The following is excerpted from a Carriage Driving List digest. I'd
be interested in comments.

The Barb referred to in this post is me. I am a retired
harnessmaker.

Thanks,
Barb

Subject: Bit less Bridles

Bit less Bridles

Horses are worked out of training and trust.

By teaching them, through methodically applied pressure we create
communication. This communication is used to teach repetitive
actions.

Like a game with a small child that you play directing them around a
room
blindfolded to an item using only the words hot and cold or yes and
no, we
teach a horse the same way.

By adding meaning to the words yes and no we build a base root of
communication with them. Anything that the one being trained likes
and
anything that the one does not like can be used for successful
training.
Without pressure motivation you can never trust a horse or many
animals. If
they do not dislike the ramifications to not doing as asked they
will never
become safe or predictable when under pressure. (debate this later
as its
about bridles here not training styles)

This is the base root of training anything. Finding the most
successful
positive and negative and being consistent and clear you will
successfully
trained any animals be it a horse, dog, elephant or even human.

With all that said. We all know there really is nothing that states
that a
horse has to have a bit in mouth to be trained any more than a camel
has to
have a nose bone.

These methods were founded after generations of failure at other
styles of
mass training. Back about 6,500 years ago when animals were used as
the
mainstay of life. They found that the bit was a more successful way
of
working the very valuable property called the horse and it was
adopted.
Others that saw the control and success of the raiding war parties
using
bits over none bits soon adopted the method for success. As their
lives
depended on it, proved by the dead family members laying at their
feet.

As times change and the big wheel of life rolls forward we again at
the
point that rediscovering is something brand new. We will often
forget the
lessons of our long dead for fathers and why this was abandoned many
years
ago when horses were the mainstay of life.

Now in this day of excess time and resources, can something that did
not
work for history be brought back successful?

Maybe, As long as the same pressures and demands are not placed on
the
horse.

One must remember finding and building bits 6,500 years ago and
though
history was not as simple as running to the feed store or ordering
online.
It was a major expense and undertaking and yet was preferred over
working
horses for 10 hrs a day with a bit less system that would have been
a lot
easer and cheaper to be had.

Caution must be used in this as not every horse will work well, Not
ever
driver will be able to build the solid training needed to support a
bitless
system. Not ever lawer and court will accept your reasons of going
outside
the mainstream when you are defending your training to them in the
personal
damage case.

Can it be done? Yes.
Can you be successful? Yes.
Have I ever driven brideless and such? Yes.
Will it work on every horse? No
Will every owner be successful to train one this way? No
Will you overall get 100 head of horses to be as solid with out
bridles as
100 with? Probably not.

But then again a lot of owners are not successful in training using
old
methods so something new will not make a change. Success rates are
linked
more to peoples skills at communication than to the equipment Used.

Those that know me know I can and will do some very strange things
in
successful training of all animals. Working horses totally with out
bridles
from the ground hitched is not uncommon in my trainings. Working
with a Bit
is a horses mouth is not a Must in training. Being able to control
one with
just a halter or even bridles is not impossible and is done quite
often. As
it's the communication and the animal knowing the options clearly of
its
actions.

If a horse wants to run off with you, you are a fool to believe that
those
lines and that bit will ever really stop them. But the respect of
what that
bridle and bit CAN do is what keeps most of them ever from trying to
run off
in the first place when that alien space ship lands beside them,
even if it
is Disguised as a paper cup blowing in the wind!


I suggest great caution to those wishing to try this system. I do
know that
the bridle Barb will build will be as successful as any possible to
try and
of good quality but the method it is used will be only as successful
as the
hands behind it teaching not the equipment its self.