Bitless bridal?

Question

First i would like to ask do you use a bit or a bitless bridal?

I really just dont like the way bits look.

http://www.stallionsnow.com/stallion-ad-69807

I mean look at this guy is beautiful. But that giant bit makes his mouth look huge and his head small.

http://www.horsesunlimited.us/stallions/wildance.htm

I mean look at that! a horses head is not meant to bend like that.

heres one article from this site that gives me a very good reason never to use a bit on my horses

Research clearly shows that bits cause many injuries.

The look on any horse’s face shows that bits create discomfort and distraction.

Natural horsemanship has proven that horses respond to gentle pressure and release.

Thousands of people worldwide have shown that you can ride, drive, and train horses better with a Nurtural bitless bridle.

heres the site

http://www.nurturalhorse.com/

Answer 1

A few of our therapy horses use bitless bridles when they are being ridden by little kids who like to yank on the reins. Other than that, all our horses have bits, and many of them need bits because they WILL take advantage of the rider, which we can't have, since many of the riders are "special" and would not know what to do if their horse wouldn't respond to their aids.

Answer 2

I ride in a traditional hackamore. They are harmless and great for training!!

It puts pressure on the poll, and nose. I went to R.E. Smith for a clinic, with the hackamore and i had GREAT results! Its at http://resmithtrainer.com/

DONT use the mechanical hackamore. You can easily break your horses jaw. It is a terrible thing, so for your horses sake dont use one.

And a traditional hackamore is also called a bosal. If you were to get one, the one to get is with out metal in it. Its the "traditional" one!!

i hope this helps you!! Good luck!

Answer 3

I have used a Dr. Cooks bitless and it helped us out of a problem area.  

My gelding had a mouth shyness and I had to teach him that I was not going to be harsh on his mouth....and gave him time to realize that I did not have heavy hands.

He accepted the new bit a year later and loves it.  It has a roller so he is occupied. :)

I also used the Dr. Cooks to help train my mare.  I wanted to stay out of her mouth and to have her listen to my body instead.  She settled in and now neckreins like a champ.

The pressure is put on the side of the face and then under the jaw and over the poll...not over the nose.

But that is with a Dr. Cooks....not sure how that other one works.

http://www.bitlessbridle.com/

It's a great training tool and a great bridle if you just want to give your horse a break and have a built in halter too :)

Fantastic for those school ponies (a trainer needs to break them into the bridle for them to fully understand that it's not a mouth thing anymore) It's lack of education or actual use of the Bitless that triggers the remarks of "no control"

I paid $80 for the bridle and attached my own reins.

I use both and I am not going to get down on someone because of their preference or what works best for them.  

It's their choice.  :)

edit:  Rosi M told me to quote her on this...

"It's not the bit that's dangerous, it's the hands on the end of the reins!"

I believe Black Bunny  has made this statement many times too.

edit: BM...I just read your input and since you are the grammar n**i....I found that you spelled a few things wrong.  It's 'palate' not pallate. It's 'properly' not proplerty.  It's "comfortable' not comfterable 'whether' not 'wheather'.  It's 'previously' not previoulrt (or whatever you said)

Now...before you throw stones, check your shutters.

**************************************...

*****BM typed "First of all I dont mean to sound like a noob but it's spelled -bridle-. But I see no need to use a bitless bridle. Bitless bridles put pressure on the soft tissue of a horses nose.[NOT a good thing] and Bits can cause harm if they are mean bits and havent been fitted proplery. The only bits I would ever use(and that are safe) are either a D-ring bit or a Full Cheek bit. Both of which are french linked so the bars DONT hit the soft pallate of a horses mouth and both of which are HappyMouth brand so you don't have to warm your bits in the winter and give lots of comfort too. And the way something looks shouldn't be a HUGE worry as long as the horse is comfterable then were good as the MAIN reason horses act up is because of PAIN (wheather it be a HARSH bit or a "NATURAL" bitless bridle that wears down the horses soft tissue in their nose. Here some links to both of the bits previouslt mentioned. :D ************

Answer 4

I haven't been able to use a bit with my horse. When I tried, the bridle was too big for her head and it kept falling down off her nose. I use a hackamore on her because that's what I'm used to riding with, both down here and where I lived before with the two ponies I rode alot. I was taught to use a hackamore because it's less painful and I have looked at the nurtural horse website about the bitless bridle and it looks more efficient than mine would be. It would have more control.

Answer 5

Well really, with bits it doesn't matter how they look. It's wether the horse is going to buck you off or not. Some horses do better with a hackamore (a bridal without a bit attatched) and some horses you abseloutly have to have a bit or else you have no breaks.

I think huge bulky bits don't help a bit,

but I've had one horse that needed a pretty harsh bit.

So all in all,

looks don't really matter,

it's if you going to get bucked off or not.

Answer 6

I have used a bitless bridal for about two years now and dont ever want to go back to a bridle.  Its not a sidepull, its so much more.  You can get one for about $160.00, and it is worth every penny.

Answer 7

First of all I dont mean to sound like a noob but it's spelled -bridle-. But I see no need to use a bitless bridle. Bitless bridles put pressure on the soft tissue of a horses nose.[NOT a good thing] and Bits can cause harm if they are mean bits and havent been fitted proplery. The only bits I would ever use(and that are safe) are either a D-ring bit or a Full Cheek bit. Both of which are french linked so the bars DONT hit the soft pallate of a horses mouth and both of which are HappyMouth brand so you don't have to warm your bits in the winter and give lots of comfort too. And the way something looks shouldn't be a HUGE worry as long as the horse is comfterable then were good as the MAIN reason horses act up is because of PAIN (wheather it be a HARSH bit or a "NATURAL" bitless bridle that wears down the horses soft tissue in their nose. Here some links to both of the bits previouslt mentioned. :D

http://www.doversaddlery.com/happy-mouth...

this one is also fine too

http://www.doversaddlery.com/happy-mouth...

this one is also acceptable(its new hehe)

http://www.doversaddlery.com/st%FCbben-g...

I couldn’t find any ones like this in a happymouth so you will have to warm it in the winter

http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp...

Answer 8

I use both a full cheek snaffle and the Dr. Cook bitless.  My horses were trained on bits and never had a problem with being bitted...I got the bitless bridle to start my granchildren riding.  The bitless is a good choice for them because their hands aren't trained, and the bitless bridle gives them control without the horse's mouths being sacrificed.

Answer 9

personally i use a bit with my horse, but i have ridden plenty of horses in bitless bridles and i think that each horse is different and needs different things. if i rode my horse in a bitless he would take advantage of it and maybe sometime in the future i'll try it. I think that natural horsemanship is great and i think that it really just depends on the horse what the best thing to do really is.

Answer 10

I ride in a Dr Cook cross over bitless bridle and I will NEVER go back to a bit again.

We have two horses. One bolted and the other head tossed. Long story short, the bolter is a safe as a safe thing can be and the head shaker simply doesn't shake. :)

I hope everybody will at least TRY a bitless because I can almost guarantee that their horse will go better without a chunck of metal in their mouth!!

People don't try bitless because they may think that their horse will have no control - FALSE

They may think it will hurt them even more - FALSE

I recomend it and will never turn back to bits with ANY horse I own.

Answer 11

My whole family does Parelli Natural Horsemanship, and we all vary.  Both my parents and I use natural hackamores for basic stuff.  My dad has a bitless bridal for trail riding, etc.  OK, so he hasn't tried it yet, but he didn't like the idea of a bit in his horse's mouth.  My mom and I use snaffle bits  for more advanced collection.  Just like in your 2nd picture.  The horse is just very collected, though, from a natural horsemanship point of view, it doesn't look like the rider is being very light.  I think it's fine to use a bit as long as it's a gentle one, like a snaffle, IN THE RIGHT HANDS!!!!!  Someone who is an experienced natual horseman for example, would do fine with a bit, because they know when to release, and how to be gentle!!!  They just want more contact for higher level things.  I myself have a snaffle, but do not use it as I do not consider myself light enough yet to risk my horses mouth.  For someone who wants a bridal now, bitless might be wise.  It's up to you what you want to use based on your level of knowledge.  I would encourage you to look into natural horsemanship more, as I'm sure it would go hand in hand with your feeling of gental pressure and release and bitless bridals.

Answer 12

First off, bit or bitless. You can still s***w up a horse. I have seen some good horse that where trained bitless. On the other hand the majority of your money making competitive trainers use bits. In the first pic, how do you know that bit is too big? Realy, do you see the diamiter of the mouth peice. Is it a high port? The bit is a little gaudy for my taste but I don't see where the bit is bad for the horse. In the second pic. Uhhm I didn't know that horses heads bent? Realy. I know that their necks bent, Arabs have a dish face.... but heads bent. Never seen that.

Look if bit less is your choice thats fine. I use bits and hackamores. Real Hacks not machcanical hacks(mechanicals have shanks, real hacks don't), I use both, Infact I am working with my father to get a few horses of our into full spanish spade. The harsh ness of a bit is truley in the hands of the rider. I personly have never ruined a horses mouth, and I am quite proud of that fact.

No offence to Perelli, but I have never seen any horse of his win a million dollar purse. The man is an amaizing marketer. And has helped many people train their horses. But lets not forget one thing.

The true first natual horsemen, where the Spanish and Basque Vaqueros.

And let the trolls begin. I know I am going to get plenty of thumbs down for this. But honestly, this was realy not even a question but an advertisement for natural horse.com. So if you have the gonads try the thumbs up.

Answer 13

BM~~~ We don't come on here for a 15yr old snot nose kid telling us that we spelled a word wrong!!! We are not on here for spelling!! & Then you dumb A$$ can't spell either....... Hummmm You are a little hypocrite! That is why I red dotted you a while ago!!!!! LOL LOL

****EDIT******

Goooo BuckinFun!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 14

I use bits, but I have had horses who went better without them.

As for "the look on any horses face" both horses you pictured looked extremely comfortable & happy to me - ears up, soft eyes - and  that Hannovarian looked focused to me!

Well, they looked happier than the grey horse is this video, anyway http://www.nurturalhorse.com/Nurtural_Pa...