Any bitless bridle horror stories?

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Hattiehorse

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Well, we've been recommended by a friend to try a Dr Cook bitless bridle as they think it would really help speedy pony. And I've always been quite interested in them as they do seem 'kinder' as far as I can tell.

My mums got all excited, doing her research and showing me all the testimonials about how it helps all and every problem you could possibly think of! Which sounds great, but they are on the sites of places that sell them who obviously aren't gonna put bad reviews up.

So has anyone on here tried one and it failed miserably?

Thanks for any input!
 
Whose idea is this? You need to re-train a speedy horse to go bitless, on the face of it this doesn't sound the greatest idea. (This coming from a regular bitless rider). You should go back to basics and work on a good 1-rein stop working up through the paces. IMHO. Of course, if you do that you are likely to find that your horse will stop with or without a bit, but what I'm saying is I doubt a Dr Cook is going to work some sort of overnight miracle for you.
Dr Cooks are designed to be ridden in a pressure/release style, so if you think you are possibly going to be hanging on and not being able to give a casual rein, then I'd think again. Not very keen on them personally, I don't think they release easily enough, but I know many swear by them.
 
I personally havent ever used one but a couple of ladies at my yard do as they think they are being kinder to their horses. The first time i rode out with one of them her horse bombed off with her more times that i could count and at one point her horse shot her in front of oncoming cars - i was petrified for her. A few times whilst in the school it would run randomly into other peoples horses which although a pain isnt too terrible until i was on a mare who is terrible for kicking other horses - the entire time she was on the defensive and would start bucking randomly as she couldnt keep her horse far enough away. Then the worst came when she lost control again came off and ended up in hospital with terrible injuries. Im sure they suit some people but from what i saw that horse needed a bit desperately as it had no respect or manners whilst in the bitless bridle.
 
No horror story, but it DID work a miracle on my bolshy, head tossing, tanking, 'unstoppable' pelham wearing FB. He's been a different horse since he's had his Dr Cook and I tried every other bit before I bought it.

I do think the only reason it will stop speedy pony is if he is trying to 'run away' from his current bit, which my horse was.

Try it - you can get a free trial for 30 days I believe. Don't bother with putting it on along with your bitted bridle to start with - defeats the object imo. Try it in an enclosed area - like a school and rely more heavily on seat and voice aids.
 
I tried a Dr Cooks years ago, both my mare and I hated it! It puts too much pressure on the whole head for both our liking and we ended up with her going with her head between her knees, tanking and snorting and generally being bolshy and miserable (yes it was fitted correctly!) Put her back in a bit and hey presto - happy horse!

I daresay they have a place on some horses, but certainly not a cure all and bearing in mind how sensitive the horses nose and face can be I don't think that they are necessarily kinder either.
 
My old speedy jumping pony schooled beautifully in it then flat out bolted (only time I've ever sat a true bolt, it was terrifying) on a hack. I had to lean forward and grab his head to physically pull him round.

Went straight in the bin after that.

Well you did ask :D
 
Tried one on my tb who was fussy in her mouth-bolted down the road with me!!

Some horses really like them though, others just don't like the different pressure areas.
 
I tried one on my last horse, and he hated it. He hated the pressure on his head (it never seemed to release) and as soon as the bit went back in he was fine. I tried him in a hackamore and a scrawbrig and he was fine in these.
 
An old friend had a very strong mare that would lower her head and just go. She was reccomended a hackamore and was dubious at first but it worked miracles and she had brakes. I tried one on my horse when he had surgery to remove a cheek tooth and he hated it, kept stopping to rub his nose and I had no steering or brakes. This is a horse that will normally turn on weight or leg aids alone
 
A friend tried her usually quiet ex-trekking centre Exmoor cross in one and it sent him into a complete blind panic, he bolted round and round the field blindly until she came off, she said it had no effect whatsoever, he might as well have had nothing on! Needless to say she went back to a conventional bridle.

I'd definitely try it out in an enclosed space at first!

I know of another guy who uses one and he seems to have very little control over his very rude and bargy horse!

If you have a horse that understands and respects the whole pressure/release idea they are probably great.
 
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Thanks for the stories, it does appear to be a marmite kinda thing!

May try and rent one but tbh, I'd rather continue trying with a bit as I'm sure bitless bridles cause all sorts of trouble when it comes to shows etc. And wasn't there something about BHS not covering it in their insurance?

But if I do try it, it'll defo be in the school! I can just see me totally losing control over the common and never being able to stop ever again! lol

Thanks for the stories, it's evened out the playing field b-e-a-utifully! :D
 
If you or anyone else decides to try a bitless bridle on their horse, ride in an enclosed area first. I was lucky with my mare, the moment I tried a bitless bridle on her, she was a dream to ride, though for others it may take several sessions. My mare would not accept several different bits, she wouldn't soften, tongue over bit, upside down, it was a real struggle to get her working correctly. The Dr Cooks changed that. The bitless bridle will work for some and not for others - like most things- but at least try and see what happens - in an enclosed area! I have never had control issues with it and to be honest if a horse bolts in the truest sense, bit or bitless won't make a lot of difference, except the horse won't get a sore mouth;)
 
I rode a friends horse in one.
The horse was broken in with bitless (their preference) but I'd never ridden bitless.
Started off in the school with friend on the ground "teaching" me and the horse was fine in the school. Didn't feel a lot of difference.

Went out on a hack as part of a group - it was terrifying. Horse ran through the bridle so much, I just had "nothing" there.
Had some control off seat alone - but ended up getting friends to box me in so this mare couldn't go anywhere (main road! Friend had assured me this mare was fine hacking, in a group etc).
Dismount earliest opportunity and walked back shaking.

Don't know if it was just this mare, the type of bitless or what .... but has really put me off them.
 
I have never used one, but i would presume it is like anything. Suitable for some, not suitable for others. Give it a go in a safe enviroment and see how you go. I would take the time to read up how to use it correctly and wouldn't hack in one until i was sure speedy pony was happy with it.:)
 
My young haflinger hated her doctor cook. I broke in my welsh mare in a scawbrig and she was fantastic, but ended up hacking in bit for safety. I found bitless a bit like voice commands - nice to use when theyre paying attention, but not very good in an emergency. A good indication to me was how good the pony was on the ground, responding to pressure etc. The haflinger had no respect (and became dangerous but thats another story) but the welsh would move out of your way with a feather touch. I wouldnt want to generalise, but would suggest dr cook/scawbrig may not suit a bargy cob. Hackamores are a bit of a different game I think.
There are much cheaper versions of the dr cook bridle on ebay btw, or were. And imo dont believe all the spin the site gives you on having to buy the genuine orginal bridle. The concepts not that complicated, and I'm sure very copyable (not sure thats a word:))
 
Took my boy [exracer] out for a hack in one for his first time last week, in one of our german hackamores we have lying around. Thought I'd just try it as he'd done a lot of jumping and hard schooling the past few days and thought I'd give his mouth a rest so popped him in it. He went ok in it and did a bit of everything with him, had a gallop flat out, popped a log and always could pull up etc. Steering wasn't that off, but couldn't get an outline from him how he'd go usually.

I wouldn't keep him in full time as doesn't get him going how I want to,but every now and then I'll prob have a pootle round in it :)
 
My pony's usual evasion to unwanted (from his point of view) braking requests is to stick his nose in the air to evade the bit, so he normally wears a martingale with his snaffle - tried him in a bitless, thinking the lack of bit would scupper his efforts. It sort of did, so he found a new evasion - rearing. I didn't fancy him having a rearing tantrum on the road so he is back to bitted and both happy and controllable! For me, bitless bridles are a nice idea but didn't work in practice!

No harm in trying one though, pick up a cheapie imitation Dr Cook on ebay and give it a go!
 
I have known a fair few horses that rear when pressure halters or bridles are used. By that I mean the ones that have a closing action, like the Dr Cook. I use either a rope halter that doesn't close or a simple sidepull when I ride, no closing action at all.
 
Well, I tried a Hackamore on mine. At that time I just didn't know what to do with him coz he'd got mega issues, so thought heh lets try something different.

It stopped him OK, but because he can be a nappy little git when we met a mega huge lorry out hacking and His Nibs decided to do a spin and piss off back home the blimmin thing slipped round his nose and went all ass-about-face; not helpful in the circ's.

So back to the drawing board. I've never tried the Dr Cooks, but shall bear in mind the comments above!

I went back to basics and put him in a happy mouth snaffle with a lozenge in the middle, with high cheekpieces to give more control for the napping. It seems to do the trick; however if I was hunting or cross-countrying I'd probably need to think again, but shan't go bitless.

I think some horses will always look for the bit in their mouths and possibly feel all at sea without it there; as the Dr Cooks is a pressure thing it probably works the same way as a Halti which basically works on pressure and reward, so I would suspect there may be issues arising from that if you're using it for controlling and direction, which is why personally I wouldn't consider a Dr Cooks. However if someone says it works for them, then brill. I know someone who kitted out her two Arabs in them, right from the backing stage, and she swears by them, coz never ever having been bitted this is what they know and expect.
 
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