3-day eventing is an equine competition involving three phases; Cross Country, Show Jumping, and Dressage. The winner often comes down to the dressage score. Dressage is a test of a riders connection with their horse, based on obedience, flexibility, and balance. Dressage tests include a series of maneuvers that are graded out of ten. These are added up and converted into a score of "faults" (often around 30-40). The lower the number, the better the score.

The Rambo Micklem Competition Bridle created by William Micklem in 2008 promises to improve a horse's connection with the bit, decreasing their dressage scores, and thus increasing the chances of winning. This is done through its ergonomic design that alleviates 5 main pressure points on a horse's face that a regular Cavesson bridle fails to avoid. Previous

g by Dr. Orla M. Doherty found that the pressure put on a horses' fragile nose bone is equal to that of an inhumane shock on cattle. By proving the Rambo Micklem Competition Bridle decreases pressure on the face, and increases dressage score, the tenths of points that separate winners and losers can come down to bridle and the overall comfort of the horse.

I tested this product on two fronts. First I gathered video and scores of 100 dressage tests, 50 in the Micklem Bridle, and 50 in a traditional Cavesson noseband, using an online archive. Then, I compared these averages to a sample study of my own: Taking 10-15 horses, riding 2018 USEA Beginner Novice Test A in both a Micklem and a Cavesson, and comparing the scores. Furthermore, during the acclimation period I took the horses heart rates to observe a potential spike in heart rate when introduced to the Cavesson as opposed to the Micklem.

The comparison of the archived video scores show an average score of a 33.456 for the cavesson bridle, and an average score of 32.628 for the Micklem. The p value for this is 0.3534 This is a statistically insignificant difference. However, in application this difference is significant. Furthermore, the average peak heart rate for the Cavesson bridle was 34.69bpm, and for the Micklem was 34.15bpm. This is also insignificant (P=.6456). Finally, the direct comparison of the two bridles yielded an average score of 38.09 for the Cavesson bridle, and a 37.97 for the Micklem. This number is insignificant (P=.9439).

To conclude, the insignificance of this number is a placebo effect' around this bridle. The hundreds of reviews around this bridle claim a significant difference in the horse. However, the data presents no foundation in these claims. Furthermore, another reason for this number to remain insignificant is a non-numerical difference. Many reviews commend a more supple horse that is easily brought into a frame. This cannot be easily applied in a lab setting.