Hopefully, most of you are familiar with the name Dr. Robert Cook by now. Here’s some background though.
So a few years back, we were out protesting in front of Saratoga, and a professional photographer, friendly to our cause, was taking shots of us. When she mentioned she’d be going in to take pictures of the patrons, Nicole asked if she would take some of the horses’ heads, with all the attached paraphernalia. She took the powerful images below. When I first looked at these, I saw abuse; I saw sadness. But who am I, just an activist, right? So I asked Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a world-renowned animal behaviorist who sits on our advisory board, to write a statement on these photos. He had a better idea.
Dr. Dodman reached out to a colleague of his from Tufts University, the aforementioned Dr. Cook. Dr. Cook had spent most of his professional career, decades long, researching, teaching, and writing about equine ear, nose, and throat. Can’t get much more expert than that. When we first spoke, Dr. Cook was, understandably, a bit reluctant to attach his name to an animal-rights org, but I was ultimately able to assure him that all I was looking for was his considered opinion on what these horses were (are) experiencing. He would go on to write this devastating statement on bits. Here are some highlights:
“All of these racehorses will run their forthcoming race in pain from the bit…the declared purpose of which is to apply pressure on the bars of the mouth, the jawbone.
“The horse is a nose-breathing animal and cannot mouth-breathe. In the wild it runs with a closed mouth, sealed lips…a bit breaks the lip seal, admits air into the mouth, and unlocks the soft palate, which now obstructs the airway.
“As their lungs are repeatedly bruised and quickly waterlogged…some horses may experience severe chest pain and a frightening sensation of drowning. Any one of them could die from so-called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.
“In a word, all of these horses will experience varying degrees of suffocation.
“The physical and emotional enormity of bit usage would be difficult to overstate. Its self-evident purpose to cause pain is bad enough, but its unintended consequence of asphyxiation brings to mind the method’s similarity to that of waterboarding.
“In my opinion, a bitted rein is a whip by another name; an unrecognized lung-damaging device that, during extreme physical exercise, inevitably causes pain, suffocation and premature exhaustion.”
Take a moment to process all that. “Drowning.” “Suffocation.” “Asphyxiation.” “Waterboarding.” An expert’s words, not mine.
I am revisiting all this because (besides the obvious) Dr. Cook sadly passed away this past August. I found his obituary particularly telling. It opened thus:
“Dr. William Robert ‘Bob’ Cook, FRCVS, PhD – scientist, artist, gentleman – died on August 25, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was 94.
“Bob was a pioneer in equine veterinary medicine whose career challenged millennia of horse training tradition by proving that bits cause pain, suffocation, and the very behavioral problems they’re meant to solve. A veterinary iconoclast who spent decades fighting to ‘unshackle the horse,’ his research revealed that bit-free riding eliminated conflict behaviors…. His final article is soon to be published.”
His work on bits at the very top. I could never have thanked Dr. Cook enough for his contributions – for his voice. Horses had no better friend.
I am not familiar with Dr. Cook, however here’s hoping his loved ones see how admired he was for the stance on horses treatment from HRW.
My condolences to Dr. Cook’s family.
I was very sorry to hear of Dr. Cook’s passing……I discovered Dr. Cook’s research and writing about 20 years ago, as the woman I took lessons from was a certified Dr. Cook bitless bridal representative. I immediately switched to the bitless bridle. What a difference!!
I no longer ride, as my relationship with horses has evolved into something completely different, but Dr. Cook’s work was ground breaking, and spared many horses the pain of a bit. The best thing we can do is to keep his work alive. I hope someone else is continuing his research.
We began using a Dr. Cooks bit-less bridle on our farms Seattle Slew / Northern Dancer cross horse > 12 years ago at the suggestion of a friend. The horse is actually better at stopping & more responsive to cues when riding. He is the most challenging Thoroughbred we have taught to be ridden in > 40 years! RIP Dr. Cook. He will be greatly missed by many. The photos of all those horses above just make us cringe! Our horses have NEVER had lip chains or tongue ties or twitches used on them! We utilize other more humane methods of distracting a horse when we need to perform vet. work.
Dr. Cook’s work has touched me deeply. He was a true pioneer in equine medicine and a fearless advocate for the horse’s welfare. His research into the effects of bits and his development of the Bitless Bridle opened the door to a kinder, more compassionate way of riding and understanding our horses.
I’ve always admired his willingness to question tradition and stand up for what he knew was right for the horse. Because of his dedication, countless horses are now able to move, breathe, and live with greater comfort. His legacy continues every time a rider chooses empathy over habit.
Thank you, Dr. Cook, for reminding us that good horsemanship begins with listening to the horse.
I had read Dr. Cook’s evaluation of bits breaking the seal of a horse’s mouth before I discovered Horseracing Wrongs. After reading about the tying of horses’ tongues, I can’t even describe how much I hate the insane stupidity of the so-called horsemen in this inhumane industry.
So sorry to hear that Dr. Cook has passed away. His work is appreciated so much.