Bitless bridles thoughts everyone? ....

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vikkibeth

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Further to my thread earlier in the evening about which bit to use for my 5 year old and after watching some films on bit I am really more than a bit confused about what to do with my baby as want him to be as comfortable as I can but am now worried that some bits are just too much. So the question is what do people think of bitless bridles? Who uses them? How easy are they to use? Does the horse have to be a very docile polite horse to wear one? What control do you really have?
 
vikkibeth said:
Further to my thread earlier in the evening about which bit to use for my 5 year old and after watching some films on bit I am really more than a bit confused about what to do with my baby as want him to be as comfortable as I can but am now worried that some bits are just too much. So the question is what do people think of bitless bridles? Who uses them? How easy are they to use? Does the horse have to be a very docile polite horse to wear one? What control do you really have?
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Have a go. There is a team of team chasers who do so in headcollars so I guess they arent docile! Do your homework on types available, and if poss trial them. I dont like the dr cook, but I do like the micklem. There are others too, which have taken thw dr cook design and modified it.

Good luck and let us know how u get on! X
 
I've used several and I like the Light Rider - you can buy just the noseband to attach to your regular bridle, available from Amazon.
 
vikkibeth said:
Thank you, do you use one then?
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I don't currently, but then I'm only hitching the odd ride on other people's horses at present.

I have used a rope halter, a dually, and a Dr cook in the past. The Dr cook I ended up sat around unused, because I thought it had too much ability to hurt the horse, although if I'm honest I did intend to get handy with a needle and thread or maybe construct some form of stoppers but didn't get around to it! :o

The rope halter was fine for my needs on various horses, but I wouldn't have felt able to school "properly" (dressage and into a contact style) which I could with the others. The dually was really good to ride in, horse responded well to it in-hand and this transferred nicely to under saddle.

I will be trying my next horse in a micklem because I did a lot of research into bits and bitless bridles recently, and I believe this is the best all round solution.
 
vikkibeth said:
How much different is a hackamore? I really want to go bitless but am worried he might be able to take the mickey with me and tank off or something silly.
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english hackamore is relatively soft in design - german hackamore is a brute - more leverage / harsh / basically a bike chain over nose and curb underneath.
I tried both and got no respect from either so that was that - i'd rather have a carefully selected bit with contol and softer hand aids than no bit but having to pull his nose off to stop!

Carefull when fitting as if you put it too low on the nose you can damage them pretty badly! (nasal bone has very thin / fine end that can be broken in severe scenarios.

Also need to be pretty good at riding properly from leg aids for directional aids i going bitless, particularly with german hackamore.

Worth a try anyway! good luck
 
Thank you, just do feel he likes his bit and tbh get very confused over which one to get. Whenever I need to gently pull him up or use the bit he doesnt react comfortably. So dont want to go from one uncomfortable feeling bit to another.
 
silly question but ...
  • have you had teeth checked
  • is the bit too thick for a big tongue to have enough space
  • is the bit too thin and puts too much pressure on corners of mouth
  • is nutcracker action uncomfortable (particularly in small mouth / big tongue)
  • are you asking with hand aids correctly (not too strong, keeping hands low for youngster, asking with your body aids first)

which bit do you use at the moment? and what breed is your horse?
 
They have there place but they don't offer the same brakes as a bit in many cases in my experience.

I would reccommend best to stick a head slip with simple bit on underneath with reins tied up first time if your horse is strong! just as emergency brakes!
 
I am riding my 5 yr old in an English hackamore as she has (very rare) lower jaw wolf teeth that have yet to erupt :(. She was in a JP French link prior to this but it was so painful for her that she was presenting as bi-laterally lame.
After much investigation, her wolf teeth were noticed.

Anyway, to your question. I have a very mannerly and manageable horse, so much so that I am considering not going back to a bit once her teeth are sorted.

I tried a previous pony in a hackamore but he really wasn't keen and proceeded to go round with his head on the floor.

You really need to give it a whirl to see if your horse will go ok in one.

My choice of a hackamore was based on cost as it was initially a temporary measure, I haven't really looked into the pros and cons of other bitless bridles but may do so if I make it a permanent change :).
 
underdog said:
silly question but ...
  • have you had teeth checked
  • is the bit too thick for a big tongue to have enough space
  • is the bit too thin and puts too much pressure on corners of mouth
  • is nutcracker action uncomfortable (particularly in small mouth / big tongue)
  • are you asking with hand aids correctly (not too strong, keeping hands low for youngster, asking with your body aids first)

which bit do you use at the moment? and what breed is your horse?
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*Teeth were checked straight away and were all fine :)

*Bit I wouldnt say is too thick or thin but certainly not happy with it

*I always ride with my hands low as I find its much more sympathetic and my last horse came to me with bad problems due to previous rider riding up too high and he spent most of his time throwing his head around with her (clearly a sign of a problem there but she didnt notice) and again try and work stronger with the body aids first for that reason.

*at the moment he is ridden in a French link snaffle, he was ridden in just a plain snaffle or what ever bit was on the bridle they found at his last home. Thought that the French link would be a bit better in his mouth.

*Puzzle is the pony in my profile picture and hes a light weight cob.

Hope that is everything :)
 
I've ridden successfully in them on riding school horses (mainly exracehorses), so I thought I'd have a go and put one on my boy and he didn't stop. He hated the action on the nose even more than the bit so I've gone back to a rubber snaffle. I've just also bought a sweet mouth which I plan to tryout on him. In conclusion, the brakes don't work well in my case.
 
vikkibeth said:
*Teeth were checked straight away and were all fine :)

*Bit I wouldnt say is too thick or thin but certainly not happy with it

*I always ride with my hands low as I find its much more sympathetic and my last horse came to me with bad problems due to previous rider riding up too high and he spent most of his time throwing his head around with her (clearly a sign of a problem there but she didnt notice) and again try and work stronger with the body aids first for that reason.

*at the moment he is ridden in a French link snaffle, he was ridden in just a plain snaffle or what ever bit was on the bridle they found at his last home. Thought that the French link would be a bit better in his mouth.

*Puzzle is the pony in my profile picture and hes a light weight cob.

Hope that is everything :)
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French link snaffle is a milder bit than most.

Hackamore's can be really strong on the soft parts of the nose and some put far too much pressure on the face and pole.
Dually head collars work on pressure, which is why I don't really like them.

Try riding in a rope head collar and getting to a stop and back up without touching the reins, this should help you develope a really light touch which may help.
 
I used a Monty Roberts Dually halter to break in my mare as she had lots of teeth problems and I didnt want to delay it any longer as she was a handful if you didnt keep her mind busy!
She hacked out in it, and eventually I started jumping her in it and used it for roadwork etc, I cant fault them, had never ever used one before I bred her, but they are definitely worth a try.
People used to look at me like I was mad going out hacking in it but it worked for us! I have tried bits on her and she just hates them so if it works why change it
 
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