I mention it to all my students. “ I will never use a bit on a horse”. It’s true partly because there are so many other choices and the bit has always seemed harsh to me, even with the gentlest of hands. Pictured here is the basic bitless bridle with cross over and the reins attached. It works fine for my beginner lessons. Another type of bitless bridle is the hackamore, it can be used if you need more brakes, there is also a western style bosel which can stop most any horse. We can move more toward ‘liberty’ riding in which the horse wears a neck ring and no bridle at all.
The first step is pictured here using both neck ring and bridle together. I notice when using the neck ring only it allows the horse to control the set of his head thus using his muscles and frame more in a natural way. I also teach Liberty connection from the ground with no riding. There’s nothing like having a horse walk by your side just because they want to, with no ropes or whip at all, another fun way to connect with a horse from the ground is to jog next to them as they trot. It’s quite a workout.
Our choice is our power.
Change starts now, you can enter the discussion by asking, why use a bit if it’s not necessary? Many people ask me that exact question, and I’m still working on an authentic, non-judgmental answer for that question:
Why use a bit ?
