[ridergirl23]

Ok, so for christmas i got the book Gallop to Freedom (not a very good name...)
and i got a rope loop specially made for bridless (because for the last year i have been using a leadrope :lol
I have been having so much fun using the books training methods and it seems my horse is having fun with me in the arena too, i am no longer keeping her prisoner while i try and get her to do groundwork :lol:
so i have been riding her bridless, and doing a bunch f groundwork stuff with the rope around her neck. Today I set up a little jump up for us to go over (with me running beside her) she spooked at it the first time and ran away and galloped around the arena a few timesthen stood at the end and looked over her shoulder at me (i was sitting on the jump waiting for her to come back) and i called her and she came trotting over to me and checked out the jump. I was EXTACTIC and i still am, "Gallop to Freedom"s training methods are amazing and working fantastically for me and Rena, i have got her going over thigns that i never imagined a she would go near, especially not bridless!

anyway, i have run out of things to do with her! do you guys have any trick or game ideas we could do bridless? The book (oh, and its by the founders of Cavalia) doesnt really have any training ideas. I dont want to train her to rear because everyone at the barn would be on my back about how bad it is :wink:

thanks in advance

 

[RiosDad]

I have trained a number of horses that could easily go bridleless. But I trained them first with a bridle and then when they we completely trained I could remove the bridle and they still responded to everything they were trained while wearing a bridle.
I have rode in a rope hool a hoop and while the horse preformed perfectly I found it uncomfortable. It allows no freedom of the arm.
Nothing is as comfortable to the rider as a nice pair of soft reins. Keeping your hand on the weithers is not comfortable.
If you want a horse to be light, to be trained to properly do thing bridleless you need to start with a bridle.
Train her for everything and then after years of work you can consider removing the bridle

 

[ridergirl23]

I have trained a number of horses that could easily go bridleless. But I trained them first with a bridle and then when they we completely trained I could remove the bridle and they still responded to everything they were trained while wearing a bridle.
I have rode in a rope hool a hoop and while the horse preformed perfectly I found it uncomfortable. It allows no freedom of the arm.
Nothing is as comfortable to the rider as a nice pair of soft reins. Keeping your hand on the weithers is not comfortable.
If you want a horse to be light, to be trained to properly do thing bridleless you need to start with a bridle.
Train her for everything and then after years of work you can consider removing the bridle

ya i know, i havent dont alot on her back bridless yet but im talking about on the ground, are there any other ideas to teach her some tricks or something? (wiht me on the ground beside her)

 

[ridergirl23]

anyone else?

 

[mom2pride]

Bowing, laying down, counting, spanish walk, etc...there's oodles of things you can teach her on the ground...

 

[ridergirl23]

ohh ya, thanks, i totally forgot about those things, haha maybe i was having a big brain fart? but i definitly want to teach her to do the spanish walk

 

[thunderhooves]

umm...... do you mean halter-less? Because you usually use a halter to do ground work, and ride in a bridle. I am teaching my horse how to bow, he's doing very well after just one lesson........ he doesn't do it on command but he's bending his head in between his legs, which is a start!( hey, ya can't always ride when its muddy!) Just look on google for "horse tricks"! good luck!

 

[ridergirl23]

umm...... do you mean halter-less? Because you usually use a halter to do ground work, and ride in a bridle. I am teaching my horse how to bow, he's doing very well after just one lesson........ he doesn't do it on command but he's bending his head in between his legs, which is a start! Just look on google for "horse tricks"! good luck!

whoops, lol ya, halterless i guess i should say! gosh, im so excited about this! haha all my halterless (haha i said it!) training attempts becofre havent worked because of the methods, but this one is working like a dream!! ahhhh haha thanks guys!

 

[Sixxofdiamonds]

We run through showmanship patterns without a halter. He has to walk, trot, lope beside me and change gaits as I do (well, mine is more speed changing). He has to stop and square up without me touching him, and pivot as well. Backing up is interesting, especially keeping him in a straight line.

We play a lot of games. He's really big into "racing" me. We start at one end of the arena and I run as fast as I can to the other end. He'll keep pace until about 20 feet away and then get to the fence first.

I also make him "mirror" my movements. It basically looks like he's cutting me. I'll dart one way and then switch to the other way and he has to gather me up.

We play a lot, mostly racing because he LOVES it.

Biggest thing for me, though. Is that no matter where he is in the arena, if I stop he MUST come back to me without a voice or movement other than me halting. People watching think that's crazy, but if I am just standing still in the middle of the arena he makes sure to come to me (walking, jogging or loping).

 

[ridergirl23]

^ thanks, i will do some of that... haha rena is such an independant,stubborn,hard headed horse that she comes to me when she wants to but we do race!