Happy Horses Bitless
Frequently Asked Questions
WEBINAR WITH DR COOK
In this video Dr Cook answers many frequently asked questions sent to him by people wanting to know more. If you are interested in bitless riding I can’t recommend more highly that you set some time aside to watch this.
Can I Start my Young Horse in a Bitless Bridle?
Yes. Starting (breaking) a young horse with a bitless is the best beginning you can give them. In parts of America (especially Western riding) this is standard practice. By training young horses to give to pressure and listen to the rider without the complication of pain, we are starting our youngsters out with a clean undamaged mind. Some people choose to start their horse in a bitless bridle then move on to a bitted bridle at the age of 4 or 5 years old. Others stay in the bitless for life.
Young horses have newly erupting teeth and putting a bit into a mouth that’s already feeling discomfort from erupting teeth can cause behavioral issues. In this circumstance the rider doesn’t know where these issues have come. This may result in them becoming strong with their horse and disciplining them when in fact the horse has pain. This can then result in a horse that distrusts humans, dislikes being ridden and can result in a lifetime of being classified as a ‘difficult horse’.
Greenbroke horses are often more reactive to situations in the environment than a more seasoned mount. In order to stay safe the rider may need to make fast and strong corrections with the reins to bring a situation back under control. When there is a bit in the mouth this results in sudden and severe pain in the mouth and the young horse then reacts to that, so the rider has to make another severe correction, to which the horse reacts, and on and on it goes. The result is a horse that is mentally stressed, difficult to control and elevated.
Now contrast this to when riding in a bitless. There is an environmental situation which scares the green horse, we make a sudden and strong correction to rescue the situation, and then just ride on as if nothing’s happened. Our horse has not felt pain so does not react to that or become upset or hot, it’s all over and forgotten in seconds. This is a much better situation for both us and our horses, and a lot safer.
Training young horses in a bitless bridle is the kindest and most effective way to start a horse. Building up a relationship of trust with the youngster through non-painful training will set them up for a lifetime of trusting humans and being happy to work.
Is the Cross-Under Bitless Bridle too Strong?
I've heard people express concern about the strength of the cross-under bitless, wondering if it’s too strong. Imagine if you are using a side-pull bitless bridle, halter or a bit – if you put six grams of pressure on the reins then all six grams will be felt by the horse in one single location, either the nose or mouth. With a cross-under bitless bridle we still apply the same pressure to the reins, six grams, but now the horse feels it in four to six places around the head. This means that in each pressure spot the actual pressure is quite small. Also the pressure is being applied by a soft wide strap, not a rope or piece of metal. This makes it a very humane bridle, and the response from the horse is easy and clear.
Can I Compete in a Bitless Bridle?
The current competition rules in Australia are set by Equestrian Australia (EA) (www.equestrian.org.au). The rules vary according to the sport and are updated regularly.
EA National Eventing Rules - Cross-Country Test & Jumping Test; Gags or ‘bitless bridles’ are allowed as are unrestricted running martingales or Irish martingales. Reins must be attached to the bit(s) or directly to the bridle. Dressage Test; Permitted bridles are a double bridle with cavesson or snaffle bridle.
EA National Jumping Rules - There are no restrictions on bits. Reins must be attached to the bit(s) or directly to the bridle. Gags and hackamores are allowed.
Equestrian Australia Dressage Rulebook - Permitted bridles are a double bridle with cavesson or snaffle bridle.
Hors Concours - For some horse sports you are not able to use a bitless bridle, e.g. dressage will require a bit. However, you can ride ‘hor concours’ with a bitless bridle at some competitions (enquire with the organisers of the event). Riding hor concours at a horse competition means you are not competing. You will still pay an entry fee, receive a number and be judged by the judge. However you will not be considered for placings. At a dressage competition, you will receive a score card and mark from the judge, but not be eligible to win any rosettes or awards.
EA Show Horse Rules - Snaffle bridle or double bridle are permitted.
EA National Vaulting Rules - Bridle with smooth snaffle bit, with no more than 2 joints. Two side reins. Lunge rein must be attached to the inner ring of the bit or at the lunge cavesson.
Can I control my Horse in a Bitless Bridle? Can I Stop my Horse?
Yes you can. A bitted horse is not necessarily in control. Most of the horses out there bolting, bucking, rearing, pig-rooting, shying etc., are all wearing bits! The bit by it’s very nature causes pain, that is the basis of it’s operation. Even the gentlest of hands are still manipulating and putting pressure on a mucous membrane inside someones mouth. This pain causes a reaction. In the horse this is seen as flight, fight or freeze. Basically it makes no sense to cause a 500 or 600kg flight animal pain when you’re sitting on their back.
All horses as part of their basic education should be familiar with pressure/release, if this has not been established then that is the first training. This is the mechanism by which all bitless bridles work. Sometimes I need to remind people to ride normally when they are first riding bitless. Thinking they have less control riders can be overly strong with the bitless bridle. This is totally unnecessary and goes against the whole reason we're going bitless in the first place, to be kinder to the horse. I’m going to tell a little story to demonstrate this point.
After a few months riding a thoroughbred at my place of work in the bitless, I had an interesting discovery one day. I was out on a trail with an experienced male rider on another thoroughbred. We were cantering up a hill when the horses decided to ‘race’ and both bolted. As we reached the top of the hill neck and neck I regained control of my horse (a female, in a bitless) while the man continued to gallop down the other side unable to stop his horse (a male, with a bit). It had a happy ending as his horse eventually stopped and no-one was hurt. However, ever since then I have had absolutely no worries about whether a horse can be controlled in a bitless bridle. Over the years I have experienced many other 'hairy' situations and each has reinforced my trust in the bitless bridle.
Does the Rein Release Through the O-ring on a Cross-Under Bitless Bridle?
When we first put the bridle on, the cross-under straps appear slack. When we take up the reins for the first time the straps will fit snug against the horse and remain there (much as a bit fits snug against the corners of a horses mouth, rather than hanging loosely inside it). The cross-under straps don’t ‘fall’ back out after using the reins, but if you stick your finger under one and pull on a rein, then release, you’ll feel how the pressure releases. I’ve done this at various points around the bridle, it’s quite fun and gives you a good idea of how and where the horse feels the pressure, so you get an insight into their experience.
The light contact is no more than what remains after the pressure is taken off with the bit. If there was no release you would expect a horse to circle indefinitely once an initial request to turn had been signalled, and horses do not do this. As with steering, so with stopping, the ‘brakes’ do not get stuck in the stop position. The ideal is to ‘brake’ with your body and breathing rather than with your hands, but even when hands are used, the brakes do not get jammed. All horses respond to pressure/release training in this bitless so the release is felt by the horse.
Can the the noseband be too low or too high?
The noseband should be on bone, if it is too low it may be on the soft, fleshy part of the nose. However if the noseband is too high we may lose some control, as the leverage higher on the head is reduced. It can take a bit of fine tuning to find the right spot, but around 4 to 5 cm (2 inches) above the corner of the mouth is a good guide. A compromise needs to be found between not having it too low on the soft fleshy part but having it low enough so we have adequate control. If we play around with it our horses let us know where it’s comfortable AND effective.
Why is my horse is tossing the head?
Sometimes a horse will toss the head if we have the noseband too tight. It's our horses way of communicating with us. If we try loosening off on the noseband a bit this should disappear. In a bitted bridle the noseband is used to hold the mouth shut, so it is done up firmly, and people are accustomed to this. However it is not used for this purpose in a bitless, it is used for communication.