Help on bitless bridles/hackamores??

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Flowers187

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My dear little pony has now reached that age (just turned 5) where she has decided her opinion is the most important. Shes getting quite difficult some days to ride and has always had a habbit of overbending (found out draw reins and other contraptions where used way too much with her old owner during her breaking in!), chomping on the bit, chattering her teeth and ingoring anything im saying when stressed (the little jump she jumped just the day before is impossible apparently), anyways I find when im leading her in her rope halter shes quite happy and I even plod aroudn with it on and we have no problems like we do with the bridle! I would just ride in this but its not very structured and I dont have much control when theres a tasty patch of grass!

Anybody tried any forms of bitless bridles or hackamores? And are hackamores really that bad or and they gentle and usefull when ridden with properly (Both my horses are ridden in light contacts and they bend when their ready to and do not have their heads dragged to their chests with tight reins!!)

Advice would be much appreciated :) thanks!!!
 
Taz had been ridden and driven in a dr cooks bridle for 11 years so I guess you can say that she likes it and responds to it well. We have done driving trials in it .... steering her and vehicle though cones with only inches either side the wheels .... so steering works ;)



Before we found the BB we did try a german / english ( whichever it was ... the long shanked one) hackamore but found the steering was not too great. I also did not like the leverage and too much poll action for us.

It can of course be used harshly .... but all headgear can ! Some need less effort to be so than others though imo ;)


We ride with a rope halter sometimes too ( and no its not much good for getting heads up from grass if they are determined :rolleyes: ... but then again no headger is then ;) ) . I think you would find that if you did want to ride with the rope halter you can get most, if not all, what you want in the way of flexions / lateral work / backing etc if that is the way you want to go. It can be used softly or it can be a harsh tool ..... used inappropriately I have seen it make a horses face bleed ... but that was an extreme :mad:





Depend on what work you want to do with pone as that might affect the choice you make too. . and what your insurance company is happy with.
 
Sounds like a bit problem , most horses that chomp , lean , open mouth , go behind the bit and generally evade but are fine as soon as no bit .... theres your answer !! What is the horse in at the moment ? A snaffle ?
 
The problem with jointed snaffles is that they force the joint downwards onto the tongue when you use your reins , so they do all they can to avoid it . So something like Kimblewick with a port means that the horse can move its tongue and therefore swallow and is then happy . If you try by putting your finger on your tongue and then try to swallow , cannot do it ! So a Kimblewick gives you some poll pressure and some curb pressure but no or little tongue pressure so a good little bit all round .
 
Not the best person to answer this as I don't school, but for any horse with head problems I'd suggest trying out a hackamore. Yes you need light hands at all times, and they take a bit of getting used to, for both horse and rider, but I like them. I rode my last headstrong, joggy, headtossing TB mare in one and she settled down into a much quieter personality.

I'd recommend getting someone who already uses a hackamore well to ride with you and give some advice - things like that the fact that you mustn't take a pull and hang on, it's all squeeze and relax. I think many conventional instructors just aren't trained to advise on them.

Hope you find something that works.
 
Hi,

Ride in a hackamore and you do need soft hands but I had the same problems as you, I can also ride in a bit now after finding the right one, we are in a french linked hanging cheeked snaffle, he is a loaner and always had a jointed bit and basically I needed to be as soft with the bit as I am with the hackamore and he is fine. Also getting his teeth done helped.

I would discuss it with an experienced instructor, I certainly would get a hackamore and just try it without some advice from someone experienced.

Good luck.

:)
 
thanks for all the replies I think I'll give a ropey sort of one and a hackamore a go see if she likes either, im sure I can drag someone off my yard into helping me, oh and shes in a egbutt french link at the moment and i've tried her in a hanging cheek french link and a cherry roller but shes the same, shes not go any problems with teeth/back shes just always done it :P
 
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