Bitless Bridles

[Bay Mare]

Following our visit from the Monty Roberts RA yesterday we're going to have to go bitless for about 6 months. It makes complete sense and at least I was going the right way in going into milder bits! I'm not doing it 'just because', the difference in Saff between riding her in a rubber straight bar and riding her in a Dually with reins was phenomenal. The poor girl has been associating the bit with being hurt hence the head tossing and rearing. Once the bit was taken out the head tossing stopped immediately, she stretched out, relaxed and overtracked in walk.

Problem is which one?

You can get Dr Cook's in the UK now and, of course there is the English, Sawbridge etc. I know bog all about bitless so any comments would be greatly appreciated :)

My girl is only 5 and not particularly well schooled. Both my instructor and RA have said that she has been ridden by somebody 'very heavy handed' in the past. I'm not heavy handed (so I've been told) but need more steering than a dually affords :)

[Bramblepony]

I had a post up a little while ago about bitless options, I have ridden Shandy in a hackamore and where she was showing resistance like Saffy has been she is now so much happier and occasionally collects (for a three year old I was prety impressed) Es suggested the scawbrig as she found this helped when petal was younger and at the moment I am saving up (or asking for one for christmas)

I didn't like the Dr Cook when i looked at it because of the way it crosses under the jaw IMHO this looked to severe for my girl who less is more with, in regards to stearing the hackamore took about a fornight to get used to and Shandy is now more resposive in it than she was a bitted bridle and touch wood we've had no repeats of the rearing, headshaking and particullary nasty behaviour :)

[Showjumper]

I ride in a Dr Cook Crosspull and really like it! :D I can ride Dolly on long reins, but apply a bit of pressure, and she comes straight back to me. She's happy and responsive and yields easily and without resistance.

I used to ride her in a rope halter, but she discovered that if she wanted to trot and I didn't, she could stick her chin into her chest and there was nothing I could do about it.

I sometimes attach the reins to the side rings on the crosspull instead of the cross-straps, so ride like a sidepull. She responds well to this too, but doesn't work as well. She tends to get lazy and ignore me.

I tried an English hackamore on her once and she really didn't like it! Head tossing and ears back. It concentrated the pressure to much for her (the crosspull disperses the pressure over the whole head).

As far as steering goes, a scrawbrig would be quite similar to the Dually, except that it would work on the underside of her chin instead of on top of her nose.

I have photos of all the different bitless bridles (well, most of them) on my link "Alternative Horse" in my signature :)

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :)

[Yann]

It's also maybe important to bear in mind that you'll have much better steering and general control when you're not hacking out with Rio:D;)

[Bay Mare]

LOL :D How is the satanic horse?

I managed to get an English Hackamore from Irvings so will try that out and see how she gets on with it. The Dr Cook is £130 so I started at the 'cheaper' end :eek: until I can see how she copes with being bitless (though seeing her the other day I would say VERY, VERY well).

[shandy84]

When Shandy firt went in the hackamore she was head tossing but with gentle slow schooling at walk over poles etc she has achieved a while lot and is so much happier, so don't be surprised if saffy gets a bit confused to begin with gievn a little time she will come to understand what it all means :)

[Bay Mare]

Thank you :D

Anything will be better for her at the moment than having a bit in her mouth, poor soul :(

How did you find the Hackamore once she got used to it?

I rode her the other day (after the RA had 'crash tested') on a Dually with reins and she was brilliant, a much better, much more relaxed horse. She stopped head tossing, stretched out and strode out much better than she had been doing (and I thought that she had been 'ok' apart from the head tossing and rearing before!).

[RachelEvent]

I have had wonderful results just with a basic rope halter.. Steering and brakes in perfect order :p

This was pretty immediate with a horse who is sometimes considered to be a bit slow in the mind!

I hack out, on quiet lanes and around fields, alone and in company, jump showjumps and cross country, ride bareback and do some dressage schooling in the halter. Quite remarkable on a horse which is renowned for being veeeery strong!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_18.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Gridwork%20Oct%2004/trot7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/6th%20July%2004%20Makeover%20etc/walktowards.jpg

I haven't tried any other hackamores or bitless options, but purely because I have had no need to - he really is fantastic in a £10 rope halter :) Anyway, could be worth a try!

Rachelxx

[TBEventer2002]

Ah, rachel, you never cease to amaze me!!! :D You and your handsome chappie are the epitome of what I want for me and my horsies!

[shandy84]

Shandy kept trying to eat the metal bits to begin with, she loved it on hacks as I let her nibble some shrubs every now and then, before Shandy was put in the hackamore she was riding with her head like a giraffe her back hollowed she had no forward propulsion and would rear if yu tried to turn her or make her move into the hand, with the hackamore she has done none of these, the head tossing the first few days was because she wanted to eat the side pieces, my insurance won't let me ride bitless in the sense of a halter or dually so we tried this before buying the scawbrig and it has really done an amazing amount, Shandy's head is carried low and more in line with her body she is no longer hollowing her back she is willing (most of the time -- well she is a mare :rolleyes: ) to go forward into the hand and she doesn't rear or headtoss anymore, we also only have workd her a slower gaits while we get her used to it and that seems to have helped.

The reason we went bitless is that Shandy has no room for a bit in her mouth as her mouth conformation is awful so every time the bit was moved it was hurting her somewhere in her mouth she is a lot more relaxed about having her bridle put on now where she would avoid it like the plague before

[sheil]

Originally posted by Bay Mare
The Dr Cook is £130 so I started at the 'cheaper' end :eek: until I can see how she copes with being bitless (though seeing her the other day I would say VERY, VERY well).

Just to correct any misunderstandings:) , the Dr Cook Bitless Bridle is available in the UK in webbing at £52, synthetic at £58.50 and English bridle leather at £88. There is also a super-dupa padded leather version at £120.

Online shop is now open, showing all the options and prices Bitless Bridle UK Shop (http://www.bitlessbridle.co.uk/shop)

I hope your mare continues to improve Bay Mare :)

[Bay Mare]

Oooh! That's not where I saw it advertised when I did a search before! Thanks for the link, that's much more reasonable :)

May I ask what your opinions are on the Dr Cook?

Saff seems to be going ok in it but is being a bit strong! Maybe it's just that she was backing off from the bit before?

Someone has said to me that you can't school in a Hackamore! Any comments? :D

Ta

[Yann]

Hehe don't ask her, Shiel is the UK distributor:D

At those prices Santa might be bringing me a beta cob size for Christmas...:)

Re. the schooling the only way to do it is try. I found Rio went OK in the hackamore I tried, she softened and we had steering but I daresay it will vary from horse to horse as you're sort of putting on the brakes as well when you take on a rein.

If my cheap copy is anything to go by the Dr Cook isn't that dissimilar to the dually to ride in, if anything the steering is more precise. Certainly no problem doing basic schooling in one of those.

[HairyCob]

No-bit bridles, are I believe, the cheap copy of the Dr Cook- I paid about thirty quid for my webbing one when I had it for HC- now sold to lovecat! (the bridle that is, not the horse!)

Maybe that would be an option to 'try' before forking out on a Dr Cook?

Maybe you could even borrow one from someone here? I'd have sent you mine and lent it to you but I don't have it anymore!

[sheil]

Maybe that would be an option to 'try' before forking out on a Dr Cook?

There is a 30-day 'no-quibble' moneyback guarantee with the Dr Cook - buy one, try for 30 days, if not happy send back (in good condition) and you get your money back :)

Also an option to upgrade to leather within 30 days - buy a webbing or beta and return within 30 days for full refund against the purchase of a leather one :)

Hehe don't ask her, Shiel is the UK distributor

What more can I say :D

[Bay Mare]

So, Yann, it's like the 'incredibly cruel' one that you showed me? :D

I'll see how she goes in the Hackamore but I do like the look of those :)

How much more control do you have compared to the Dually? I didn't feel that I had THAT much and she was quite strong in it.

Oh for people with heavy hands to have them surgically removed before they even get near to a horse :mad:

[sheil]

So, Yann, it's like the 'incredibly cruel' one that you showed me?
LOL :cool:

Regarding amount of control I will let satisfied customers speak for themselves -
User's Comments (http://www.bitlessbridle.co.uk/bitless-bridle-feedback.php) (and I didn't write any of them myself ;) )

Oh for people with heavy hands to have them surgically removed before they even get near to a horse couldn't agree more Bay Mare :)