BITLESS BRIDLE QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to use a bitless bridle on my gelding but have a few questions:
1) I do alot of showing/dressage work, how will the bridle afect his head carriage?
2) what types of competition is it allowed in Australia?
3) what is the best type/brand?
4) price range?

Um I think that's all
Thanx in advance!:)

Hello!
I wanted to work with a bitless bridle as well, but my trainer talked me out of it.
Before I start in on your questions, I have a few of my own:
-why do you want a bitless bridle? Does your horse evade the bit as is right now?
-what kind of bitless bridle are you looking at? There are hackamores, side-pulls, and the figure-8 bitless bridles (like at bitlessbridle.com).. can you please specify this?
-do you ride with your hands or legs, mostly?
-are there any aggressive riders that ride your horse?

Now your questions:
1) I do alot of showing/dressage work, how will the bridle afect his head carriage?
bitless bridles are not allowed in competition. You must use a standard snaffle, as indicated in international rule books
2) what types of competition is it allowed in Australia?
I'm not sure about Australia, but in Canada, you must use a bit in most types of competition, save jumper circuits. Check your local Equestrian Club for rulebooks for the different disciplines.
3) what is the best type/brand?
If you want to do any type of competition, try a hackamore, rather than a side-pull or figure-8. Some disciplines require you to use a bit. Again, check with your local riding club, or equestrian federation. Also, check your local tack store for price comparison.
4) price range? see above.

I hope this helps! If you can answer my questions, I'd be better able to help you.

Your Questions: my horse likes to go under the bit sometimes, I mainly wanted to try it because I thought it might be kinder and he might like it better.. it was looking at the ones like on the bitlessbridle.com site. Hands or legs? Hmm well I try to use more of my legs then hands, however my horse was turned out for a few months and I did little riding, so they arn't as strong as they used to be, need to work on that. My horse trot is quite bouncy/elevated (sp?) and so my hands can get a little 'busy', over the past year they have gotten better, but they still need some work. They are fine on a loose rein, just when I take up contact. My horse has a fairly soft mouth. I am the only one who rides him.

Hi, Mell,
I was wondering who did the majority of the riding because - and this is what changed my mind about the bitless bridles - if the wrong person gets on them, someone that is strong and has a firm hand, they can actually break the horse's jaw because there is such a cracker-jack action on the jawbone.
If your horse gets behind the bit, that is a training problem that can be fixed without switching to a bitless. My horse used to do that, and just adjusting my riding style helped a ton. Also, if you're looking for a softer bit without the cracker action of the snaffle, I would strongly suggest you look at getting a french link. It's a bit softer on the mouth as it doesn't have the hinge that might pinch at the horse's mouth. Another bonus is that you can compete in dressage with a french link.
I would encourage that you keep the basic snaffle and work on your riding style instead of changing the equipment on his face. You can find some piece of equipment to "fix" just about any problem, but it doesn't truely fix the problem - it just allows the problem to be covered up. Try fixing the root of the problem instead :)
Best of luck!

Just a comment on that... Despite what they said at bitlessbridle.com site not EVERY horse likes such bridles. One of mine doesn't tolerate pulling on nose etc, for example, so even riding in halter is problematic.

Ok so you've convinced my not to get one! :)
I'll check out a french link!
Thanx for ur advice!
Oh and in answer to ur question JustDressageIt i'm the only one who rides him
Thanx again :)

Hey there, I'm actually interested in purchasing or making my own bitless figure 8 bridle, but couldn't find any on the website you linked, bitlessbridle.com. Are you sure that's where you found them?
(I realize this is an old thread, but it's one of the first hits on Google when searching for a bitless figure 8 bridle.)