Bitless methods of communication are historically older than bitted methods. Nevertheless, the majority of horsemen today are more familiar with the bit method than any other. The result is that ingrained in the thinking of most riders and drivers is the idea that a bit is necessary for control. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Nevertheless, it is understandable that many are nervous about dispensing with such a familiar and traditional method.

The riding or driving of a horse is an inherently high-risk activity and is so recognized by the laws of most states in the USA. If one engages in equitation, one has to accept that risk is involved and that there is no such thing as a guaranty of safety. So a more appropriate question to ask would be, "What steps can a rider take to decrease the likelihood of accidents?"

The bit is a potent source of pain and a common cause of the four F's (see above). By removing the bit one reduces the likelihood of accidents. A bit does not control a horse like a brake controls a car. On the contrary, because the bit causes pain, it often has quite the opposite effect. Horses run from pain. The bit is a common cause of bolting, bucking, rearing and many other dangerous responses. It is not 'safe' to hurt and frighten an animal as powerful as a horse. Of the 87 different ways in which a horse expresses its aversion to the bit, 65 (75%) of these ways increase the likelihood of accidents. For example, one risk with a bit is that a horse will respond to actual or remembered pain and take the bit between its teeth. At this point, the rider has no control at all and the horse can do whatever it wants. Many choose to run from pain and bolt.

With the Bitless Bridle, communication is both painless and non-cancellable. At no time can the rider be deprived of the means of communication. At no time can instances of dangerous and unacceptable behavior (bolting, rearing, bucking, headshaking, stumbling etc.) be triggered by bit-inflicted pain.

Consider also the following scenario, when a bitted horse spooks at some imagined monster that it sees or hears. Understandably, many a rider will be temporarily thrown off balance by the horse's sudden spinning movement. Equally understandably, the rider's instinctive reaction is to use the reins to regain her balance. As the whole of her body weight is momentarily thrown against the horse's mouth, this gives the horse a sudden and intense pain. From the horse's point of view this adds injury to fright and confirms the horse in its opinion that the monster was for real. Next time it sees or hears the same monster it will spook even quicker and the degree of spook escalates. But, for the present moment, the horse will simply 'take-off.' Now the rider is frightened and, once again quite understandably, begins to haul vigorously on the reins. This serves to increase the horse's pain and exacerbates its panic. Running turns to bolting and, because of the pain, the horse is no longer thinking straight. Galloping 'blind with fear' it may now crash headlong into anything in its way. Serious or even fatal injury to horse and rider may be the final outcome.

Now let's consider the much less dangerous sequence of events when a horse spooks in a Bitless Bridle. The rider clutches at the reins but this time all that she does is to give her horse's head a painless jog. The horse is not in any way bothered by this and the situation does not go from bad to worse. Recovery from the spook is more rapid. Furthermore, nothing has been imprinted on the horse's memory that will result in increasing nervousness in the future.

The research that I have done over the last five years on the effect of the bit on the behavior of the horse has taught me that its most frequent and most serious effect is to cause fear. The very presence of that piece of metal in the mouth explains countless instances of horses that are variously described by their riders as being anxious, unpredictable, nervous, frightened, spooky, panicky, tense and stressed.

It is reasonable to conclude, by way of answer to the question under consideration that, though no guaranty of absolute safety can be given for any activity to do with horses, a rider is less likely to have an accident when riding with The Bitless Bridle™ than when riding with a bitted bridle.