To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

Are you saying that anyone who eats meat is not allowed to suggest there may be cruelty involved in some sports involving animals? (Just checking)

I can apply pressure to my own skin, doesn’t mean I’m causing myself pain.

My point is that that pressure translates to pain if the horse essentially goes against the riders wishes. If I want to go left and some caresses my shoulder, I'm still going left. If someone grabs my shoulder using anoufht pressure that it causes pain, I'll stop.

If your horse goes a bit wild, would you increase the pressure? When do you think it crosses the pain threshold and when it's that ok?

Filthy hypocrite’. Nice. More name calling

One person in the horse world (previous career) said (they genuinely didn't think it was an issue) that yes the bit will hurt the horse if it doesn't follow commands. Once a horse follows the command of the rider it doesn't hurt so much. I valued her honesty. But that it not something I want to be a part of.

A lot of riders also are honest in that bitless riding does not give them the control they want. Yet no horse person on here wants to hear that.

I think it is generally because horses are cattle. We are much more tolerant to cruelty and physical abuse of cattle than other animals

Didn’t you already confirm upthread that you’re not a vegan?

Meaning you condone and directly fund the exploitation and slaughter of cattle on a daily basis. Which hardly puts you in a position of moral authority when it comes to cruelty to animals, does it?

What makes you qualified to condemn dressage as cruel when you’re happy to accept what happens to cows on beef and dairy farms?

Could it be that this thread isn’t actually about animal cruelty at all, but actually just an opportunity for you to be a filthy hypocrite to entertain yourself by taking pot shots at people who participate in a sport you don’t like?

Or perhaps this is the start of a brave new era for you. Perhaps in your own words you’ll start ‘thinking critically’ and stop paying for animals to be killed for your pleasure, eh?

@Bryonyshcmyony I think if you have to resort to insults and name calling, you’ve already lost so probably best to leave

Cavesson noseband*

As explained to you countless times a bit provides pressure. It doesn’t cause pain. If you don’t know the difference between pressure and pain then there’s no way it can be discussed like an adult.
The bit I use applies pressure to the bars of my horses mouth. It does not pinch. It does not cause dental issues. His mouth doesn’t bleed. His bit is relatively thick, again to distribute pressure over a wider area. It has a lozenge which prevents the nut cracker action against the roof of the mouth. It also has loose rings which means it’s not fixed, it hangs in the mouth
I also ride in an anatomical bridle which bypasses the facial nerves. My horse isn’t strapped into the bridle. I use a simple caves on noseband which is done up loosely.

Anyway, I'll probably end up getting banned if I say what I really think of some of the posters on this thread, so sad though it will be as its been so entertaining, I'm going to hide the thread now

@gwenneh yes it is.

That’s what I mean @Bryonyshcmyony you illustrated my point excellently. You have to be rude and snide and resort to insults, you can’t conduct an adult conversation without name calling.

There was one winner of the dressage contest who supposedly also won in the nineties. No mention of the horse, guess it was with a different one then hmm

OP, what do you expect when this was your opening post?

..And the bit where there’s apparently no abuse happening with dressage horses. Anywhere. Even though I posted this about an Olympian dressage rider. www.google.co.uk/amp/s/horsesport.com/horse-news/dressage-olympian-banned-three-years-abusing-daughters-pony/ But it was just ignored because it doesn’t suit your narrative of all the horses being loved and adored by their riders/owners and gently put out to pasture once they retire.

It's designed to put pressure on facial/dental nerves to induce a reaction that's possible to the rider but detrimental to the horse.

And it's been explained to you, repeatedly, that this is not what a bit is designed to do nor is it how a properly fitted bit functions.

Your decision not to believe that, and to cite Dr. Cook as a source, makes it pretty clear that you're not looking for evidence, you're looking for a "GOTCHA, ENTIRE EQUESTRIAN WORLD!" that you're not going to find.

And no, I don't need to "examine my own narrative" because some numpty on the Internet doesn't understand how horses work.

@gwenneh, I think maybe the question about putting on a bit yourself along with a 30kg backpack and running about and seeing how you liked it. Nobody rose to that one.

Given that my head, mouth and dental architecture are nothing like a horses, and I weigh less than twice the 30kg backpack, I decided this was so ridiculous that I wasn't wasting my time.

I strongly suspect that many other posters felt the same.

*positive

Unless of course you can provide country evidence

Which question has been evaded? The action of the bit and what a properly fitted bit does has been discussed extensively upthread.