Dr Cook bitless bridle... does anyone recomend it?

[kezz86]

Hi everyone...
I have just got a TB mare who is 13 years old and an ex racer... she has been stood in a field for anout 8years so i realise I'm taking on a real challenge!
I rode her yesterday and felt that she wasnt happy with a bit in her mouth (teeth are okay have been checked).
Now i have read about these Dr Cook bitless bridles and love the 'idea', but I'd like to find out more before i dive right in!
I'm going to play around and try different bits and things first but if anyone has had any experience with a Dr Cook I'd like to hear about it...
Or for that matter anyother bitless bridles...
and any advise on bits is welcome too!
Thanks
Kerry

 

[CazD]

I use a bitless bridle on my mare. She has a slight parrot mouth and has never been happy with a bit so I borrowed a proper Dr Cook's beta bridle off a friend - brilliant!!! I couldnt afford the real thing myself so have a copy one - an equi trek (or some similar name!) from ebay for £25. I must admit its fairly cheap foreign leather but it does the job for the time being. I've tried the bitless bridle on my other pony but she didnt go anywhere near as well in it and I'll stick with an ordinary bit for her. The mare I use the Dr Cook's bridle on goes really well in it and I have no problems, not even on fun rides etc.

 

[kerilli]

i tried a Dr Cooks, but decided to get a Nurtural one instead - very very similar but has a wider headpiece, not split (so less pressure, i thought) and a leather circle under the jaw to hold the x pieces, to stop them going too slack if you slacken the reins. i think it's a slightly better design, fwiw. have only hacked out in it but it seemed good, felt like a snaffle at the ends of the reins tbh

 

[tyramisu]

My feisty, very forward going mare fought many bits which resulted in an unsteady head carriage with stressed horse and rider so I was looking for alternatives. I bought a Dr Cook bridle following a recommendation from a friend of mine.
I found it great as it gave me a happy relaxed horse but I now only use it when going on hacks alone. It becomes a bit of a tug o'war when we go out with other horses and my mare insists of being the fastest at all times! For these occasions and schooling I now use a Myler comfort snaffle which she finds very acceptable and doesn't fight.
However, as I said, for us the Dr Cooks is great for long hacks, which include jumping and galloping!

 

[Willow1]

Hi
I'm a huge Dr Cooks fan. My Arab mare is very unhappy in a bit (everything checked and no physical problems) and I tried many different bits! Finally tried a Dr Cook as I didn't really like either the German or English hackamore as they can be quite severe and the steering is not very good. I now have absolutely no issues with brakes or steering with the Dr Cook and my mare is totally happy and relaxed. We do endurance and I ride in this for competitions and have also done hunter trials and show jumping using this bridle. Its just a shame you can't compete in dressage with it!
The Dr Cook won't suit every horse, so make sure you try one in a confined area before venturing out to make sure you and your horse are happy!

 

[Donkeymad]

I, too, am a huge fan. I drive one of my mares in one and several friends have had enormous success in all their riding activities with them too.

 

[Happy2Hack]

I ride my gelding in a Dr Cook. After trying various bits and not finding one that he was happy with I decided to try bitless. That was over 2 years ago and he's been so much better ever since!

 

[pootler]

I have a full size one in brown that needs a home.

 

[louisevictoria]

I have a friend that swears by her Dr Cook as her horse will not tolerate anything in his mouth (he has had teeth/everything else checked and couldn't find a reason for it) She is now jumping 1.25 tracks in it and will not use anything else.

 

[StefDua]

This is really interesting - the TB gelding I've just taken on loan doesn't like to be bitted (getting his teeth checked) and have wondered about using a bitless bridle. The only thing I was concerned about was the brakes but sounds as though that's not an issue.

Can't ride him at mo but could be something to consider when he's back in action

 

[Shiraz]

No experience of bitless myself but on my McT-C course a girl was raving about the new Amigo/Horseware bridle - not going to attempt to spell it but sure you know the one I mean. The William M.... one, you can convert it to bitless and it's anatomically designed so in theory should be very comfortable for your horse wear.

 

[PennyJ]

We borrowed one for my daughters mare to use so we could keep her in work after her wolf teeth were taken out 2 months ago. We kept her in it for a month to give her plenty of time for the mouth to heal.

OK, we have a lovely sweet little pony anyway, but she was completely fine in it, for all activities. She did shows, PC Rallies (we got special dispensation because of why she was wearing it), hacking out in heavy traffic and also out on the forest. I was sorry to give it back. Steering and brakes were not a problem at all.

On our experience I would recommend one. Maybe try and borrow one first to see how you get on. I would also advise the trying out in a confined space first to get the hang of it.

 

[Selkie]

I love mine, bought a western one as cheaper than english but I have to have leather. Have tried it on 2 horses and worked well with both. I even did a cross country in it the other week.