bitless bridles

I have switched to one on my cob and found he is much happier in it. This was backed up when I took him to a show recently and put him in a pelham for show purposes and he hated it. It may be though because he has a wolf tooth that I did mention to the vet when his teeth were done last backend. Vet said to keep an eye on it and if I got anymore problems he would remove for me. Since my cob has gone bitless he doesn't head toss and I put that down to being bitless. I just wish I could have ridden bitless at the show as it would have made a huge difference. I am going to have the tooth removed and having a neue schule bit for him to use in comps and when jumping etc in the future.
The bitless I have is an easytrek one. It is a whole head hug. You can get all different types and this one is like the Dr Cooks, only a lot cheaper lol.
I also quite like the natural halter types ones as well, those with bosals and without. I may get one of these if I start doing more long distance work with him as they are pretty lightweight and easy to maintain.
Were you thinking of getting one? Or is it just a question for discussion/debate purposes?
 
Ive been looking at different types of bits recently and came across a video on youtube that i thought was quite shocking, it showed how the bit affected the horses mouth when used and the damage it could cause..
My horse seems quite happy in the bit im using on him but just wondered what other people used and their thoughts on bitless bridles, i would love to try one and see how he goes in it.:-)
 
I tried a bitless bridle with my girl (I think it was a Libby's bridle) and found that she spent the whole ride trying to evade everything! We actually started drifting into the centre of the road and she would just lean on one side. It might be that I didn't put it on right but she was like this when I tried a hackamore too!

I love the idea of going bitless as my girl has a nasty scar on her tongue making her headshy, but I believe she was taking the you know what when i last tried it! She is a cob though and one that knows her own mind! I think some of this came from me though, as I am not 100% confident I could do say a fun ride in one and be confident that i could stop her! She is currently in a french link half cheek bit although when i bought her she was in a happy mouth straight bar (because of her tongue), however I find that she works better with this half cheek bit.

What's the easytrek one like? Do you find that your cob listens to you more now that you have changed to this bridle? Really interested to hear more.
 
I used a cross over cross under( cheap version dr cook) type on rose when she was having tooth trouble and we loved it I hacked out schooled and jumped in it and never had any probs. Did go back to a snaffle tho for dressage purposes
 
Ride both of mine in Dr Cooks, would never put a bit back in either of their mouths, ever, nor will I allow anyone to ride them who makes a fuss about them not having a bit in.

FB was ridden in a Pelham for years becaue he was 'strong' and 'unstoppable'. Tosh, in his case. I bought him, put him in a hanging cheek, french link revolver snaffle which he loathed, so put the Dr Cook on him. Bliss. All pulling and tantrums stopped and we even jump in it no problem.

Ari has only been broken for about 18 months and was in a loose ring snaffle when I bought him. Put him in a Dr Cook and he has never been a moment's trouble with it.

OK, I'm more of a distance rider and I don't do dressage (although FB does do it very nicely in his Dr Cook!) so I don't have to worry about the regulations there.

They are also shoeless/booted and I can assure you I am the least 'fluffy' person you will ever meet when it coms to horses :D
 
I use a Dr Cooks on my boy. He had been abused in the past and a bit simply isn't an option as he won't tolerate anything in his mouth (3 years on and he'll just about let me look at his teeth .... but it's very heavy sedation for the dentist). I have nothing but good things to say aboutthe bridle. It's a crossover, and I have total control at all times. OK so he's not a fizzy TB, but he's big and gets quite strong at times, but never ever have I felt unsafe. It's lovely leather, albeit pretty pricey, and I've had to replace the crossover straps once as the friction weakens them, in my case after about a year, but Dr Cooks recognise this and suggest buying the Beta straps (synthetic) for everyday use. I'd highly recommend ...... :)
 
Yeah, mine are Beta ones - I'm far too lazy to have tack that needs any more cleaning than dunking in a bucket and hosing down!

A question...what do people think a bit actually DOES for their horse? Not intended as a criticism, just curiousity.....
 
I think they can work wonders on some horses. I used to ride a young and stressy haflinger who I would ride in a snaffle as I was just another RS customer, but one of the more experienced helpers schooled her in a hackamore. The improvement was amazing. She became softer in the mouth, much less stressy and generally went wonderfully. Of course she has a regular loose ring snaffle for the customers, but even the schooling sessions helped brilliantly. xx
 
Where I used to ride, we had two ponies that illustrate the bitless thing:p

Pony one - had a sore mouth in any bit, put into a bitless, loved it. I think it was a Dr Cook? You could do anything with him in the bitless that you could with his bit - flying changes included - and he was much happier:)

Pony two - also had a Dr Cook. He was happy in it, but in my case I still used his snaffle bridle as he was just a little bit more responsive and so could do slightly more advanced things. I would happily ride him in his bitless, but put his snaffle in to do more dressage-y things. He was happy in his mouth before though, they just decided to try him bitless when they saw how much pony one liked it:)

I happily ride bitless, it all comes down to the individual and what they are happiest with and respond to best:)
 
VioletStripe said:
I think they can work wonders on some horses. I used to ride a young and stressy haflinger who I would ride in a snaffle as I was just another RS customer, but one of the more experienced helpers schooled her in a hackamore. The improvement was amazing. She became softer in the mouth, much less stressy and generally went wonderfully. Of course she has a regular loose ring snaffle for the customers, but even the schooling sessions helped brilliantly. xx
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A hackamore can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands - it is possible to break a horse's nose with the leverage that some can exert.
 
Chico Mio said:
A hackamore can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands - it is possible to break a horse's nose with the leverage that some can exert.
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Yep, that's why only the helper was allowed to school her in it. And it worked brilliantly for the horse, being used incredibly lightly and no bit to be terrified of, part of the problem was that because she was stressy she would go very fast and try to tank off, cue the rider to sock her in the mouth. With the light schooling in a hackamore by someone experienced, she was taught to enjoy work more, and worked much better when she didn't have a bit there to remind her. xx
 
I use an Indian bosal which is a simple cross under type noseband that replaces the noseband on a regular bridle. I use this for hacking and my horse goes very well in it. He'd previously been ridden in a D ring snaffle, which was fine but I was curious about going bitless. Although I'm light handed I was uncertain about trying an English hackamore which I felt might be too strong. The Indian bosal works well for us and I have as much control as with the snaffle. I only hack so can't comment on how effective this bitless bridle would be for schooling, jumping etc.
 
My old cob was a terrible headshaker, nearly had me off on several occasions. I put him in a Dr Cook and it stopped totally. It was like riding a different horse, the difference in him was amazing. Can highly recommend them!
 
I tried H in one of those Libby scrawbrig things - never again, he just ran straight through it and buggered off bucking all the way !!!!!

I think bitless would suit him though as he has moments of heashaking, no pattern or reason to them and can hang on the bit aswell.

Dont like the look of the Cook cross one but will google the indian borsal.

am scared of hackamores for the exact reason explained !!! he can get v string when wants to and would always worry about it

x
 
I would love to ride bitless, and have been seriously thinking about what the bit actually acheives in terms of 'harmony' rather than domination. Problem is though, i don't have my own. And i'm sure my share's owner wouldn't go along with bitless. He does hate having a bit in, but can get very strong and fast and silly, so it would be nice to try him. Guess i will have to wait til i get my own to try it, but it's good to read so many positive things.

I have used a hackamore on a very excitable arab, and loved it. It was very light, and you do need sensitive hands as even the slightest movement has a huge effect. But he seemed happy in it. I can see how they wouldn't be for everyone though, and could be dangerous.
 
Gentle_Warrior said:
I tried H in one of those Libby scrawbrig things - never again, he just ran straight through it and buggered off bucking all the way !!!!!

I think bitless would suit him though as he has moments of heashaking, no pattern or reason to them and can hang on the bit aswell.

Dont like the look of the Cook cross one but will google the indian borsal.

am scared of hackamores for the exact reason explained !!! he can get v string when wants to and would always worry about it

x
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I think a lot of people can just put a bitless bridle on a horse and go out riding them anywhere they like. But realistically, most horses need time to adjust, and learn the new signals.

They have to learn to be responsive to the nose pressure, so i tend to teach this on the ground. Only when i know i have steering and bend will i ride a horse bitless.

I generally ride in a halter, as it suits my purpose as i do a lot of groundwork with my horses, so its handy to be able to tie the rope up and ride.
I also like it because it only creates pressure on the nose when i use the reins, it doesnt tighten around the head.

I think to get a horse really light and responsive bitless you really have to encourage them to stay light in your hand. You dont want them to learn to lean on you, you want to be able to put the head anywhere with one finger.

I think that the bit causes so many very comman problems we see in horses. Head tossing, mouthing the bit, opening the mouth, rearing, pulling, bolting, bone spurs, and more. People seem to see a horse drooling as a good thing. It only shows that the bit is preventing the horse from lifting his tounge to swallow. You dont see a horse in a bitless mouthing because he doesnt need to, and he can swallow.

I dont think that there is a horse on this earth that cannot go bitless. No matter how strong, how much they buck, or bolt, any horse, with the correct training, can go very well without a bit. Im my view, there is never a reason to ride with a bit, and the sooner the FEI realise this, the better.

Ps, there are so many types of bitless bridles to suit any horse, some dont like the way the bridle tightens on their head. The best bridles i think are sidepulls or bosal types, when there is no tightening around the head. Just the nose pressure.

If a horse doesnt go well in a bitless, or acts dangerously, its because you havent taught the aids correctly. You wouldnt get on a horse with a bit if he has never been taught what it means, same with a bitless. You will only get yourself, and your horse in trouble.
 
Thank you, I forgot to mention I did use schooling first before hacking to ensure he was happy and understood it first. and luckily I was still using a snaffle bridle underneath !!!!

I dont like riding with bits and fully support bitless
 
I have a Dr Cooks, I can ride Pickle perfectly happily in it, full control and can jump/school do anything I want in it. He took to it pretty much straight away. My sisters throughbred x also is pretty happy in it, however looses brakes a bit jumped in it.

However I have to admit I don't use it all the time or particularly often, mainly because I enjoy doing dressage/showing and want a bit for both of these. When I am riding bareback I tend to! just because I am feeling lazy!
 
the day I put my cob in a Dr Cooks was the first day that she stood at the mounting block without messing about and barging off. I have ridden her in it ever since I did once try her with a bit but after 10 minutes my instructer asked if I had the bitless with me. I can only do the dressage minimus without a bit but that suits me.
 
I used to ride my ex racer TB in a Dr Cooks - he went so much better bitless - my current neddy is a chunky cob and I haven't felt the urge to go bitless yet, but after reading this thread it has reminded me how good they are.
 
Hi, I had a newforest gelding that was an absolute nightamre to ride with a bitted bridle, everything from throwing his head down to literally having a temper tantrum and stamping his feet. I had his teeth checked and was assured that the bit wasn't causing any problems. In the end I put him in a hackemore and he was a completely different pony, happy responsive...a joy to ride, I think it took me longer to get used to using the hackemore!!!!
 
I swapped my ex-P2P TB to a Dr Cook about five months ago and it's been a real revelation for us. He is much happier, doesn't fight me to rush everywhere and gallop all the time and even when we do have a blast we have better brakes.
 
I used to love mine. I sold it to MrsElle when I got Lil as she's being schooled to event so she needs to accept a bit but if I went back to happy hacking I'd certainly get another one.
 
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