About riding bitless...

It is not about knowing how to do it. It is about knowing how to train a horse who can be ridden that way. Bridleless is nothing more then the end results of a well trained finished horse. I am not talking about just going along for the ride either. I am talking about taking a horse and running a reining pattern on them bridleless and so on like was anouther poster was talking about. I know a lot of people who get a catch ride on a horse back up to the barn with out a bridle or saddle. That is NOT riding bridleless. That is just grabing a ride.

Whatever. All I know is that every horse can be ridden bridleless with an educated rider

Well I do not know where you get all your info but I have talked to Stacy about that and she will tell you that not every horse can be ridden bridleless and I think she has proven many times she knows what she is doing in that area. So I will take it from someone I know has proven they know what they are talking about over well YOU.

ALso come here. I will put you on a horse that can not be ridden bridleless. She is very very very very well trained and I can drop reins on this mare and get her do to all the maneuvers but the second I put on my hat and get ready to really ride. You better be ready to go show. She loves her job and is very good at it.

This is bridleless riding. Not every horse can be ridden like this. If they could everyone would be doing it. Stacy is not the best reining trainer out there but what she is very good at is picking and training horses that can do this.

How do you KNOW that? How many horses have you trained? What is your experience?

I'm not being mean by asking. There are folks here who know very little, those who know some, and eventually you get to folks who have spent a lifetime riding horses at a high level.

I'm one of those who know some. I started riding about 5 years ago. I've had a year or more of experience with 4 horses. It is completely reasonable for me to write about what I've seen work or fail with those horses, but there is a reason my avatar says to take my advice with a big cup of FWIW.

However, some of the others on this thread are folks who have ridden and competed and trained horses successfully for many years - more than you have been alive. If they tell you something you are saying is wrong, it would be very wise to listen to what they have to say. Particularly when you say something applies to ALL horses and ALL riders...you don't have the experience to make a statement like that.

BTW - I suspect Mia would throw someone who tried to ride her without reins. She is a nervous horse, and she constantly seeks reassurance from her rider via the reins. She WANTS the bit because it reassures her. That is only 1 of 4 horses, but it is enough to invalidate your comment.

I did not mean with nothing on at all I ment with a hackamore or a halter

My horse can be ridden in a halter but not a bitless bridle. It just confuses her. I mainly bit her when we go out and about but if it's just a hack around the farm I get lazy and just the rope halter :)

I don't think all horses can be ridden bitless. There are horses I know who I don't trust WITH a bit let alone without one.

IMO all horses are different and so are people. Some people are far to heavy handed with bits and some use them the way they were meant to be used. Personally I wouldn't be happy with a horse that needed anything stronger than a snaffle and would rather get it re-trained than pop a bit in that I didn't know how to use. :)

How many horses have you started from the ground up completely bit less??

Sorry, Forgot to hit quote message lol.
How many horses have you started from the ground-up completely bitless??

I did with mine but that was only because she was a twasik about the bridle so the only way to ride her was with a halter Once her teeth got done and after a lot of patience we finally got her bited Hasn't done her any harm and she's a nice quite horse but I would not want to ride any other green horse with out a bit

Personally I think all horses should be able to go in a bitted bridle. You just don't know who they'll end up with and the new owner may not ride bitless so I think it's selling the horse short if it doesn't know basic things expected of it (like excepting a bit)