Equine Partnership

14/10/2026

I am looking forward to this evening's webinar for the Association of Professional Bit and Bridle Fitters hosted with Equine Academy and International College of Bit & Bridle Fitters

I'll discuss up-to-date FEI rules on bitless bridles, compare them with other federations, and explore the future of bitless in competition.

Register to join the live talk at 7.30pm BST. A recording will be available for a limited time following the event.

Link in the comments or visit bridlefit.com

12/10/2026

Very excited that the Professional Bitless Bridle Fit course is one step closer to accreditation.

09/10/2026

Less riding daylight? Make the most of your yard time with an Interactive Bit & Bridle Fit Workshop. 🐴

​Get your group together to discover how different bits and bridles work with equine anatomy—and learn how to recognise fit and comfort issues on your own horse. Each session is hands-on, relaxed, and tailored to your group.

​Comment WORKSHOP below for full details, or visit my website for more info and to request a booking. Link in the comments.

Approved, registered and insured ✅

Equine Academy
International College of Bit & Bridle Fitters
Association of Professional Bit and Bridle Fitters
Equine Fitters Directory

07/10/2026

Are you a competitor or bit/bridle fitter interested in learning more about bitless bridles in competition and earning CPD?

Bitless Bridles & Their Place in Competition Webinar with APBBF What to Expect In this webinar Phillippa will explain the current (2026) FEI guidelines for bitless bridles and explore permissions for bitless bridles in other federations and associations, as well as answering the question: “Should ...

06/10/2026

WHY I DON'T MEASURE MOUTHS 🐴
It sounds counterintuitive coming from a bit fitter, but I don't physically measure your horses mouth.

When owners reach out for help, they often start with numbers: “He’s in a 5-inch, but it seems to pinch.” The assumption is that mouth sizing works like shoe sizing -measure the width, check the chart, buy the product.

The problem is that a ruler measures linear distance, while a horse’s mouth is a three dimensional space.

Two bits can measure an identical 125mm between the rings, yet fit entirely differently once placed in the mouth. Ergonomic mouthpieces with forward or upward curvature distribute pressure uniquely across the tongue and bars. Depending on the depth of that curve and the horse’s individual oral profile, that 125mm bit might sit either excessively tight or shift awkwardly across the mouth.

Off-the-shelf measures also don't account for:
❌ Conformation
❌ Biomechanics
❌ Behaviour
❌ Comfort

A quick sizing guide can sell a product, but it cannot assess a horse. True comfort requires looking at the anatomy, the ridden work, and the emotional response of the horse as a whole.

If you are struggling to find the right bit there is only one choice for peace of mind...

✅ Consult an independent fitter focused on your horse’s comfort.

Association of Professional Bit and Bridle Fitters
Equine Fitters Directory

05/10/2026

THIS MIGHT JUST SURPRISE YOU 😱
The number one issue I find as a bit and bridle fitter isn’t the bit, headpiece fit, or a tight noseband (this is a close 2nd!).
It’s actually SADDLE FIT.

Around 7/10 horses I see are working in a poorly fitted saddle. For 1-2 of those horses, the restriction is so severe that we can’t actually complete the bit consultation properly, the saddle is pinching to the point where the horse presents as functionally lame and visibly uncomfortable.

When a saddle hasn't been checked in over six months, changes in shape are expected. But the most alarming trend is how often these saddles are practically brand new, custom-made, or "checked" just weeks prior.

Delivering the news that a saddle needs adjusting or isn't even close to fitting is the hardest part of my job 🥹 but staying quiet simply isn't an option.

But hang on!.I'm there to fit a bit bridle, why look at the back? The horse’s body operates as a biomechanical chain 🔗
👉 Tension behind the wither directly restricts forelimb reach and thoracic sling engagement.
👉 A horse bracing through its back and shoulders cannot respond cleanly to rein aids or show true contact changes. Assessing the biomechanics during a fitting becomes difficult when movement is mechanically blocked from.rhe saddle.
👉 Palpating the back frequently reveals tight knots and atrophy. A bit cannot fix a horse that is in pain under the saddle.

🐴 WHAT OWNERS CAN DO
You don’t need an equine biomechanics qualification to recognise red flags. Basic owner education allows you to spot...
👉 Bridging, severe rocking, or lateral slip.
👉 Unforgiving tightness behind the scapula, even when unmounted.
👉 Behavioural signs such as pinned back ears, or stepping away during girthing.

‼️ Let me stress this one!
Don't treat the standard 6 month check-up as a rigid rule. Horses change rapidly through work, seasons, and age. Knowing when to call your fitter early prevents discomfort from turning into long-term muscular damage.

I've dropped an educational resource into the comments that I highly recommend.

📷 Photo of my horse Flicka whose saddle definitely fits 🐴💕

Association of Professional Bit and Bridle Fitters
Equine Fitters Directory

04/10/2026

CAN YOU FIT A BIT ONLINE? The short answer is "No"! An online quiz or a phone call can offer some suggestions, but nothing beats a professional bit and bridle fitter seeing the horse in person. Picking the right bit is more than just matching symptoms to a list. It involves watching the horse’s body, how it moves, and how it acts under saddle, in real time.

There are a few important reasons why it helps to see the horse in person.

Mouth Assessment
To check the horse’s anatomy properly, the fitter needs to feel and look at certain features. This means checking things like tongue thickness, palate height, bar shape, jaw width, and looking for any scarring, bone spurs, or canine teeth. Even a few millimetres can be the difference between comfort and discomfort.

Whole Body Observation
How the horse accepts the bit affects the poll, neck, shoulders, and even how much power comes from its hindquarters. Watching the horse during transitions can show if problems begin in the mouth or come from other parts of the body. By looking at the whole body before and after riding, a fitter can tell whether the bit is actually helping or just shifting tension elsewhere

Making Bit Changes
Fitting the bit in person gives immediate feedback. When you try different bits, you can quickly notice changes like a pointed eye, a balanced stride, or a swishing tail. These small signs show how the horse feels about the bit and the reins.

Adjusting the Bridle
Bridle fit is important too. If the bridle doesn’t fit right, the bit won’t work properly. Seeing the horse in person lets the fitter adjust the bridle on the spot.

If an online quiz or service promises to solve your bit-fit woes through a quiz or phone call, ask yourself: are they working as a truly independent consultant with the horse's welfare as the no.1 priority, or are they trying to sell you a bit or bridle? As a fully registered and independent consultant, I don't accept any commission on sales; quite the opposite, I give you a code to save on your purchase, adding even more value to your fitting.

Association of Professional Bit and Bridle Fitters
Equine Fitters Directory

03/10/2026

👻 SPOOKY SEASON 🐴
If your horse was relaxed and steady all Summer, but has suddenly turned into a sharp, reactive snort-monster, you’re not alone!

🍂 Autumn brings big routine shift for many horses with reduced turnout hours, diet change,, and less time spent with herd mates.

Even if a horse looks like they’re coping fine on the outside, think of their nervous system like a stress bucket 🪣

Over the Summer, that bucket was likely near-empty. But as Autumn routines kick in, less turnout, new feed, and more time in the stable start filling it up drop by drop in the background. 💧

When their stress bucket is almost to the brim before you’ve even tacked up, it only takes one tiny extra drop... 🌬️ a gust of wind, 🍁 flapping leaf, or unusual noise to make it spill over - leading to a sudden leap sideways.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Here is a proactive way to look at what’s going on and what you can do to help empty that bucket...

✅ Meet Needs Where You Can
Behaviour always comes first. If your yard routine has shifted to more stable time, do what you can within your setup to support them.
🐴 Trickle feeding, multiple hay nets dotted around the box, or extra hand-grazing and in-hand walks.
🐴 Scatter feed, lick mats, or simple stable puzzles to engage their brain.
🐴 Livery yard setups often dictate turnout limits, which can be just as stressful for owners as it is for the horses. Focus on the positive tweaks you can do 🙏.

✅ Check Your Tack
When a horse’s stress bucket is already full of environmental changes, ill-fitting bits, bridles and saddles can often be adding to the cause. Your horse may also change shape with the new routines so do take that in to account, especially with saddle fit.

A bridle pressing on a sensitive nerve, a tight noseband, an unsuitable mouthpiece, or just the wrong bitless setup for that horse can trigger an unwanted or explosive behaviour.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
Because physical discomfort directly activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight), adds continuous physical pressure into that 🪣 bucket I mentioned earlier.

A horse who tolerated a slight pinch when their bucket was practically empty in a summer field may suddenly find that exact same pressure completely unbearable when their routine shifts indoors.

Getting your bit, bridle (bitted or bitless!), and saddle assessed ensures you aren't accidentally adding physical discomfort to seasonal tension and giving them a clear, comfortable channel of communication when they need reassurance most.

Have you noticed your horse’s stress bucket filling up a bit quicker lately?

02/10/2026

Two recent bit and bitless bridle fits for these beautiful horses 🐴, I love just how different every horse I work with is, they are such individuals both in fit and personality.

I have 2 dates coming up (just off sick, so will confirm once I'm well!)

📍Kildare/Wicklow
📍Cork/ West Cork

If you would like me to come out to fit your horse please drop me a message 🗨️ 0858772543 or email [email protected]



Professional Bit and Bridle Fitter fully insured and registered with
Association of Professional Bit and Bridle Fitters Equine Fitters Directory

01/10/2026

HOW LIGHT DO YOUR HANDS ACTUALLY FEEL DOWN THE REIN? 🐴

At a recent workshop, I brought along digital luggage scales attached to a set of reins and asked riders to hold what they felt was their "normal," appropriate contact.

The results were eye-opening!
🐴 The variation across riders was massive.
🐴 Almost everyone assumed they were riding with significantly less tension than the scales revealed.

It raised a fundamental question ⁉️ When we hear targets like "250g of contact," are we applying that per rein, overall, or unintentionally holding kilograms of load?

This hands-on disconnect ties can be linked to research such as Musial & Weiss, 2025, comparing equestrian rein tensions to human pain thresholds.

The science shows us that...
✅ Only the lowest recorded tensions fall into what would be pain-free.
✅ Typical average-to-peak rein tensions recorded in studies would induce strong to severe pain in humans.
✅ Peak spikes frequently reach levels that would cause soft-tissue damage.

As a bitless bridle fitter, this hits home: bitless does not mean pressure-free. Whether force is directed onto the tongue, bars of the mouth or across the nasal bone and poll (where studies on tight nosebands already show concerning tissue pressures), tension is still tension.

Bridging the gap between what we think we feel and what the horse actually experiences is why practical awareness tools are now an essential part of my workshops.

This is where I believe so many bitted riders and many professionals fall down when it comes to bitless bride fitting - because they forget about the coaching aspect. They can only see riding with a contact from a narrow (traditional) perspective whereas riding bitless requires a new (modern) approach. If you don't understand the coaching that goes alongside the bridle, how can you be expected to successfully transition your client to bitless? (Defining success in this way is a whole conversation)

I believe this is also why we are going to struggle with research in bitless because the people running the studies (while they may be incredibly devoted, and talented) do not understand this approach, so the planning will be flawed. I realise I come under a lot of criticism for putting research under the microscope but it is really important that we debate approaches so that we can work towards higher welfare outcomes for horses.

The next time you're riding your horse whether it's a bit or a bitless bridle be aware of your hands and ask how much weight are you putting on your horse.