Bitless bridles?

Question

are the dr cook bitless bridles good. i am thinking of putting my horse in one. but i was wondering to they hurt the horses at all. and could any one tell me a little more about them. thanks.

Answer 1

bitless bridles are similar to hackamores, both put pressure across the nose, and in short can be just as harsh as the worst bit if the rider is not aware of just how much control they can exert. Unless the rider is very horse savy, stick with a snaffle !!

Answer 2

HI !

IV'E USED QUITE ALOT OF BITLESS BRIDLES AND I FIND NONE OF THEM FIT WELL OR DO THE HOSE ANY GOOD.

I FIRST USED THE "BE KIND" BITLESS BRIDLE AND THE FIRST WEEK I USED IT THE SO CALLED UNIQUE CHEEK STRAP BROKE! I LATER FOUND OUT IT HAD BEEN RUBBING AGAINST MY HORSES CHIN AND HAD LEFT A BIG BALD BIT. I GOT A REFUND!!!

I THEN TRIED THE NYLON/ELASTIC BITLESS BRIDLE AND IT BROKE THE FIRST DAY I USED IT! GOT A REFUND!!!

I TRIED RUSSELS BITLESS BRIDLE AND MY HORSE DIDN'T OBEY ATALL, NOT EVEN MY MOST OBEYING MARE! IT DIDN'T DISTRIBUATE ENOUGH PRESSURE. PUT IT IN THE BIN!!!

AFTER ALL THAT I TRIED THE DR.COOK ONE AND IT SEEMED OK FOR THE FIRST FEW WEEKS BUT I FOUND IT A LITTLE BIT HARSH FOR MY HORSES AND THE LEATHER IT VERY HARD, EVEN WHEN IT'S BEEN USED FOR AGES. I SOMETIMES USE IT IF MY STUBBORN 17.3HH BLACK STALLION IT BEING A PAIN AND UN-RESPONSIVE. BUT OTHER THAN THAT I WOULDN'T RECCOMEND IT.

I THINK IF YOU HAVE A STUBBORN HORSE THEN I WOULD MABYE SUGGEST THAT BUT I PREFER A BRIDLE WITH THE BIT.

Answer 3

It s better for the horse if you can ride and train them without a bit in their mouth.  Why?  Because they don't have to carry a piece of metal in their mouth and possibly banging against their teeth.  In the wrong hands, a bit can be a disaster even with the mildest bit.  You can get their full attention without a bit.  That is my experience and opinion.  Hope it helps.

Answer 4

bitless bridles put pressure on the soft tissue of the horses nose. Which is one of the things many people are trying to prevent these days with extra padding and/or fleece patches....

Answer 5

well, some horses like i read about a horse kepy rearing, but they tried a bitless and they havent reared since.

i think its a more natural approach to riding, some horses prefer, but others dont.

you could try it in your horse and see if theres any improvement if theres a problem, or simply if your horse likes it better.

hope this helps!

x

Answer 6

I haven't a lot of experience with bitless bridles, but you don't say why you want to change your horse's bit. What problems are you having, if any? If you elaborate, prehaps we can help you more.

x

Answer 7

A bitless bridle causes less damage than a regular bit. Period. No matter how you look at it.

Regular bits cause teeth chipping, cuts, tears, irritation, etc.

The bitless bridle, cuts off air supply, similar to a hackamore.

Imagine riding in a halter. Only the halters fits snuggly around the horses nose. And, you can control pressure.

A hackmore cuts off air supply, when the bitless bridle simply annoys them into the direction/movement, etc that you're asking.

i'm very fond of the bridle.

Answer 8

No the Dr. Cooks doesn't hurt.  It's design is to put pressure along the side of the face and then on top of the poll.

When the horse responds you let the pressure off of the rein and then the pressure on the face/poll is alleviated, thus rewarding the horse for making the right decision.

It's got no more pressure on the top of the nose than if you tug a few times on a rope halter when they misbehave.

So if you get some yayhoo out there yanking around...of course THAT is going to hurt..same as if they are yanking on a bit or a halter.

I've had nothing but positive training with my two when I used it.  It helped them work through things that they didn't understand without me hanging on their mouth.  It got my guy over being bridle shy and his head tossing.

When I am out on the trail in a Dr. Cooks I actually have better control as they are not worried about pain in their mouths...they can feel my direction and we work better as a team.

My guy loves his bit though because he's mouthy.  He has a snaffle with a ball.  He spins it the whole ride.

My mare likes her bit because she likes the squeak.  She purposely makes noise.

I also use a bit as they know that eating on the trail with a bit in is not allowed.  With a Dr. Cooks they feel it's ok to eat along the way.

Now..I can say these things as I have used it.  I am not someone that just 'heard a friend of a friend' or 'that is what it looks like to me so I am going to say I know what it's all about'

I speak from experience.  No guess work.

Email the people at Dr. Cooks and they can explain this more to you and how it works.

http://www.bitlessbridle.com/

Answer 9

Some are really harsh so be extremley careful of which ones you buy. Some are nice and easy though!

Answer 10

The bitless bridles are designed to work and feel the same as the a regular bridle. Dr. Cook bridles are a very good brand and they said that "The mouth is one of the most highly sensitive parts of the horse's anatomy. Even the gentlest use of a bit causes pain. As the horse is a prey animal it has evolved to hide its pain as much as possible in order to avoid attracting predators." and it is totally safe to go bitless if that doesn't work try a happy mouth bit. It is a regular bit covered in rubber so it is lesss sharp.

hope I helped

Answer 11

A bitless bridle applies pressure  but doesnt hurt the horse. They are a more natural way to riding a horse.

Answer 12

i have many years experience using bitless bridles on my mares and they have both responded wonderfully! they dont just put pressure on the nose, the reigns are connected to straps that wrap around and go underneath the horses head putting pressure in just the right places... its completely different to riding in a headcollar, with much more control!!!!! both my mares are rescue horses and misbehaved immensely when being ridden with a bit... but u cant just swap to a bitless bridle and expect fantastic behaviour. the horse needs training and bonding with the owner before any kind of good behaviour can be expected!

overall i would definately recommend a bitless bridle, why stick a piece of metal in a horses mouth which in the wrong hands can cause damage, if theres another way to do things?! however like i said before, the most important factor in riding a horse is the trust and the bond u have with it, they are intelligent creatures and respond well to being treated with respect :)

Answer 13

if used in the wrong hands, you can damage the horses soft tissue of the nose, which may become quite painful. If you are having no trouble with the bit you are currently using then stick to it, otherwise you could try a vulcanite straight bar snaffle, which is very mild. And as for the bit banging on the horses teeth as someone said, this does not happen! if you look at the conformation of the horses mouth, you would realise that the bit sits on the bars of the mouth, and not on its teeth! If you want to try a bitless bridle, i would suggest, to save money, ride in a head collar and see how you get on. attach the reins to the metal bits on the side of the headcollar and makesure the noseband is quite tight. good luck

Answer 14

the dr Cook bitless bridle distributes pressure throughout different points on the horse's head and is painless.  It is not comparable to hackamores and sidepulls, or other bitless gear that inflicts pain in order to work.  I use a Dr Cook and it is the best piece of equipment I have ever invested in.  It affords you full control, and better cooperation from the pain-free horse.  I highly recommend it.