Hi
I just discoverd this board yesterday. I have used Dr Cook's bridles I guess
since they
were invented. (even though I understand the Spirit Bridle came first???) and
have ridden
maybe four different horses , dressage type therapeutic riding. (dressage for
the horse,
theraphy for me)
I also own Hought Endurance Bitless Bridle/sidepull combo which is very
similar to
Cook's, actually I like it better for some reasons. (without the side pull
attachments which
I did not like at all for the horse's sake)

The Nutural Bridle seems to have some improved features over the Cook',s, but I
have not
seen or tried one

THe different styles aside, I ride my smaller horse in the Cook BB, ground drive
my bigger
horse in the Hought Bridle and ride him in a french link metal bit. He does
not have an
opinion over the bit vs bitless, he is comfortable in both. He was a breeding
stallion
once, got to know his strength, and has an enormously strong neck. While he
stops for me
from my seat alone without reins during regular riding, he has taken off
with another
rider with the bitless when spooked and no amount of pulling will stop him then,
he does
not even know he has someone putting pressure on his nose . But he is young and
green,
has opinions and I feel at this point the metal bit is better for both of us. I
am confident it
does not cause him ANY pain, I know my horses and they let me know when
something
bothers them. And I listen.

While I don't do upper level dressage, I firmly believe it is totally doable
with the crossover
bitless bridle. (see Alexander Nevzorov and Klaus Hempfling and others) It is
a question
about proper training and that is why FEI is so against it. THey don't
understand proper
relationship type training. The shortcut to training is that the horse responds
to physical
pressure. THe proper way is to teach the horse to respond to the
trainers/riders wishes
and work together through communication based on mutual respect. Sometimes it is
direct physical pressure, but mostly it is subtle cues, either thorugh body
language, slight
vibration of the rein or a sift through the riders torso. Sometimes it is a
mere thought.

It takes a little longer (maybe 10 min longer?) to teach the horse to drop his
head towards
the ground (as in free walk) with the BB than the bit but it so worth it. That
10 min
investment will give paybacks later.

On the whole I think it has done a lot of damage to the cause of the BB to
advertise
the"horrors" of metal in the mouth. I had a horse who absolutely preferred the
metal bit
to the BB until I learned to adjust the BB higher on his nose than the poster
horse has in
Dr. Cooks advertisement. I experimented with this horse back and forth and he
absolutely
hated the Bb from the first time I put it on him . After trying on and off, I
gave it up for a
few years and tried again until I figured out the proper placement.

Metal in the mouth is the the worst offender for horses, it is the rough and
insensitive
training methods, lack of consistent communication and then harsh hands, weather
attached to a metal in the mouth or a rubbing band on the nose that our horses
care and
object to.

Respectfully
heppa