Hackamore and/or Dr cooks bitless bridle users..

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Ottinmeg

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Due to sophs recent teeth issue my friend who schools her managed to borrow a hackamore & a Dr cooks bitless. Tried her in both this afternoon and she now has a lump on her nose where the noseband sits. Think it's the dr cooks which has caused it as it is fairly low down. Has anyone else experienced this ? I guess i need to get a sheepskin noseband cover! Friend wants to ride her in the hackamore as she said she went the best she ever has in that but i will probably use the other one as i don't trust myself with a hackamore!
 
Ive rode my mare for 5 months in a Dr Cooks Bridle and she is a very fine boned TB (rubs easily) and she never got any marks/lumps or bumps from her Bitless bridle anywhere. And she got rubbed by a myler comfort snaffle!!!!

Assuming you had it correctly fitted it seems a bit strange that the Dr cooks bitless would cause a lump, maybe it could be the hackamore - as they are quite severe and a lot of the pressure on nose and poll, whereas the bitless distributes pressure around the whole head, rather than the nose. The way the Dr cook bridle is set up there is no direct rein pressure to the nose....
 
Hiya! My arab is regularly ridden in both of these. I find hackamores to be quite harsh and fit them quite loosely and with plenty of padding. If the horse isn't too strong you could consider using the Libby's type bitless bridle. I use one of those for hacking.
 
Woeisme, will take some tomorrow as today was the first time she had them on so no pics.At the moment Its only a temporary measure as she can't have a bit in for a fortnight but i am considering making it more permanent if she goes well in them,( the cooks not the hackamore ) lindsay, she isn't strong as a rule so will look into the libby's one. I did find her to be quite heavy in the Dr cooks and she didn't seem to like it much but will give her a few days to adjust to it.
 
I was told by a man selling them (in Australia) that Dr Cooks are designed to work on a pressure/release basis. So that would be a "casual" rein, only taking up pressure when it means something. I do know that sometimes a constant conventional contact can cause the horse to lean, although I haven't heard of one making the horse sore before.
If it was fitted a little too low maybe that could cause rubbing?
 
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