The document discusses the history of how humans have controlled horses. Early attempts involved piercing the horse's nostrils with rings, which was ineffective and caused pain. This led to the invention of the horse bit, a piece of tack placed in the horse's mouth that is used to steer the animal by pulling on the reins attached to left and right corners of its mouth. While the bit allows for control, the entire history of horse riding has been based on inflicting pain on horses to guide their movements.