Bitless bridle?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of having a bitless bridle?

It depends on the tipe of bit your using and what style you ride. Rio I heard is actually bit shy(he doesn't like them) and I have to use a hackamore to ride.

Do search in this section. There are lots of threads about the bitless bridle here.

Here are a few.

Advantages:
- Much kinder on a horses mouth
- Used when horses are bit shy or have mouth problems
- For ponys that can't carry bits LOL
- Good for starting a young horse on
- Prevents too much leaning on the riders hand

Disadvantages:
- Doesn't work for a very fast or disobedient horse
- Not for horses that have sensitive polls
- Some horses don't work in an outline with a bitless bridle
- In some cases you need to retrain your horse

Totally not trying to be picky but it depends on the kind of bitless bridle you're using. =) I use an Indian hackamore on Lacey most of the time (it's basically a noseband that you buy and add to any bridle, it functions kinda like dr.cook only less polished) and it doesn't affect her poll at all.

The thing I dislike about my hackamore thingy is that the direct reining is pretty ugly. It's great for neck reining though.

Yeah, sorry, besides those kinds that work by the nose and not the poll. They are much gentler. I have seen a horse flip over backwards at the pressure on his poll. Those ones are just not meant for some horses.

The reining is also another issue. LOL. That's why I said you would probably have to retrain the horse if he has been taught through the english way.

I have ridden in a bitless (dressage) - they are absolutely wonderful for teaching a rider not to rely on their hands to get the job done.
What I don't like though is the response from the horse. It is very difficult to use the same soft, finger light aids and get the same response as you would from a bit. Plus they are not legal in the show ring. So as much as they teach the rider not to rely on their hands - they also make the rider amplify her aids.
I do realize that they have their place, and I might school in one maybe 3-4 times a year for S&Gs but for dressage they are pretty useless.