Re: [RC] bitless bridle- late night musings about bridles and bits from a designer - Stephanie E Caldwell
>>It is interesting on how fast the bitless bridles have
caught on. A riding instructor in our area has been using them for a number of
years on all horses. Jumping , balanced riding ect in her classes.
I tried three styles of bitless bridles and none
of them worked for me, at that point in Star's training. I tried a traditional
Bosal, Mechanical hack, and a sidepull. She refused to behave in any of them.
Any hints for getting one to work? She ran away with me in all
three!
>>The concern most voiced is stopping power on a run
away. Yes a horse will go through a bitless bridle on a run away but they will
also go through a snaffle , hackamore , curb .....the list goes on.
No piece of equipment can replace
training.
I agree that nothing can replace training.
However, I don't think many people know how to train a horse to react to a
bitless bridle. In my experiences mechanical hacks cause many problems because
of the shank length, I'll never forget seeing a horse at the sale get his jaw
broken from a 12" shanked mechanical hack. I sold mine the next week. I think
that more horses would run through a bosal or side pull than a bit. I'd love to
get Star into a mild bitless bridle, but it's taken 2 years to get her to wear a
noseband on a bridle. It took a year to get her to wear a halter with out having
problems with the noseband. She has a line of white hair right across her nose,
so I assume she was abused there as well.
>>How many riders really understand the bit and the
bridle and the way they work together.
I have a book called Bits & Bridles written
by an old Cowboy, it's beautiful and very indepth explaining things. It even
explains spoon and frog bits. Every bit I buy has to be balanced, it's really
hard to find one that is made right.
