The Athletic Horse Bit and Bridle Fit Consultancy & Equine Bodywork

24/07/2025

It’s heartbreaking to STILL see so many horses with tight nosebands which are totally unnecessary and cruel. Your horse can MOVE so much better and with more FREEDOM and with a longer stride length in a correctly fitted cavesson.

As soon as I arrive to work with a client, if their horse is wearing a flash or drop of any kind, I remove it. I can’t do my job, and get feedback from the horse in a bit trial if the horse doesn’t have the option to open their mouth to let me know how they are coping with the pressure. (Sometimes it’s not related to the bit but that’s a whole different subject!)

It never ceases to surprise me how much more relaxed the horse often is without something to close their mouth. Usually, to the rider’s delight. I’m not sure how many return to their drops and flashes afterwards. I fear it’s more do than don’t. But I live in hope. Especially when the evidence is presented - time and time again.

A new scientific study co-authored by Animalweb’s own Dr David Marlin in conjuction with Anglia Ruskin University students Emily Hopkins and Stacie Whitrod and ARU Writtle Associate Professor of Animal Biomechanics and Sports Medicine and School Research Lead Dr Roberta Blake, has found that tight...

20/07/2025

Lovely day spent with clients at Ali Lane's Dressage Camp at The Unicorn Centre in Stow on the Wold yesterday.
Well done to the hardcore who braved the rain and how lucky were you if you were scheduled to ride in the afternoon beneath blue skies!!
Thank you to Ali for inviting me to participate on these fabulous clinics, such lovely horses and ponies and people. Some familiar faces and some new! Looking forwards to next month already and am know my day is already full booked.

15/07/2025

Thank you to Sarah for this photo of handsome ‘Storm’ trying out a few different bits this afternoon. Don’t know about a storm, but we certainly had quite a downpour (though still not enough ☔️), but that didn’t stop our smiles, why are horsey folk all a little crazy 🤪!
I meet such lovely people and now Storm is out of his waterford (I reallly DISLIKE waterfords) and into something kinder, yet more effective.

15/07/2025

I have space along the below route/s on Monday 21st July. For bridle fitting, bit consulting or equine sport massage 😃

I am a LANTRA qualfied bridle fitter; a LANTRA qualified INDEPENDENT bit and bridle fit consultant I carry many different brands of bits and bridles; I hold a Neue Schule bitting science qualification and am a member of EAPER "Ethos Accredited Professionals Equine Register" & Society of Master Saddlers member.

Please PM for more information / pricing please check out my website / reviews 😍. Thank you.

www.theathletichorse.co.uk

13/07/2025

Just taken delivery of another range of bits to add to my toolkit (yes I am weird and obsessed); these are beautifully crafted small bits for tiny mouths. Pony owners often struggle to find bits small enough to to fit their tiny mouths; this range have smaller mouth diameters and smaller cheeks and all under 4.5”, some are even non-metal which are often impossible to find in small sizes.
I don’t sell bits which enables me to carry a larger range for clients to try as I don’t have to carry stock to sell. It also means I have no allegiance to any particular brand and can be totally impartial.

13/07/2025

This has been a topic of discussion a few times over the past couple of weeks with my therapy clients. And then I happen to see this post below which was timely for me to share. I understand why it can be confusing but you owe it to your horse to ensure you know who you are asking to fit your saddles and importantly they are Qualified.

🐴 SADDLER - clue is in the name, someone who qualified to MAKE saddles (not a FITTER)

🐴 FITTER - someone who is qualified to FIT saddles, but not MAKE them (so not a SADDLER)

Yes there are a handful of folk that are qualfied to do both.

www.mastersaddlers.co.uk

The terms are used interchangeably but there's a big difference... and, just to add to the confusion, some people are BOTH.

Check out the Society of Master Saddlers website, and use their super dooper search function to find your local Saddler, Saddle Fitter, Bridle Maker, Bridle Fitter, Harness Maker... etc.

10/07/2025

Is there anything better than British countryside? I think not. My view this morning just outside Monmouth where I arrived for my first client for a bridle / bit consultation. Thankfully my consultations were all this morning before the heat took hold! And all recommendations via word of mouth which is how 99% of my work comes to me. Plus I get to meet the nicest people who want the best for their equines 😍

06/07/2025

Please don't let anyone 'pull' on your horse's tongue, no matter how well intentioned. There is no science to suggest or prove that this method has any benefit whatsoever and worse case scenario it could well result in damage to the delicate hyoid structure. Trust me, in the unlikely event your horse's hyoid was misaligned you would know 😍

Horse owners please note! This subject is back! I heard a very disturbing tale some time ago now from a dental colleague (a BAEDT member) who had been treating the same horse for a number of years with no problems; this year, the owner decided to use a 'dentist' new to the area (not BAEDT) who 'diagnosed' various problems, but recommended to 'exercise' the tongue by pulling it out from side to side at full extension to help 'realign' the hyoid apparatus (see pic). Since this treatment (and one session of tongue pulling) the horse was unrideable due to violent evasive head movements under saddle and the owner was left distraught and wondering what had happened.

The hyoid apparatus is a set of delicate bones, one of which (no.3 in the diagram) is attached to the base of the tongue. The bones, delicate joints or the tongue itself could easily be potentially irreversibly damaged by such 'treatment' 😔

We have heard a few tales of tongue pulling to 'realign' the hyoid apparatus, and there seem to be a growing number of videos on Youtube, Facebook etc of persons performing this 'technique'. Some appear to be very credible professional looking people that I can only assume are doing as they have been taught by someone else. No disrespect to you, but please think again before performing or recommending this technique. Mostly it was Australia but it appears to be spreading like a disease around the globe. The first person attributed to this was Dr Kerry Ridgeway in USA, however he did not publish any scientific evidence or research about it and there are reports of it doing more harm than any possible good.

The hyoid is not a 'gyroscope' for the horse as stated in one video, and to attempt to realign the hyoid through tongue pulling, manipulation or any other method is in our view potentially damaging, and a potential welfare issue. Also, logically if the hyoid was ‘displaced’ or ‘out of alignment’ you would 100% know about it as your horse would be in marked distress and no amount of tongue pulling would help.

It is really important that all professionals whether they are body workers, physiotherapists, dental technicians or vets work together as a team for the good of the horse - we must all follow the science - there is none for this. Please, do not let anyone attempt to manipulate your horse's hyoid apparatus.

04/07/2025

Congratulations to Jade and Jemimah achieving third place in very good company at their first Festival of Dressage (it would have been a win but for a little ‘joie de vivre’ in one part of the test).

It was a real treat to work with them earlier this week. Jemimah is a BIG moving horse but upon meeting her close up, she is quite a modern, lighterweight, sensitive warmblood. She doesn’t have the typical large tongue of most warmbloods and has a petite, sensitive mouth.

We completely changed both the bradoon and the weymouth to different metals / brands / diameters allowing more refinement and resolving some of the issues Jade had with her previous bits 😍