July 7, 2012 Port Townsend, Washington

July 7 and 8, 2012 Port Townsend, Washington Mitzi Summers Bitless bridle workshop . Last summer, a horse on a local trail spooked, reared,and flipped completely over onto the rider, breaking the rider’s leg in two places and rendering the horse unconscious on top of them. I believe the rider’s unavoidable reaction to the spook in snatching at the reins to maintain their seat caused the bit to hit the horse so hard in its mouth that it reared violently in reaction to the pain. On occasion, in response to a hard spook or bolt I myself have automatically snatched hard at my reins to maintain my seat. I am able to regain control of my horse and I don’t unintentionally cause my horse pain, because they always wear a Dr. Cooks bitless bridle. I discovered Dr. Cook’s bitless bridles on the internet and was quickly sold on the concept of bridling effectively without pain or discomfort. I read Dr. Cook’s book, “Metal in the Mouth” and was astonished at his findings. Once I understood how far reaching the effects of bitted bridles were for the horse and the rider, I began observing the behavior of horses with bits. I noticed bitted horses appeared internalized and distracted. They fussed with the bits; rolling, grinding, salivating and chomping. Some horses would toss their heads. Overall, bitted horses displayed various signs of discomfort. Conversely, horses that I observed being ridden without bits seemed softer, more relaxed, comfortable and engaged with the world around them in comparison to the bitted horses. I became a firm advocate of the bitless bridle and longed to share with others what I considered a humane and effective alternative to the traditional bit. I did not have much of a platform to broadcast from. I was not an instructor, horse show participant, judge or anyone of note in the horse community. I was resigned to introducing the bitless bridle only to my small group of friends I trail rode with. A few months ago, I happened across Dr. Cook’s experiment in which he changed only one variable and measured the results. In the video, four horses in snaffle bits are asked to walk, trot, canter, back, and halt. Then the one variable is changed, and the horses are fitted in bitless bridles to repeat the exact tasks. The horses had never been in bitless bridles previously. To measure the results of the experiment, Mitzi Summers, a world renowned riding instructor, judge, and clinician scored the horses as she would a horse show. The changes in the horses were obvious and immediate. They had much enhanced comfort, movement and relaxation. As an unbiased judge scoring what she observed, Mitzi Summers gave the horse far greater scores when they were bitless. I shared the video with my husband, and it made an equally strong impression on him. We were inspired and talked about hosting such a demonstration in our own small town. My husband contacted Dr. Cook’s bitless bridle company and shared our idea asking for their support. The Dr. Cook’s representative gave us the contact details for their bitless consultant, Mitzi Summers, and we wrote her an email requesting that she come and represent our bitless bridle workshop. Now mind you, I was squirming with embarrassment even before I pushed “send” because I felt so intimidated approaching someone of Mitzi’s international caliber. We live in a small community in the Pacific Northwest of Washington state, and we are nobodies in the horse world. I didn’t expect to hear back from her anytime soon, and I was certain she would be far too busy and important to bother with the likes of us. I was wrong. Mitzi got back to us in less than 24 hours with an enthusiastic and supportive phone call. She told us that she would be delighted to come to our little community and conduct a workshop. Neither my husband nor I had ever attended a horsemanship workshop or clinic, let alone created and hosted one of our own, but with Mitzi’s support and direction we never looked back. What began as a hazy concept in which we could demonstrate the immediate and visible positive effects of the bitless bridle to a large group of people morphed into a two day workshop in which the bitless bridle would figure prominently. Mitzi in her wisdom and experience understood that the concept of riding bitless is a radical and often fearful one for many folks. At her suggestion, the first workshop day was called “Problem solving using the Bitless bridle as a tool” and the second day was a “Centered Riding” workshop featuring the principles of the founder, Sally Swift. We invited riders from all backgrounds, ages, and disciplines to join us. The local Jefferson Equestrian Association was very supportive and sponsored the workshops which were a great success and exceeded all expectations. The sun shone down on a very diverse group of 28 riders and several auditors assembled in Port Townsend, Washington at the local fairgrounds. There were beginning riders, trail riders, experienced event competitors, and 4H members as young as eleven and riders well into their sixties. Watching Mitzi work was simply awe inspiring. She made it look effortless, yet at the end of an hour; five riders would be sitting upright, transformed; relaxed and happy on horses that were reflecting their riders’ demeanor and wearing bitless bridles that had been so deftly added under Mitzi’s instruction that their addition seemed almost an after thought. The way in which Mitzi incorporated the bitless bridles was masterful without the focus ever really being on the bridles per se, but as part of an entire lesson that focused on the horse, the rider, and the complete pair. Yet at the end of a session there they would be; bitless horses going calmly, comfortably and easily under their beaming riders. No head shaking, no mouth gaping, no anxiety, just a seemingly collective, “whew!” At the end of each day, participants would eagerly inquire about purchasing their own bitless bridle. Now, thanks to the dedication, passion, genius and fortitude of Dr. Cook, and the support of his team featuring the incomparable Mitzi Summers, the Olympic Peninsula horse community in Washington State has learned that there is a more effective and kinder way to bridle the noble horse. .

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