The Big Bitless Boniform

2021 Results Summary 

In Summary... 

We're so pleased to see bitless riding and driving is more accessible and accepted than ever before.  Steady progress is being made allowing equestrians more options to improve the welfare of their horses in competition. 

We're seeing that bullying and ridicule of bitless and bridleless equestrians is no longer common place. This is a really positive sign for the future and to stop bullying in equestrian sports in general.

There is still a lot of work to be done in competitive events and to secure parity for bitless equestrians. Equestrian associations are very resistant to change, and are not doing enough to prioritise horse welfare. Even organisations making an effort to modernise are more concerned about potentially losing members than putting the horses first.

At Bitless Inc, we have always been at the pointy end of leading positive change for the equestrian industry, and proving that anything you can do with a bit, can be done better bitless.  We look forward to repeating the Big Bitless Boniform again in a few years' time to compare what further progress we have made over time. 

In the meantime, join us in the good fight, - we need your support! Become a Member of Bitless Inc today. 

Most respondents (34.5%) have been rding or driving bitless for 4-10 years, with 23.9% having 1-3 years of experience with bitless. Only 11.1% of respondants had 20 or more years bitless experience.  

40.3% say it has been more than a year since they last used bits, with (39.5%) continuing to use bits at least some of the time, or for competitions.

 67.4% said they had been unaffected by Covid Restrictions, with 20.2% saying Restrictions had a positive effect on their time with their horses, and 16.2% saying it had a negative effect.

ARE BITLESS EQUESTRIANS EXPERIENCING DISCRIMINATION?

We're pleased to see that most of our respondents say they can participate bitless in their local equestrian communities, although only 30.3% can do so unconditionally. 

5.3% can only do so if they demonstrate competency in advance.

23.8% are only allowed to participate in certain activities.

21.3% would like to compete but are not welcome bitless. This includes 4.8% who say the rules allow bitless, but they do not due to peer pressure or open discrimination.

54.8% of respondents enjoy bitless lessons, including 10.3% taking lessons virtually/online. 

47.1% of respondents also give bitless lessons to others as paid professionals, volunteers or to help friends or family.

WHY ARE SO FEW BITLESS EQUESTRIANS COMPETING?

42.7% of our respondents have no interest in competition.

Of those that do compete, 47.2% say they do so purely for fun. 27.3% love their chosen sport, and 23.9% like to try new things. 

Only 36.6% are Always or Usually bitless in club events or competitions. 

23.3% say they never participate bitless, but would like to.

WHAT IS GOING WELL FOR BITLESS EQUESTRIANS?

Bitless Equestrians are passionate about demonstrating the benefits of bitless. 49.1% said they Strongly Agree and another 26% Agree. 

One trend that is very positive is looking at how long people 4have been bitless. While only 11.1% of respondents were bitless 20 years ago, twice that many people changed to bitless in the last 10 years, and another 34% 5 years ago. The number of bitless equestrians is steadily increasing.

WHAT CHALLENGES ARE BITLESS EQUESTRIANS FACING?

WHO PARTICIPATED

The Big Bitless Boniform was open only to persons who have experience riding or driving bitless and the survey received a fantastic 377 responses between 5th September and 5th November 2020.

35.5% of respondents were from Australia. People from 33 different countries are represented, including all age groups.

95.5% of respondents ride or drive their own equines, with 13.8% also engaging with client's horses.

The majority of respondents (63.7%) regularly engage with one or two horses, with 27.9% riding or driving 3-5 horses regularly.