[amira_rox]

I have been contemplating this for quite some time, about wether my horse would go nicely in a bitless bridle, since he has very sensitive 'bars' in his mouth. So I was wondering if some people who have used them could tell me about them, I only know a bit about them.

Specificly:
Are they allowed in dressage? (Not like Grand Prix, but a basic test through pony club mainly)
Can they be jumped in, and are they allowed in jump competitions? (Again, not olympic level jumping)
Is there a special way you have to use them?
Can aids such as half halts be done, and are you able to maintain a steady, giving contact in them?
Do most horses have to be re-trained to use them?

Any information would be great

[Elf]

From what I know:

Dressage? Never, being 'on the bit' is one of the criteria in ever test.

I jump in mine. You can do Jumper with them, but not Hunter.

Not really any special way to use them. You can't take much contact though.

Yes, half halts are very easy, as long as you don't have to much of a contact to begin with. You can have a light contact very easily though.

My horse needed no retraining, but every one is different. You may have to teach your horse to hold a frame himself, you can't 'help' him as much as in the bridle with a bit.

This is what I have found, through riding a couple different horses with a bit-less bridle.

[luvs2ride79]

You can train in one, but USDF rules specifically call for a bit with reins directly attached to the bit. So no, I would not use one for training if your purpose is to show.

However, bitless can be great for trail riding, hacking, or just something different in training. I have no problem getting my horses round and working into the bridle in our bitless. You do NOT need a bit to attain and maintain proper roundness and impulsion . I agree though, it does take a little more effort to get the horse round. I find I use my seat more, which is probably more correct anyway, lol.

You'll have to look at your local show rule books to see if you can jump in one in competition. I have jumped my mare in hers with no problems.

I have used Dr Cook's and now have a Nurtural brand No-Bit bitless bridle. I like both styles, though the grippy noseband is a nice feature on the Nurtural bridle. I have the beta synthetic version.

[Elf]

Originally Posted by luvs2ride79

You do NOT need a bit to attain and maintain proper roundness and impulsion . I agree though, it does take a little more effort to get the horse round. I find I use my seat more, which is properly more correct anyway, lol.

Exactly, I meant to convey this in my last post, but had to go. That is one of the great things about going bit-less, you have to communicate with your horse.

[amira_rox]

My horse is the kind of horse who will go on the bit when he is happy with the bit, I had him in a sweet iron, switched to a french link, and he will happily drop the second he is asked to flex around circles, etc.
So you cannot use as much force (I'm not saying I use force) in a bitless, you have to be very gentle?
It would probably take more getting used to from me than my horse, he learns very quickly

One other question:
Are they allowed in Pony Club? Are they like spurs and double bridles, you can only use them if you can say why they need them

Thanks

[Elf]

No, you can't use as much force, and see as good results as possible. The horses nose is very sensitive, but not as sensitive as the mouth. (In many ways, this is a reason to go bit-less.) So, if you have heavy hands, your horse will sometimes disregard the pressure for when you ask to do something. <Just what I have found with one of the horses I ride bit-less. I hope that makes sense.

Originally Posted by amira_rox

So you cannot use as much force (I'm not saying I use force) in a bitless, you have to be very gentle?


One other question:
Are they allowed in Pony Club? Are they like spurs and double bridles, you can only use them if you can say why they need them

Thanks

Do you mean in Pony Club shows?
If you just mean the club, I doubt it would be a problem for schooling. If it is, then that is a really silly rule, and I would like to know why.

[luvs2ride79]

The bitless is quite gentle.

You need to contact your Pony Clud leader and ask. Do you have a rule book?

[Ne0n Zero]

My horse has gotten much more round since I switched barns, although I now ride in a Korsteel Soft Rubber Racing Dee Snaffle (what a mouthful to say). I'm planning on trying him in my Bitless today to see whether he still rounds himself up the same.

Of course, horses don't need a bit to round up by any means, it probably just takes a bit more work in a Bitless.
I'll be sure to let you know

Edit: I've never tried this, but I've heard that some people have been able to get around the Bitless rule at shows by riding with two bridles; the Bitless underneath a plain snaffle bridle, with a set of reins attached to both. What they did was kept the bit reins very loose and used the Bitless for their communication.

[Ne0n Zero]

So I rode in my bitless today and he was much much more hollow through the back and much more rushed than he is when he is bitted. He hung on my hands almost the entire ride, especially over jumps.

Also, I find that I need much more "force" in the bitless than I do with my bit.

[amira_rox]

Edit: I've never tried this, but I've heard that some people have been able to get around the Bitless rule at shows by riding with two bridles; the Bitless underneath a plain snaffle bridle, with a set of reins attached to both. What they did was kept the bit reins very loose and used the Bitless for their communication. [/quote]

that has got to be the weirdest thing ever! and they allow two bridles, but not just one bitless one... That is really really odd, really odd