Table of Contents

[2014] Measurement of bit-pain in the ridden horse. Between 2002 and 2008, using a psychometric approach, 56 controlled experiments with one variable were conducted by riders who switched their horse from a bitted to a bitless bridle and documented before-and-after behavior. Click here to read the article in PDF format.
Click here for the Ridden Behavior Ethogram questionaire.

[ 2014]  Open letter to the British Horse Society.  Horse welfare and training for equestrians. Click here to read the letter in PDF format

[2014] Increase Comfort, Reduce Risk: The Bitless Bridle, by: Jessica Jahiel, PhD.  A review of the harmful effects of bits on equine behavior, gaits and balance, together with some thoughts on increasing horse comfort to decrease rider risk. Click here to read Jessica’s article in Fall 2014 ESMA Newsletter.

[2014] Bibliography (Robert Cook) The following document is divided into three sections – Section 1: Veterinary Publications, Section 2: Publications In Horseman’s Journals & Online and Section 3: Articles About The Bit And Bitless Equitation From Independendent Authors. The first two sections of the document are Dr. Cook’s bibliography on varied but mostly ENT topics. Articles more directly relevant to bit research are printed in red type and the peer-reviewed ‘bit’ articles are highlighted in yellow. The third section is a partial listing of articles about bitless riding written by independent authors. Click here to read the collection of articles in PDF Format