses as facts. The majority of the time the falls/ deaths discussed here are discussed immediately after they occur, and so often the information is second or thirdhand and much of it is incorrect, or at best unverified. We rarely get the actual necropsy results/ video etc. so things are never corrected. For example here are two articles about the racehorse Bobby Abu Dhabi, written pre and post necropsy:
http://www.brisnet.com/content/2018/07/bobby-abu-dhabi-suffers-fatal-cardiac-event-work-espinoza-transported-hospital/
Makes me wonder how often the falls we attribute to aortic rupture/ aneurysm/ jump design etc. have entirely different causes we never see or hear about.
Interesting! Pulse oximeter type gadgets are increasingly being used by human athletes so why not horses while competing? And the collected data could be incredibly useful.
Also keyboard thinking
Oh my giddy aunt.
First, self referencing in science is a HUGE red flag. In his article, 11 out of 20 references are his, and in the article, he does little to actually connect his work to the broader state of the art understanding. I have SO MANY issues with this from a scientific perspective. For example,
Item 10 in support of Hypothesis 1, in his assumptions is completely off base. We find anaerobes in air quite often in patients. As a matter of fact, MRSA is an anaerobe found on skin.
Also, if this is so true, the simple thing is to place a vacuum gage in a bit (just machine a port to place the sensor and wires, not difficult). We used to do this for laminar flow wings in a 5" wind tunnel. That will tell you right off the bat if there is a pressure issue.
This author makes so many jumps without any supportive data (at least references to each of his items that are suppose to validate his hypotheses) that even a 2nd grader could come to the same conclusions.
There is so much scientific handwaving in this article, I would be surprised if the author doesnāt have a dislocated shoulder.
I want to meet your aunt. She must be a hoot!
Totally agree with your points. I honestly donāt think the bit is the issue, and saying that the hypothesis hasnāt been refuted is specious if it hasnāt been tested. Which as you point out would be a fairly straightforward experiment. But I always admire your turn of words, Reed.
I was just looking at a slightly different idea from the article which is probably equally specious and was type-thinking. I will endeavor to avoid that particular activity in the future.
Ohmyheck, thatās the direction I was thinking, but someone has probably done it and found that it wasnāt helpful. Or not. Love your screen name by the way.
I like that imagery too. Worth the cost of admission.
This is what I have been thinking and trying to say for years. Without research, we have no clue what underlying causes could be.
This is such an interesting topic. Makes me think of MJs Sam, and how he always gallops kind with his throat latch open. and when you think about it, most of the good jumpers and best XC horses are horses who gallop and jump with their heads out a bit and not too high or low.
Hackamores arenāt bits. If there were such a huge benefit in going bitless, surely by now, after centuries, hackamores would more popular than bits.
OK, before we try to equate the sun rising in the west with horse falls on tables pointing 245 SSW at 4pm on even numbered Sundays, letās step back. Maybe horse gallop/jump with their heads pushed out more from spinal biomechanics than airway? Who knows what factor is predominant? Do horses compete anaerobically in stadium, so why would they push the nose out over a fence?
Asking questions is good, but they do not actually create a hypothesis (a testable question with a series of potential answers on a spectrum).
This topic is interesting but until real work is done to get real data, this is way out in the weeds. A lawn mower is definitely needed.
Let us just look at a conclusion drawn from LACK of evidence to the contrary, rather than actual supporting evidence. The whole article is bad science.
How do bits themselves contribute to muscle fatigue in a way that nothing else can explain? It sounds like better conditioning is warranted.
Human athletes are a lot less likely to kick/trample their physical therapists or try to kill themselves. A lot of vets recommend stall rest as a compromise that most people can actually manage safely.
I would rather suspect it has more to do with improved vision than some bio-mechanical reasoning involving the throat latch. Horses at liberty adjust their neck and face angles as a part of their visual focus. Iāve never liked jumping āon the bitā for the very reason that I want my horses to have enough head and neck mobility to optimize their vision.
Occamās Razor.
If you think bitless bridles canāt ācontort and manipulateā a horse you may be missing some biomechanical knowledge.
<-- Has masterās degree in biomedical engineering.
If you want to discuss how bad riding can cause fatigue and increase fall risk I am all for it. But to isolate bad riding to just presence of a bit is grossly oversimplifying things. Itās also not a great idea to use changes in pace. Because it is clearly unsafe to jump many cross country jumps without collecting the horse so arguing that collection is contortion is like saying itās okay to fly through a tricky combo strung out. And speed is not the same as strung out. This is another case where the fitness of the horse may be lacking.
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