Welcome to the Board! Lots of good info and helpful folks here.
First, if you have not done this already, please eliminate the possibility of anything physical wrong with your gelding by having his teeth checked and I would also recommend chiropractic in case there is anything that could be causing pain. It is amazing how something out of whack in their hip or back can cause pain in the head or jaw.
Any horse that is resistent to being bridled with a bit is definitely a candidate for a bitless bridle. Please stay with the patented brands in soft leather or beta synthetic. These are the only materials flexible and soft enough to ensure that there are not any unnecessary pressure points.
You can ground drive him with the bitless bridle to
help him get used to the feel of it, the different communication, and to discover that it is not going to cause him any pain. Some horses are so used to bracing for and against the bit that they will continue to do this out of habit and then one day it will just "click in" that the pain is gone and they don't have to brace anymore. I had a mare like that and it took 5 rides in the bitless bridle before she let go and relaxed. Other horses will take to it immediately. I knew within 15 minutes of putting it on my Paso that I had a winner. Each horse is different and you should just proceed slowly and watch his reactions carefully so you will know where he is with it.
There is an excellent DVD by Cathy Hatrick-Anderson, one of the board members, on converting horses from bitted to bitless. Her website also has some excellent pointers in a couple of articles she wrote.
The rings where the reins attach
on the Dr. Cooks bridle do have a tendency to "swing" if the strap hangs too far down from the noseband. This can be remedied by moving the strap up a few holes (they buckle to the headstall). It is more a matter of personal preference and how your horse performs and how you like the feel of the reins.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Pam in FL
From: Kellie C. <kacantu1@...> To: bitlessbridle@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2009 12:22:25
AM Subject: [bitlessbridle] New Member
Hello everyone!
I live in Arkansas and am considering going bitless. I have a 7 year old gelding that I seldom ride. One reason I seldom ride him is that we both become a nervous wreck whenever I try. I have not actually ridden much in several years. I use to take riding lessons, and then quit shortly before I had my youngest, who will soon be 9. She inherited the "horse gene" and a couple of years ago she started taking riding lessons and we got a couple of horses. We weren't able to swing riding lessons for awhile but she is now taking them again. So now I feel freer to work on my own horse and his/my issues.
He becomes quite nervous when he even thinks I might try to ride him. I pulled him out of the pasture yesterday and he was very nervous, but all I did was toss my little girl on his back and lead him around with a halter on and he never minds that. But if I were to drag out the bridle, omg. Half the time I can't even get it on him. He will not even open his mouth. He's only about 15.1 but seems to be a giraffe when time to bridle, lol. If I do get him bridled he fusses quite a bit with the bit in his mouth. I have tried many different kinds, it doesn't seem to matter which one I use. And then, when I go to unbridle him, every time he yanks his head up and clenches the bit in his teeth. I am very careful when I take bits out, I always hold them so that they don't bank the horses teeth. Obviously in his past someone was not so careful. I know he was trained and then pretty much left out to pasture for a couple of years, so really he is a "green"
horse.
I would like some information on which bitless to try. I am very interested in the Dr. Cook bridle but have some confusion about how the reins work. I am going to join the local dressage club and I know that I will probably be the only one bitless. I would like to keep it as similar in action as I can to a traditional bit. I have heard that with the Cook bridle the action with the reins is quite a bit different and there is some re-learning involved. I am also looking at some bridles on a website called Crazy Ropes by Debbie. Is anyone familiar with these? The price is much more in line with what I can do right now. I really can't afford a Cook's at the moment but want to try something just to see if I get improvement in our issues.
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Hello everyone! I live in Arkansas and am considering going bitless. I have a 7 year old gelding that I seldom ride. One reason I seldom ride him is that we...
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