Bitless Dressage

I worked with enough showjumpers to know that bitless good bitted bad is simple not true .
One of my horses has had a jaw issue any form of bitless be it a doctor cook or anything else would be extremely unpleasant for him .
He's happy bitted .
 
The thing is inexperienced riders will not be able to use their seat and legs to great effect in either option! Once riders develop an independent seat and can influence a horse to work from behind, over the back into a receiving contact then there is no force from them either, exactly when you get that lovely soft swinging picture with no pushing or pulling, something we all strive for in our training.

It seems that there is a massive generalisation that a bit = force, and I cant see how if an inexperienced rider who does use their hands for balance at times and to stop because of weakness in their seat will not produce force in a bitless bridle, the force is just transferred somewhere else?
 
If anyone wants to know all the answers to the bits effects just Google 'Carley sparks bits'. It's a pdf so I can't paste it for you but is very informative.
 
I've come into this thread rather late and so haven't read all the commments before me but my experience of bitless riding has been using a dually with my horse. Bailey tends to go rather nicely in a dually, he is lovely and soft. I love riding him in it, and have jumped him in it too down a grid of six fences numerous times and he jumped lovely each session. i would love to do a dually dressage competition!

I've hacked him out in it a few times too. He can be strong at times especially when he had a break from jumping, but even then I would rather start him off again in the dually than a bit.

I used a hackamore once but he didn't like it one bit so I stopped using it.
 
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MummyEms said:
Hi. Thank you.
Well it can be unforgiving and can cause pain. I assume you have good hands so fingers crossed not too much pain if your horse goes in a soft light frame. :/
You can have a contact bitless. They can work into one happily and with no pain at all. They'll develop self carriage and balance a lot quicker with bitless too :)
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We put a Dr Cook on him, and literally the moment the straps moved round his face he'd had enough. I was leading him from the ground at that point, with virtually no pressure applied. I've also tried him in an Orbitless - nope.
He goes quite happily in a headcollar for hacking/exercise riding, and a hackamore for faster work, but neither gives me the quality of work I get from riding with a bit. There is no false outline involved, he carries himself well, and is starting to lift his back more and more.

PaddyMonty's comment about choosing the best method for the horse in front of you is very apt.
 
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MummyEms said:
If anyone wants to know all the answers to the bits effects just Google 'Carley sparks bits'. It's a pdf so I can't paste it for you but is very informative.
Click to expand...

Its very informative about Dr Cooks research and a piece entirely about him, whilst some interesting points his findings are obviously biased to ensure sales of his product the same as if we read a piece by ...say Myler bits they would find tonnes of scientific evidence to help sell their product also.
What I am getting at is that there isn't any impartial research to show that as you said earlier, bitless reduces force or that again as you say, the horse will find it easier to work from behind and lighten the forehand etc.
 
Farma I have said that from my personal experience they all lighten in front etc etc. The article has other people involved who don't quirk for dr cook, and some hard facts about stride length concentration and nerves in the mouth damaged with a bit affecting tension in the neck etc.
I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with explaining unfortunately . You all seem really happy with how your horses are going for you so that makes me happy enough :)
 
I would doubt that your definition of "lighten in front" and "off the forehand" are the same as many people's 'though. I have experience of training horses bitless, and indeed bridleless, and appreciate that it can be done, but the uses to which horses are put dictate the equipment to be used. You simply do not have the precision, communication and delicacy required for many tasks if you do not have the connection to the horses mouth. If the bit is being used PROPERLY then there will not be tension or nerve damage, it is only when uneducated or rough hands are on the other end of the reins that this occurs. Unfortunately of course there are more bad hands than good ones, and more uneducated horses than properly trained, but this would also be the case if everyone rode bitless.
 
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