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Bridleless

6K views 39 replies 11 participants last post by  AKPaintLover 
#1 ·
This winter i have been working on riding my mare, slipper, bridleless. It is a very hard but very rewarding training process! A few days ago I finally did it, completeing an entire horsemanship pattern bareback and Bridleless. We did a flying lead change, lope circles,extended jog to regular jog, stop and back, pivots that were more like reining spins!! and slipper is only 4!!!! It was an amazing feeling and I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience and how it is going??
 
#28 ·
Tessa Bear said:
darby "Itza Fleet Thing" on the top has Mr. Norfleet
on the bottom she has a lot of Sensation

so i'm assuming you show in the Jr classes?
yupp
 
#29 ·
Okay, back to the bridleless topic :)

I rode tonight bareback with my rope halter and he did awesome...(spins, stops, leads, rollbacks, etc) .so soft and responsive to my body and the halter, BUT I really want to be able to do what you guys are talking about sometime.

Actually I would love to be able to do a reining pattern bridleless at the annual parade of stallions one year - that would be AWESOME.

Any tips from you guys with experience on how to take that step from soft in a halter to responding to just neck string and body?

Exercises? Activities? You guys have me really jealous :)

This would be a great winter project!
 
#31 ·
yup like Tim said it all legs and seat. infact with my mare i never touch her face only when flexing to warm up or on the rare occasion (since she is no push button) i do need to get ahold of her face to collect her up but other than those rare times, i don't mess with the bridle.

does this answer your question?
 
#32 ·
yeah i started out just doing alot of riding WITH the bridle but just tying the reins and riding but if i had to fix i could than istarted into the halter and did the same thing than no bridle but neck rein and than finally nothing!! u just slowly progress and when u get one part bombproof and perfect u go to the next one!! its alot of leg and seat but voice too. my mare is very voice responsive and it helps!! and u have to be very careful about your leg. you have to have very easy to read cues that are the same EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!good luck!! :D
 
#33 ·
OMG!! I might do a bridleless pattern in the Freestyle Reining at the Pinto World show if they have it!!! YAYYYY
 
#34 ·
That is awesome! :D
I work with my mare sometimes, especially bareback, with no reins, just using my seat & legs; it really is rewarding! :D It also shows other people that there's more to controlling a horse than just using the reins; it's really about balance & hip/leg control!
 
#35 ·
PaintsandPintos70 said:
OMG!! I might do a bridleless pattern in the Freestyle Reining at the Pinto World show if they have it!!! YAYYYY
Awesome, I actually wanted to ask about something like that. We have the annual parade of stallions coming up on May 11. Stallion owners from around the state bring their horses, and get their couple of minutes in the arena to strut their stuff. There are a lot of stallions there and also many mares and foals for the sale horse section at the end, so energy and tensions are traditionally very high.

With all of the talk about bridle-less, I thought it would be awesome to do a reining pattern bridle-less for my entry. I have done reining patterns in a bridle, his spins and stops are mediocre at the moment. He rides very soft in a bridle or halter, or whatever. I have been able to stop from walk, trot, or canter with reins dropped. And I can back with reins dropped. He understands my leg cues for his leads, and he is beginning to get the idea of direction based on my leg position.

My question is...is a bridle-less reining pattern at an even full of stallions, spring mares, and foals....to lofty a goal for my soon to be six year old stallion??

Would three months between now and May 11 be enough time to really solidify this training?

If that is too much of a goal, any ideas of what we could do instead to really show him off?...we get to make up our own routine.

I have had him at other arenas and at shows here in town with mares and geldings (maybe a stallion here or there) - and he has done REALLY well, but this even is 300 miles away, and full of stallions...What do you guys think? I would bring my gelding and his rider as comfort for him, and I would take him a day ahead of time. What I don't want to happen is for him to misrepresent himself by being all freaked out.

Give me whatever feedback you guys can - You guys really got me on a kick with this bridle-less thing - I just think it is really a great display of communication and respect between horse and rider. What better way to show a stallion off.
 
#37 ·
AKPaintLover said:
PaintsandPintos70 said:
OMG!! I might do a bridleless pattern in the Freestyle Reining at the Pinto World show if they have it!!! YAYYYY
Awesome, I actually wanted to ask about something like that. We have the annual parade of stallions coming up on May 11. Stallion owners from around the state bring their horses, and get their couple of minutes in the arena to strut their stuff. There are a lot of stallions there and also many mares and foals for the sale horse section at the end, so energy and tensions are traditionally very high.

With all of the talk about bridle-less, I thought it would be awesome to do a reining pattern bridle-less for my entry. I have done reining patterns in a bridle, his spins and stops are mediocre at the moment. He rides very soft in a bridle or halter, or whatever. I have been able to stop from walk, trot, or canter with reins dropped. And I can back with reins dropped. He understands my leg cues for his leads, and he is beginning to get the idea of direction based on my leg position.

My question is...is a bridle-less reining pattern at an even full of stallions, spring mares, and foals....to lofty a goal for my soon to be six year old stallion??

Would three months between now and May 11 be enough time to really solidify this training?

If that is too much of a goal, any ideas of what we could do instead to really show him off?...we get to make up our own routine.

I have had him at other arenas and at shows here in town with mares and geldings (maybe a stallion here or there) - and he has done REALLY well, but this even is 300 miles away, and full of stallions...What do you guys think? I would bring my gelding and his rider as comfort for him, and I would take him a day ahead of time. What I don't want to happen is for him to misrepresent himself by being all freaked out.

Give me whatever feedback you guys can - You guys really got me on a kick with this bridle-less thing - I just think it is really a great display of communication and respect between horse and rider. What better way to show a stallion off.
i do it on a four year old mare! I started doing it with her 4 months after the first time a human was on her back! but it may be to much for your horse!! My horse is very exceptional!! no offence i just mean that maybe under the circumstances it may be to much!! but maybe in later years!! just my opinion
 
#38 ·
okay then...?

Anyone else interested in giving me some input about whether or not 3 months is long enough to have a bridle-less reining pattern solid enough to perform in the circumstances I described above considering the base my horse already has (we are not starting from scratch)...Or if I should just try something simpler?? I AM going to the event - it is just what we will do that I am wondering about - the bridle-less talk inspired me.

Also, I do not feel my horse is any less exceptional because I did not think anything about riding bridle-less until he was a late five year old. I have though taught him to skijor in the winter (pulling me on skis), he has competed successfully in competitive trail riding (50+) mile rides, and he acts like a gentleman around other horse despite the fact that he has his testicles. I have only even become interested in showing him in the last two seasons (which consist of about 3-5 shows each). He is somewhat ahead of the curve for training when it comes to horses in Alaska due to a huge off period most people take because of extreme snow and cold. Not to mention we simply do not have access to the level of competition driving people elsewhere.
 
#39 ·
AKPaintLover said:
okay then...?

Anyone else interested in giving me some input about whether or not 3 months is long enough to have a bridle-less reining pattern solid enough to perform in the circumstances I described above considering the base my horse already has (we are not starting from scratch)...Or if I should just try something simpler?? I AM going to the event - it is just what we will do that I am wondering about - the bridle-less talk inspired me.

Also, I do not feel my horse is any less exceptional because I did not think anything about riding bridle-less until he was a late five year old. I have though taught him to skijor in the winter (pulling me on skis), he has competed successfully in competitive trail riding (50+) mile rides, and he acts like a gentleman around other horse despite the fact that he has his testicles. I have only even become interested in showing him in the last two seasons (which consist of about 3-5 shows each). He is somewhat ahead of the curve for training when it comes to horses in Alaska due to a huge off period most people take because of extreme snow and cold. Not to mention we simply do not have access to the level of competition driving people elsewhere.
Maybe you could do a reining pattern in a halter! Thats the next hardest thing to bridleless! That would be really cool! I am sorry! i didn't mean that your horse is not exceptional!! Truley i didn't!! :( I'm sure he is wonderful horse and sounds as though your doing a exceptional job with him!! :D
 
#40 ·
doing so in a halter is an option,...that is already something we have solid (minus some needed work on spins and stops)...He is just as soft in a halter as any bridle.

Maybe we could do the pattern in a halter and then remove it for a sliding stop at the end (he already has his stops down pretty solid without any rein, just seat.

The only problem that I have with doing it in a halter is that this is a presentation, and we will be "dressed up" in our better tack and what not, but the rope halter and lead is really quite dull looking - you know what I mean...

any ideas?

sorry that I so quickly took offense...I am aware that we are not competing on the same level up here, but I spend more time working and training my horses up here than most (I am not joking about most Alaskan horse owners having at MOST a 6 month riding season per year).

I love it up here because all of my family lives here, but the horse world alone makes me wish to move to another state :) I teach, so I hope one day to at least haul out for the summers...we will see with gas prices though :)
 
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