Working in bitless bridle?

[fogish]

Donn you are correct. It is like a safety razor: hard to cut yourself but supposedly not as close a shave, harder to injure the horse but not as precise communication. Without communication you have no control. I have found it to be more forgiving to heavy hands, although not encouraged in any way, but can still be sensitive to minor adjustments. It’s like a double edged sword that way. I had to make sure to develop a very light touch when using a bitless bridle, that way the next bitted horse I used would not notice.

And like Okiefarmer and Jen were saying, if it takes any real amount of force then they need more training and to try different bits and bridles. Coming back around to what you were originally saying, teaching/learning comes before all of this. If they haven’t even learned the concepts of what they will be doing they shouldn’t be around the horse. Better yet getting actual experience with a teacher present is worth more than almost any piece of equipment a novice will buy. It was the best thing I ever did when I started driving, before even the horse and the cart.

[sickle hocks]

The straight razor would be the really extreme spanish spade bits…used properly, they can be feather light and delicate…there is a signal built into the bit that comes into effect long before the bit acts, and the horse is moving off just the signal. So in away, the most severe bit is at the same time using the least amount of force. Of course it took seven years to progress a horse up to the bridle….and riding students had the reins attached to the bit with bits of thread to keep their hands light… Of course they would be entirely inappropriate to driving.

I just looked through the Dr. Cook site and I’d be open minded about trying one as another tool. There is, not surprisingly, some heavy anti-bit sentiment in there, and I tend to be skeptical of any ‘ultimate’ solutions….in a horse world so driven by fads and marketing these days. But I would like to try one. Have you found that you can keep your horse light, or make it lighter, using one?

I think it comes down to being able to recognize what is or isn’t working for each individual horse, and really working on developing good hands, which is going to be a lifetime project…

[J-L]

I agree with sickle hocks and others in that you need to try to find what works fore each individual horse, and especially developing good hands. It takes a lot of time on the lines or reins, especially if you’re not horseback or harnessed up daily.
A good reining horse trainer once said that being ‘light’ is being only as hard as you have to be. This is true, and I’ve seen horses made heavy and unresponsive by never having been made to give to the bit.
As far as a horse not liking the bit, I suspect there are some things that can be taught to help them understand what you’re telling them with the bit. Also giving them time to get used to it once they understand what it all means. I have seen very, very few horses that can’t tolerate a ring snaffle with some teaching.
I do think that as your horses age and get used more and more that some will need different bits. I (like Jen) have found that mullen mouth or low port bit to work great for a lot of different horses when you need something other than a snaffle. I like the elbow bits and Kimberwicks. You can hook them up at the ring for a very soft mouth or drop them down for one that needs a little more pressure.
I broke a lot of saddle horses with a bosal and transition them to a bit. I have never driven a horse with anything other than a bit (not saying it can’t or shouldn’t be done) because I’ve never seen one that couldn’t be taught to work in a bit out of hundreds of horses and mules.
Just my two bits.

[J-L]

“Just my two bits” no pun intended!

[fogish]

I got the Biothane instead of leather thinking it would be less maintenance. Because it is slightly textured it sticks more around the face and in the rings, and makes it more difficult to keep a light touch. I plan on having a leather one next time. Once line starts sliding freely though I barely have to move my hand and he responds. I really don’t think I could make him lighter on it than on a bit though. The reaction time is at best the same, you potentially have more rein to move. Instead of going straight to the bit you have to take up any extra that goes under the jaw and around the opposite side of the face up to the corner of the cheek. If you aren’t keeping the right amount of pressure on the line then you will have too much slack and it takes a little longer to take up that extra line before the horse gets the full signal. After a lot of training your horse can learn that just feeling the rein on one side start to move, even if it isn’t tight yet, means turn that way. It is easier for you to learn how tight to hold the lines so that the smallest twitch or pull gives your horse the signal you want it to have.

I have a mare on a bit and she does better with it. She is sensitive with having the bitless setup going around her face and tightening under the jaw the way it does. It is easier to go with a bit since she accepts it easily. My stallion is the other way. He took to the bitless bridle but fought a bit all the time. Thankfully my mare has not given me any signs of discomfort while I am driving her with a bit, I hope I truly have been able to keep a soft enough touch up to this point.

A large part of getting a bitless bridle was the limited variety and size of bits for minis. The selection is growing now so if I feel my stallions response ever starts to slow down or dull I will finally have a greater selection of bits that should fit his mouth better. He has a large tongue and a very narrow mouth, even for a mini. So far though he is doing well, comparing him to horses on bits I have no complaints with his performance.

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