bitlessness :p

[IrishDQ]

Does anyone go bitless? what sort of bitless bridles are there besides hackamores? I've seen ones that look like complicated versions of rope halters I think.....

Is it possible to school properly in a bitless? i.e. get the horse on the "bit" etc?

I've never ridden in a proper bitless, only headcollars lol. :o

[No_Angel]

all my horses are bitless

theres crosspulls, sidepulls, scawbrigs, english hackamores,german hackamores,rope halters, meroth, indian bosalm, bosal, lots of types that work of different places of the horses heads, the bridle you use depends on where your horse prefers pressure.

Yes horses can work correctly in bitless bridles, its all about how they use themselves not what they have on their heads:)

[JustJas]

I ride my arab Jazzmyn bitless as she has a small mouth and hates bits. She has a good outline naturally so is "on the bit" when ridden.
All I have a is a second hand Libby's scrawbrigg. Best ebay buy I ever bought!

Sadly we will not be able to do showing/ competing in it.

[Yann]

I hack Tess in a Dr Cook, but have found that although she works nicely enough in it in the school and does soften she does have a tendency to lean on it. Horses are naturally into pressure animals and I have heard similar comments about schooling bitless elsewhere, regardless of the shortcomings of the rider:D

[IrishDQ]

Thanks :) I will have a look at all those different sorts, didn't realise that there were so many! I think I will probably start off with a bit (I have a nice thick jointed snaffle) until the horse is going nicely and then maybe try out the bitless.

[Showjumper]

http://www.freewebs.com/alternativehorse/bitless.htm

[lexi]

I've tried quite a few different bitless, my fussy mare didn't like the Dr Cook style, I think she found it felt restrictive. The best one I've found and that I'm using now, is the cotswold sport equibridle, when you use one rein it doesn't pull the other side up towards her eye like some of the others did.