Bitless folk.

duggan

duggan

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Or rather bitless bridles for their horses folk!
Can anyone point me in the direction of an expert or article about the design of bitless bridles and how they work against the sensitive parts of the face? I'm researching not just the action of bitless bridles but also why they work differently to a headcollar and are therefore kinder to the horse, if thats the case.
I've email one person but had no kind of answer to my questions!
Pm me if you feel you can help or stick a reply below
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Cheers!
 
I think your brief is too broad. There are many different designs of bitless bridles, some "work against" sensitive parts of the face, some don't. Some use poll pressure, pressure on the cheeks and under the chin, some don't.
They aren't kinder than a headcollar really, they are just different. It depends whether what the rider does with them is kind or not.
I ride in rope halters. Contrary to what many believe they are not designed so that the knots sit on special "pressure points" on the horse's head. They do not stay in place accurately enough to do that, and if fitted correctly the knots should actually sit away from the sensitive parts of the face. They work differently to a headcollar because they are lighter, and because they have a slightly narrower surface area. So they can give quite specific signals. I say that they can, because that depends on how people ride in them and how well they have trained their horse. If you get on and ride with constant pressure in a rope halter then you won't be giving specific or light signals at all.
 
Top of the head list of "bitless bridles"
Rope halter (if they have a longer rope so leadrope is attached as well it's a rope hackamore).
Bosal
Dr Cooks
Scrawbrig
Sidepull
Dually
Pony Boy rope bridle
Lodge Ropes Enduro
 
So a headcollar can be classed as a bitless bridle and is safe and ok to ride in? I'm not referring to jogging back from the field bareback, but a 'traditional' headcollar with ropes attached either side to the metal plates and used in competitions.
 
I found the Dr Cooks website for bitless bridles very informative. I am sorry but do not have a clue how to add a link but am sure you will find it on Google writing Dr Cooks bitless bridle (sorry, not very good with computer things).
 
It wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list Katt, just a starting point.
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Duggan, anything is safe to ride in if the horse is trained appropriately. You wouldn't be able to ride in a headcollar however for "english" competition, or in many of the bitless options. Fortunately for me I don't have a competetive bone in my body. In some other disciplines bitless is nothing out of the ordinary, look at western for example. Many western trainers use different headgear at different stages of the horse's education. Starting with a rope halter, then to a bosal, then a simple jointed snaffle and eventually to a curb bit. I was at a western show recently and people were barrel racing in all of the above.
People worry about insurance, but personally I am insured to ride bitless, I have checked.
What do you really need to know for your research? Do you want to make up a list of lots of different bitless options and then explain their action? What's your aim?
 
I guess my aim is to convince myself that riding around cross country fences at speed in a head collar with two lead ropes attached is both safe and fair to a horse. Because at this moment in time I think it is a safety issue and I really don't like to see the metal plates of the headcollar digging into the cheekbones. In my mind headcollars are designed to be used with pressure from below, not from the back.

I have nothing but admiration for those horses that are happy bitless and well schooled enough to look fully in control. But scawbrig and the like have been designed for purpose. What i'm hoping for is someone who knows about these things to technically explain why we should use a product designed for the use rather than whatever we feel like using!
I find the leadrope clip is the first to break when under pressure, I wouldn't want to be relying on it as a rein. But if it is classed as safe for horse/rider/public i'll forget it!
 
Then you might be talking to the wrong people in a "bitless folk" thead. I don't know anyone who seriously rides bitless who does it using a headcollar and leadropes. As you say, a headcollar isn't designed for the purpose, so why do it?
A Dually is probably the most headcollar-like bitless option, the "control" comes from the fact that the reins would be attached to the rings at the end of the ropes that go over the nose. So pressure is exherted over the nose.
I normally use my Lodge Ropes riding halter, which has a slightly thicker noseband than a normal rope halter as it is whipped round with pretty red stuff. I've got some clip reins that I often use, for lightness. It doesn't fit my pony, so she is ridden in a rope halter that has a longer loop at the bottom, meaning I can tie up 22ft of rope to make reins and a leadrope, which I hang off the D rings on my saddle. When you ride in a rope halter the aids applied through the reins aren't really that precise, and the action is just on the side and top of the nose. But the horses are taught to respond to very little, so the communication can be refined, if that makes sense. However, if you are aiming to ride like a cowboy, the rein adds to refined communication, but for a lot of normal work the horse should be trained to respond to weight, seat and legs. I would expect that if I'm riding in a rope halter the horse should stop if I "feel" stop in my body, and if they don't notice that, a lift of the rein should do it. In emergencies you do of course have the 1 rein stop, and I'm happier applying that in a rope halter than a bit anyway.
The thing is, I am completely convinced that, when push comes to shove, if a horse really wants to go it will, bit or no bit.
By the way, my friend Harriet Day went cross country on her big horse, H, in a rope hackamore. You might be surprised at how many people do all sorts of things without a bit. As I said before, I've seen barrel racing in a rope halter.
 
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