There should be bit-less bridles in SSO!

Okay, so, I generally try not to get into things like this because equipment/horse care/the lot is a very personal experience and there's a ton of very strong opinions out there. Most people do the best that they can to their ability and so many do what they do out of love and do their absolute best. How this actually affect our horses depends, as every horse is different, and in the end we're going to have to accept a lot of things and sometimes step out of the picture.

But given that the purpose of this seems to be to 'educate' people, let's try to remain critical here, too, and check our sources and information often. And yes, this is going to be a long post probably because there is a lot going on here and in that video. And please excuse my English, I'm not too familiar with specific horse terms outside of Norwegian.

First of all, I am personally a fan of bitless bridles. I enjoy the concept of less is more when it comes to horses. I personally believe that barefoot, bitless, bareback and outside is the ideal to aim for. Many people will disagree with this and that's fine. As long as people do what they do with genuine intention, I don't really bother. I also personally believe that SSO should implement far more options for horse equipment in their game as well, so it's not like I disagree with this overall argument. Yes to bitless bridles. Yes to TC saddles and bareback tack and boots. Yes to variety so we can equip our virtual pretend horses however we want!

This video, however, could do with some work on the fact side. The first thing that really hit me was the use of those animations from the Nevzorov Haute Ecole. Their teachings are somewhat questionable in general given their stance on riding in general (which they also consider harmful) and while they certainly have some points, they're a bit too much on the extreme scale for many. The animation also uses a regular two part bit (snaffle bit?) which is one of the worst bits there is (not the kindest, as the video says at a later point). Without actual sources and proper evidence, which is not supplied with that Nevzorov video either (the brief 'this was reseached! Such findings wow' isn't nearly enough to create a compelling argument), it is difficult to know if this information is sound. Saying there's scientific evidence is fruitless - there's scientific evidence for everything. As far as I know, someone took an already biased conclusion to research and twisted it even more and then created a 'scare film'. The accuracy is questionable.

Regarding the argument about the trigeminal nerve is also pretty silly. Given the location of this nerve (basically everywhere) then using a bitless bridle would affect it heavily as well. In fact, a ton of things would affect it, then. Without a considerable amount of research to back this and sufficient research on the affect of other types of equipment of this nerve, this feels like a moot point.

To be honest, this video shows no context. It takes random (often probably the most uncomfortable ones they could find) clips completely out of context to put together 'shock imagery' and I do not support that, no matter the cause. And this argument of 'why can you shove a metal harm device in the mouth of your companion' is a little lacking, too. This could go for anything. Why do you nail metal to it's feet? Why do you sit up on it's back in a badly fitted saddle? Why do you climb onto it's back at all? Why do you feed your horse grains? Why do you give it apples as treats? Why do you leave it in a stable for so many hours? Why do you restrict it's meals? All of these things are harmful for most horses to some degree. All of them, if done wrong, will probably result in your horse losing it's life eventually or severe harm.

Let's face it - a horse's very existence will bring harm with it. All living creatures experience pain and discomfort. No matter what you do and how hard you try, you will harm your horse in some way. We can aim to minimize it as much as possible, but everything you do with your horse in terms of riding and competing will increase the odds of injury and increase wear and tear.

A bitless bridle, if used wrong, can harm your horse a lot. The bones on the front that it rests on aren't thick (seriously, it's some thin stuff). A badly fitted bit, and very few people are actually good at fitting bits in the first place, will definitively cause harm to your horse to some extent. Just like a badly done shoeing will harm your horse's feet, a badly done trim will do the same. One being more 'natural' does not automatically make it good. Very little equipment is in itself so bad it will harm your horse regardless. The harmfulness of any equipment is completely up to the individual that uses it. Every horse is different, every human is different and every single relationship between a horse and human is different. There's no correct or wrong way. Scare tactics won't help anyone and it certainly won't educate anyone - the best to do is teach people to be critical, think and use logic for themselves. Trying to scare them without actually educating someone properly is not okay. Seriously.

Also, just because, regarding the video's comment of not wanting buckles because they break easily - that can be a good thing. It can save your horse's life. I enjoy rope halters a lot myself, but because it doesn't give you can risk serious damage. If a horse bolts with a lead attached and steps on the rope and it doesn't give, it could snap it's neck. There's a lot of force.

Yes, let's get bitless bridles! Let's get more equipment! But let's actually try to spread actual information, let's question sources and information. Learn. Don't just listen.

/rant over lol