Opinions on Bitless bridles

Keira 8888

Keira 8888

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Hi guys,

Hope you are all well!

Just wondering what the general opinion is on bitless bridles? Specifically for an old horse (16 yrs) who is very easy, gentle and respectful to ride.

I have a feeling this horse has been put through the mill with hard handling and rough hands and I really like the idea of going bitless. We are only going to be hacking and popping the odd log in the forest!

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all
Keira x
 
Bitless covers a huge range from the fairly severe (German hackamore) to the very mild (headcollar/halter). Bitless =/= kinder/milder.
Really depends what suits you and the horse and what gives you adequate control. Some horses will go far better in a bitless bridle and others will be a nightmare.
If he reacts well to pressure on the nose, it can't hurt to try it out, particularly if you can borrow a few different types to see what works for you both.
 
I used to ride two of mine bitless and was a big fan. One is no longer with me, but the other is still ridden in a leather head collar with reins attached.

I think it can be a great option for lots of horses, but they’re all individuals, so it’s a case of trying it and seeing what your horse thinks. Some love it (including all the ones I know), but others prefer being bitted.
 
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I'd definitely try it, you have nothing to lose. It would be ideal to be able to try a few different bitless bridles to see what one would suit best, if possible.
 
be very cautious of the german type hackamores as they can be much more severe than a bit . when i was young we did lots of riding bareback iust with with headcollars and when i got my own horse i wanted to try bitless, the ones which tighten up on the nose didnt work for him and i tried the hackamore type but i felt it was too severe so went back to a normal bit and he was much happier
 
My mare isn't keen on being bitted. No physical reason, she just doesnt like it. I've tried a crossunder style before and she hated that even more! Just bought her a hackamore that is in the same style as traditional hackamore but the shanks aren't as long. Just getting her used to it in hand at the moment. I really like the look of the orbitless but this was considerably cheaper hence trying it first. I'd love to try a transcend or Jenny Rolfes bridle too but they are both on the more expensive end!
 
I ride in an English hackamore so I am not anti bitless. However, as you have only just got your horse I would leave him in whatever bridle he has been used to for quite a while. New horses when they arrive are often pretty good to ride. They are unsure as to their new home and owner. After a while they then start to ask the question "what if" as in what if I don't do that, don't ride the way she wants, don't go where she wants. Is the rider up to making me or can I have a bit of fun here.
So I would make sure you have several months good riding under your belt with him and then consider something different if you wish to. It is confusing enough for a horse moving to a new home without changing everything he knows.
If you feel he has been put through the mill with rough hands then make sure your hands are gentle. A bit is only as harsh as the hands on the reins and a hackamore can be harsh if the horse has not been trained to it and the rider has to simply pull to keep control.
 
Ive just started hacking my pony bitless.

he is generally very good, not strong but he is buzzy (lots of prancing sideways and curling up cheerfully bucking!) and he kept splitting the pink side of his lip.

after lots of reading i went for a performance equine bridle which has the lower throat lash to secure it, and a zilco flower hackamore to just give me a bit more braking than a sidepull!!!

its helped SO MUCH, he keeps his neck up and nose IFV much better which keeps him more forward thinking and thus less bucking and dancing. Bitted he will curl up even on no contact hacking so this has been a big step forward.
bitless.JPG
 
I am not a fan of cross unders as they don't always release fast enough. I had a matrix which I loved and gives you options but they aren't cheap.

Pioneer endurance sell various bitless and are fairly cheap. I bought an orbitless from them for about £35
 
The idea of using a bitless bridle seems to appeal to people more than horses in my experience; essentially it's not so much about what's on the horse's head as what's on the other end of the reins (i.e. the rider). Bits are no more "unkind" than the rider's hands and knowledge, and many bitless setups are not at all comfortable for the horse. The old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind here; is your horse uncomfortable in his bit?
 
Hallo2012 said:
Ive just started hacking my pony bitless.

he is generally very good, not strong but he is buzzy (lots of prancing sideways and curling up cheerfully bucking!) and he kept splitting the pink side of his lip.

after lots of reading i went for a performance equine bridle which has the lower throat lash to secure it, and a zilco flower hackamore to just give me a bit more braking than a sidepull!!!

its helped SO MUCH, he keeps his neck up and nose IFV much better which keeps him more forward thinking and thus less bucking and dancing. Bitted he will curl up even on no contact hacking so this has been a big step forward.
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What a beautiful pony! ? This is so helpful, thanks very much x
 
Hi guys,

thanks so much for all your great replies. I’m going to stick with the advice not to change too much to soon which makes a lot of sense. Then when I feel the time is right so can move forward and try out all the different things suggested. In the meantime, will try to be as light as possible with my hands. Thanks again x
 
I used a Dr Cook on a couple of horses, and they both went well in it, and were happier than bitted. When one got excited, brakes weren't as good though! When I first tried it on a hack, I put it under a bitted bridle that I'd taken the noseband off, so I had the bit for backup if necessary.
 
I've ridden bitless for nearly 14 years now and I've tried all sorts of bitless bridles over that time on many different horses. I much prefer a rope halter to ride in as the pressure and release works better. Wasn't a fan of the cross under bridles like Dr cooks. My firey Welshy went so much better bitless and she was bitted her whole life until I got her at 16. My homebred was broken in with a rope halter then worked her bitted for a few years and now we're back in the rope halter again, don't think I've ridden her in a bridle for 4 years now.
I think a lot of people just wack on a bitless bridle and hope for the best but there needs to be some level of training first. If your horse responds to seat and voice aids then you're half way there. I also only pick up the reins if I'm needing a bit extra communication but apart from that reins are slack and I don't really use them. If I'm needing to use the reins I do half halts or little 'bumps', if you just pull, your horse is more likely to pull back against you especially if they get strong. The one rein stop is also really important to install in case you have a 'oh sh*t moment'. When I first train horses to go bitless I always find their neck quite bracy and stiff when asking for a flex to get them to touch their girth area with their nose. After a month or two of doing regular flexes they get much softer and the one rein stop is much easier to carry out when needed!
Groundwork is so important when starting out bitless to get them to understand the different cues, pressure and release as well as responding to voice. Long reining in one is also helpful. It's taken me 4 years to get my homebred to a standard where I can ride absolutely anywhere in her rope halter, at any speed with minimum, if any, contact at all ? it is horses for courses though. I had an ex racer who I tried for 9 months to get going bitless but she just didn't like the feel of them and she much preferred a bit. Hope that all makes sense ? I used to train people to go bitless but discovered I fail at putting it into words and describing it well enough for people to understand ?
 

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Izzwall said:
I've ridden bitless for nearly 14 years now and I've tried all sorts of bitless bridles over that time on many different horses. I much prefer a rope halter to ride in as the pressure and release works better. Wasn't a fan of the cross under bridles like Dr cooks. My firey Welshy went so much better bitless and she was bitted her whole life until I got her at 16. My homebred was broken in with a rope halter then worked her bitted for a few years and now we're back in the rope halter again, don't think I've ridden her in a bridle for 4 years now.
I think a lot of people just wack on a bitless bridle and hope for the best but there needs to be some level of training first. If your horse responds to seat and voice aids then you're half way there. I also only pick up the reins if I'm needing a bit extra communication but apart from that reins are slack and I don't really use them. If I'm needing to use the reins I do half halts or little 'bumps', if you just pull, your horse is more likely to pull back against you especially if they get strong. The one rein stop is also really important to install in case you have a 'oh sh*t moment'. When I first train horses to go bitless I always find their neck quite bracy and stiff when asking for a flex to get them to touch their girth area with their nose. After a month or two of doing regular flexes they get much softer and the one rein stop is much easier to carry out when needed!
Groundwork is so important when starting out bitless to get them to understand the different cues, pressure and release as well as responding to voice. Long reining in one is also helpful. It's taken me 4 years to get my homebred to a standard where I can ride absolutely anywhere in her rope halter, at any speed with minimum, if any, contact at all ? it is horses for courses though. I had an ex racer who I tried for 9 months to get going bitless but she just didn't like the feel of them and she much preferred a bit. Hope that all makes sense ? I used to train people to go bitless but discovered I fail at putting it into words and describing it well enough for people to understand ?
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I think you explain it perfectly! Thank you x
 
I have tried a huge range of bitless bridles and my two favourite are lightrider and transcend.

Dr. Cook and any other cross under bridles my horses did not like at all and reacted very badly too. Light rider is a lovely loose bridle, doesn't interfere with the horse. Very light signal given to the horse under the chin when you use the reins. Shipping from Australia is surprisingly cheap and fast (during normal times) but because of Covid you would want to find one in UK (if that's where you are)

Transcend is a really lovely bridle. Better quality than light rider, but a more substantial bridle. You can ride as light as you want off the side reins like a side cue, but when needed you can use the second rein to give additional light signal under the chin.

I love both bridles and wouldn't hesitate to recommend either.
 
MiniMilton said:
I have tried a huge range of bitless bridles and my two favourite are lightrider and transcend.

Dr. Cook and any other cross under bridles my horses did not like at all and reacted very badly too. Light rider is a lovely loose bridle, doesn't interfere with the horse. Very light signal given to the horse under the chin when you use the reins. Shipping from Australia is surprisingly cheap and fast (during normal times) but because of Covid you would want to find one in UK (if that's where you are)

Transcend is a really lovely bridle. Better quality than light rider, but a more substantial bridle. You can ride as light as you want off the side reins like a side cue, but when needed you can use the second rein to give additional light signal under the chin.

I love both bridles and wouldn't hesitate to recommend either.
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Thanks so much for this - sounds exactly like what I’m looking for. Much appreciated x
 
We have an s hackamore for my mare which seems to suit which to me looks a fairly gentle version. Before that we had a crossunder which was great for a while but then we started to feel that brakes were optional and fell out with it cos we didn't want to have to keep pulling harder to achieve the same result.
 
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