ive decided i want to get my girl going in a bitless bridle as i hate bits grrr ive always wanted to ride bitless but all my horses in the past have been kinda hard on the mouth or, i havent been soft enough in my hands to ride bitless.
things have changed these days and my mare is soooo soft in the mouth its not funny and ive learnt since my old horses to be very soft with my hands as well.
the one thing i worry about is that ive heard that hackemores etc can be very harsh in themselves just in a different way. is this true? what is the best way to go when making the transition? i dont want to go buying anything yet until i do my research.
i can ride her fine in halter and lead rope and she will even come down nicely. so im guessing she will be fine not having the bit but im just worried about all the people telling me bitless bridles can be just as harsh in some ways.
You could do some research on the bitless bridle. Or maybe you could try a bosal. I actually would love to get one for my horse. I would warn you about mechanical hackamores. I would never use one on any horse. In my opinion, a TRUE hackamore is one that is made out of rope or rawhide....nothing metal at all.
You could do some research on the bitless bridle. Or maybe you could try a bosal. I actually would love to get one for my horse. I would warn you about mechanical hackamores. I would never use one on any horse. In my opinion, a TRUE hackamore is one that is made out of rope or rawhide....nothing metal at all.
here's a website all about the bitless bridle, which is not a hackamore. http://www.bitlessbridle.com/
My boyfriend and I were looking into this, but never got it. I think because we were so preoccupied with just getting them, and life in general. I hope this helps
here's a website all about the bitless bridle, which is not a hackamore. http://www.bitlessbridle.com/
My boyfriend and I were looking into this, but never got it. I think because we were so preoccupied with just getting them, and life in general. I hope this helps
it seems a lot like the bitless bridle that i almost got. It looks really nice and the website is very informative. If i lived in Australia, I'd order it!
Some people love bitless bridles, some don't. I personally never tried one, because they are too expensive just to try and find out it doesn't work. I prefer sidepull.
Checked the website... I think it's wa-a-a-ay overpriced. Even the cavallo boots they are selling can be bought $60 US cheaper in my local store than at their website. So I'm sure same applied to bridle as well. I'd rather go with bitlessbridle.com as the idea and design seems to be the same, and prices are better in bitlessbridle.
it seems a lot like the bitless bridle that i almost got. It looks really nice and the website is very informative. If i lived in Australia, I'd order it!
the place that makes them is only about 15 minutes drive from me so i am going to go have a look at the and see them in action
kitten - i called the place and they have ones that you can hire to test them out. i have the same concern about buying one and then finding its no good for me. my biggest issue is that i dont want anything uncomfortable at all for her. ive heard so many stories about all the bitless bridles on the market at the moment that i want to try something that is supposed to be one of the gentler, more comfortable types.
im going to pick one up on the weekend to give it a go. im allowed it for 7 days so i figure if i get no luck in that time, its not going to work
If you can borrow one - that's great! Certainly do it before buying one (I wish I could do the same with bunch of junk tack I bought over couple years! lol!).
Checked the website... I think it's wa-a-a-ay overpriced. Even the cavallo boots they are selling can be bought $60 US cheaper in my local store than at their website. So I'm sure same applied to bridle as well. I'd rather go with bitlessbridle.com as the idea and design seems to be the same, and prices are better in bitlessbridle.
Checked the website... I think it's wa-a-a-ay overpriced. Even the cavallo boots they are selling can be bought $60 US cheaper in my local store than at their website. So I'm sure same applied to bridle as well. I'd rather go with bitlessbridle.com as the idea and design seems to be the same, and prices are better in bitlessbridle.
If you can borrow one - that's great! Certainly do it before buying one (I wish I could do the same with bunch of junk tack I bought over couple years! lol!).
with regards to your other post, things are more expensive over here but with the exchange rate, if i was going to order one from the states, it would end up costing me more
I see... I didn't check on the delivery. I did check the exchange rate though, so by saying $60 I meant already exchanged rates. But you are right the delivery oversees may cost a lot. If they let "trying out" the bridle, it's better way to go even if you pay little more.
BTW, what I found to be bad about no-bit devices is it's hard to stop horse to graze with it (did find on other forum people having same issues with bitless bridle). IF horse is head strong and greedy to grass, it's nearly impossible to make it listen (even with whip).
I see... I didn't check on the delivery. I did check the exchange rate though, so by saying $60 I meant already exchanged rates. But you are right the delivery oversees may cost a lot. If they let "trying out" the bridle, it's better way to go even if you pay little more.
BTW, what I found to be bad about no-bit devices is it's hard to stop horse to graze with it (did find on other forum people having same issues with bitless bridle). IF horse is head strong and greedy to grass, it's nearly impossible to make it listen (even with whip).
oh ok im kinda used to paying more than the rest of the world for stuff i also keep marine fish and corals and we pay a whole lot more here than everyone overseas. kinda weird when i live only a couple of hours from the great barrier reef lol go figure huh
yeah, the 'trying it out' thing is pretty important to me. the last thing i want is to spend a bunch of money to find out it isnt something she will respond to well. i think she will as i use very little mouth anyways but, you never know. there are many more things i could buy with that money if it wasnt gunna work
fortunately my girl isnt a riding grazer so i shouldnt have that problem but i want to get my warmblood going on the bitless as well and he is a stubborn old poop who especially loves eating trees considering he is so green, i would like to start him off on the bitless sooner rather than later. but, thats a whole different thread in itself lol
ill see how everything goes. if the bridle from the states is the same as the one from here, i will compare the prices with exchange rate and postage etc and see what is cheaper for me. i can always tell the place here that it didnt work so they dont get all cranky pants at me
Kinda off-topic, but I just read your signature about "My horse loves me because I feed her". The owner of the farm I kept my horses fed them grain twice a day + hay, however they didn't like her at all (in fact I was really surprise, as I always thought they should like people who bring food in). So may be grooming/fussing does make a lot into it too. Lol!
Kinda off-topic, but I just read your signature about "My horse loves me because I feed her". The owner of the farm I kept my horses fed them grain twice a day + hay, however they didn't like her at all (in fact I was really surprise, as I always thought they should like people who bring food in). So may be grooming/fussing does make a lot into it too. Lol!
lol yeah i know. its an ongoing joke i have going with my husband cause until we settled our warmblood down he wouldnt have anything to do with us unless we were bringing him food then he was the happiest horse in the world lol thats changed now though fortunately
my tb on the other hand doesnt let me out of her sight when im out there she follows me around like a puppy dog even when shes got a full belly (if thats even possible for a horse lol) maybe shes following me around for more brushing and fussing lol
i bought a bitless bridle ( got it used ) i finally tried it on my horse 22 year old tb . he seemed ok with it and I noticed that he turned alot more willingly to the right . I am glad that i bought it good luck to you.
I agree with Spirithorse, do some research on bitless bridles. Are you planning on showing her? If not, it might just be cheaper to ride her in a nylon or rope halter (I know some bitless bridles can be expensive).
I'm not going to say I recommend any of them since I've never tried them...but I'm sure some people here have tried at least one brand. The only type I recommend is using a rope halter and lead rope in the forms of a hackamore (or riding in a halter since I'm sure people will correct me for using the word hackamore :-|).
Anything on the horse's face can be harsh...I do find that any bitless bridle or hackamore with metal on it (like the shanks) are harsher than others and can cause some serious damage if used too hard
I have a use ALL the time the Dr Cooks Bitless Bridle. I started my horse on it so basically its all he knows. I highly reccamend them as I think they are better for the horse as long as your not going into any comp. The horse can breath better, not swollow his tongue, run longer, and in my op stop better. Just make sure you cherck your fitting.
Check out different types and decide which one works.
Bosals are rather harsh, and mechanical hackamores works as a curb bit, so that's not the right one to start with.
I'd reccommend a riding cavesson or muserola with a unleaded iron if you want to bend and flex the horse ''dressage-ish'', or a soft leather sidepull if you want a mild bitless and the horse responds well. I used a low noseband and put some reins to the sides of it for a while, it workd very well but was hard to use when I tried to flex and so.
The ''bitless bridle'' just doesn't seem to mae any sence, and I've heard many horses panicking from the hugging feeling. Some like it tho.
agreed with Zab, some horses hate the hugging feeling, others love it. See first if you can try it out from a friend or see if they have a trial period to see how your mare is going to like it if that is the one you would want to use
Dont rule out hackamores all together. There are some more milder ones out there besides mechanicals.
I use a english hackamore on one of my horses and it works a treat. I took off the curb chain and replaced it with a leather strap, so the only metal on it is the small shanks, makeing it all the more milder as a form of hackamore.
heres a pic of the english hack.
I also use a biothane Dr Cook bitless, so if you go in that direction then i do recommend them also, my TB goes well in my one and i have had no problems wiht it effecting my horses .
That's what I call a mechanical hackamore. And it still has the curb effect and shouldn't be used on green horses.. just as you don't put a curb bit on a horse that hasn't learnt to yield and follow the snaffle..
I don't go bitless very often but when I do, all of my broke horses go very well in just a rope halter. If yours does well in a halter, why don't you just use that. Or if you are wanting to show bitless, I would look into a rawhide bosal. My dad used to use those all the time when he was showing and they are pretty mild. Plus, I think they look cool.
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