Bitless Bridles?

[sammyantha]

I've been looking at the Dr Cook BB and quite fancy giving it a go. My mare is currently in a loose ring snaffle and has the softest, easiest mouth ever. She is rarely any trouble.

Questions:

If she takes off/ gets strong, will I be able to control her?
Are you able to show in a BB, including endurance rides?
If not, would it be OK to use the loosering for shows, bitless all other times, or would this mess her about?
What is the best BB in your experience?
Is it possible to get a western style BB?
Can I simply put her in a BB and go on a hack, or do I have to practice in the school first, if so, for how long. how many times?

[sammyantha]

Also, just read Bronya's post about her accident in an english hackamore (horse bucked) - is this likely once the horse realizes there's no bit? Are you still able to stop a buck if necessary in a BB?

[KarinUS]

If you do a search for bitless bridle you likely will come up with tons of good posts that already answer most of your questions. Give it a go!
The search option is on top in the blue bar.
I think Dr Cook's still give a money back guarantee so you can always return it if you don't like it.

[sammyantha]

Thanks Karin, that's what I'm doing now :D Just wanted answers to some specific questions without having to trawl through posts.

[sammyantha]

Bought a Happy Wheel/ LG bridle from Robinsons for £20 in the sale :D Have to wait 5 days for delivery though boo. Does anyone have any experience of the HW?? Good or bad, all advise welcome.

[Yann]

Answers, from my own experience :)

1. Yes, the Dr Cook I use does give you brakes, I suppose it will vary from horse to horse but I'd say it was equivalent to a regular snaffle on my two.

2. I don't think you can show bitless, but you can jump, and do things like TREC and endurance without any problem.

3. If mine are anything to go by switching from one to the other isn't a problem

4. I've only tried a dually halter, english hackamore and Dr Cook, my preference would be for the Dr Cook

5. You can, I think there are a few people on here with experience of bosals

6. Both my horses were fine in it from the word go but I have heard of horses objecting to the different feel of the Dr Cook, so it's always sensible to try something new in an enclosed space first. I think you'll know from the word go if you're going to have any problems :)

[sammyantha]

Thanks Yann,

Have been avidly reading through all the bitless posts, including the 'heated' ones ;) Have come to the conclusion that I will only know if it works once I've tried it as different people seem to have had different experiences. Have purchased a happy wheel from robinsons which should arrive next saturday, so here goes :D

[Bebe]

I've got a half bosal for my mare, it seems to provide more in the emergency brakes department than the other bitless options I've tried (Scawbrig, english hackamore & a copy of the Dr Cooks). It's not fantastic for steering though so if my mare decides to ignore my seat and legs she can run through the back-up rein aid. I like having it as an option though and it doubles up well as a controller type halter when necessary.

[sammyantha]

Thanks Bebe,

I am still looking at the options in case the happy wheel doesn't work out. We had a little practice in a headcollar last night and she was fab :D

[ashlingm]

if your mare is going so well at the moment why change things???

[sammyantha]

Well she's in a loose ring snaffle at present and she does go well in it but often grumbles when the bridle goes on, and I don't like having a big hard lump of cold metal in her mouth. She's barefoot and soon to go treeless saddle wise, so why not bitless as well? I can't very well ride her round in a headcollar, my abilities are not that good LOL.

[sammyantha]

Arghhhhhh, I am so useless at buying things over the net these days!!! The new Happy Wheel (LG) bitless noseband I bought from Robinsons arrived today, and it's HUGE :eek: They only sell the full (be warned as 'full' means bigger than a shire :eek:) but I really like it :-( Not happy.

[mayS]

Hi there! I own a Dr Cook.

Others have different opinions on them. Some love them. I saw a few big flaws in them.

One thing I will say is there is usually an investment of training you'll have to do before just hacking out in one. Try it in a fenced ring a number of times to be sure you feel safe.

If she takes off/ gets strong, will I be able to control her?

Maybe or maybe not. I used it on drafts. They'd just stiffen their neck and no amount of leverage or poll pressure the Dr Cook could give would change their mind. They could just walk through it... if they chose.

Are you able to show in a BB, including endurance rides?

You cannot show in dressage. I don't know about endurance.

Is it possible to get a western style BB?

Look at the different styles of hackamores (not Dr Cook)

Can I simply put her in a BB and go on a hack, or do I have to practice in the school first, if so, for how long. how many times?


Depends on the horse, how sensitive he is, how cooperative he is, and if he's suddenly barn sour out on the trail. :) If he has a history of bolting and you usually stop him using bit pressure, the Dr Cook may not be the best choice for trails.

I think early on I put my regular bridle on under the Dr Cook. I tied up the reins for the bit and worked using the Dr Cook, but the bit was there for emergencies.

You will need to trim a good bridle path year-round for the Dr Cook. Thick mane = padding and padding = not much poll pressure.

I had a problem with mine on stronger horses. If I had to use a lot of pressure to go for example left, after a few left turns I found I had all the slack on the left side. The right ring would be right up against the stop, so there would be no release. I'd be forced to either dismount and sort out the top strap (connecting to reins). I talked to Dr Cook representatives at a show and they suggested I crimp the metal connectors up near the poll a little tighter, but if they're too tight it wouldn't work either. :confused:

But I know some people who use various kinds of bitless bridles (not necessarily dr cook) and they're very happy. So it may just depend on the horse & rider.

[sammyantha]

Well I have not been able to find out what she's like at all as the one i bought from robinsons is way too big. Though she went lovely in the school in just a headcollar :D

People seem to be fairly evenly split on the dr cook, half love it and half hate it lol. Will have to try one out just for that reason. The only one that doesn't appeal so far is the bosal. I admire many of the (mostly western) riders who do great things in them, but I think that is really down to the fact that they have been 'horse men/ women' all their lives and ride in a completely different way to the majority of riders who rely on a bit and reins :rolleyes: