Happy Horses Bitless
Getting Started
STEP 1: Fitting a Dr Cooks Cross-Under Bitless Bridle
Attach the reins to the rings at the ends of the cross-under straps. The only part of the bridle that you undo is the noseband. It's easy to automatically go to undo the throatlatch (especially when removing the bridle) but resist this impulse as it will result in the bridle being disassembled.
Wiggle the cross-under straps so they’re a little loose then hold the bridle up to the horses head, slipping their nose behind the noseband and in front of the cross-straps. Lift with one hand while using the other to guide the nose and slip the bridle behind the ears, making sure the side straps are back away from the eyes.
Showing how the straps cross behind the jaw.
Adjust the height of the noseband using the 2 cheek straps. The noseband sits around 2 cm above the corners of the mouth. If it's too low it can put pressure on the cartilage at the end of the nose instead of the bone. If the noseband is too high the level of control may be reduced. Ultimately it depends on the horse. I find every horse is slightly different in the position they like the bridle to sit. When starting a new horse in a bitless I make minor changes in positioning for the first few rides and then suddenly, bingo, I know I’ve got it in the right spot for that horse.
Next you need to do up the noseband buckle. As this bridle communicates with the horse via pressure/release, the noseband needs to NOT be applying pressure of its own accord. This means we do it up slightly looser than nosebands are traditionally done up on bitted bridles. With a bitted bridle the noseband is being used to hold the jaw and mouth shut (as the horse opens the mouth to try and evade the pain of the bit), whereas with the bitless bridle the noseband is used for communication.
Adjusting the bridle
If the noseband is extremely loose the bridle will ride up the horses head when pressure is applied to the reins and the cheek pieces will buckle out. We’re looking for that happy medium, where it's loose enough to not be applying pressure, but tight enough that the cheek pieces don't pop. Don’t worry about getting it perfect the first time, just be willing to play around and adjust it as you go along and develop a feel for your new bridle. If your horse tosses their head, they're telling you the noseband is too tight.
At this stage you may want to investigate the bridle to become familiar with where the horse will feel pressure. You can apply pressure to 1 rein and try putting a finger behind the bridle at the jaw, at the opposite side of the head on the cheek, at the poll and under the noseband to feel the relative pressures that are applied to each section of the horses head. This is a fun exercise and helps you understand the mechanisms at work with the cross-under bitless bridle. The design ensures that applied pressure is distributed as much as possible over the horses whole head, rather than in 1 or 2 places, making it very humane and effective.
Now we’re ready to introduce your horse to the feel of the bridle. This is a new piece of equipment and when introducing new equipment to a horse it’s always best to do some training with it first (just like your horse was trained when they were first taught about the bit). A progressive approach of training your horse from the ground, then from the saddle in a confined area and then free open riding in a large area will make the transition a happy experience for both of you.
The position of the noseband in relation to the mouth.
Fitting a Dr Cooks Cross-Under Bitless Bridle
STEP 1: Fitting a Lightrider Side-Pull Bitless Bridle
When putting the bridle on, leave the noseband done up on the last hole to prevent the connctor strap from falling off when you undo the throat latch. Place on your horses head ensuring the throat latch passes through the upper section of the connector strap.
Position the noseband around 3 to 4 finger widths below the cheekbones such that the chin straps sits in the horses chin groove. Tighten the noseband ensuring you can fit 2 fingers between it and the lower jaw. Check the browband is sitting evenly and settles in the dip below the horses ears.
Chinstrap adjustment - You want to be able to place 2 fingers between it and the jaw. Pull on the reins to make sure the chinstrap doesn't come through the noseband rings more than 2cm on either side. To adjust the lenghth of the chin strap just remove the velcro padding.
Connector Strap - This is the strap that runs underneath the horses head from the noseband to the throatlatch. It is used for leading the horse, simply attach the lead rope clip to the ring at the bottom. This strap can be removed if you would prefer.
Attach the reins to the smaller rings at the ends of the chinstrap.
STEP 2: Groundwork
These exercises may take hours, days or weeks to complete, depending on you, your horse and whatever previous training has been done. It’s not a race and it really doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you both enjoy the process and are seeing improvements in response. Remember not to go on and on with one exercise, change what you’re doing whenever there’s an improvement and always finish on a good note before the horse or you are tired and having trouble concentrating.
Head Yield - Standing beside your horse, place the reins over the horses head, resting on the neck. Take up a small contact with one rein and apply a squeezing pressure asking your horse to flex the head and neck. As soon as they show signs of giving, relax your pressure then ask again. If you can time your release to be exactly on the first give, your horse will start giving more and more. If you’ve done this type of work in a halter you will find it easier but it’s still worth doing to let your horse accustom to the new sensations of the bitless bridle. When you feel your horse has relaxed and given to the pressure, change sides and repeat.
Once you've mastered yielding the head toward you and it is soft and flowing with a lovely bent neck, then it's time to yield away. This is harder as the horse is not coming in for 'cuddles'. Hold the offside rein under the neck for the first few tries, then over the neck once you've had responses, and repeat the exercise asking the horse to yield away from you.
Head Drop - Ask your horse to drop the head toward the ground holding both reins in one hand or a rein in each hand, depending on what works best, and again using the rhythmical pressure. If this is a new exercise for your horse be happy with a little give and move on to a new exercise. You will find when you do it again the next time the give will be bigger, and on and on. Don’t try and train the whole response in one go, horses learn in increments, improving a little each time you do the exercise.
Rein-Back - Holding both reins apply the squeezing pressure backwards to ask for a rein-back. If your horse doesn’t respond within a few seconds, reinforce your rein pressure with thumb pressure to the chest, or a click. Release all pressures as soon as the horse reverses. Be happy with 1 or 2 steps at first, you can always increase the number later. Repeat this a few times and your horse should start reversing just with the rein pressure.
Leading - Now place the reins over the head and lead your horse around, encouraging them to walk with voice commands or clucking. You can hold one rein in each hand either below the neck or above if available. Do some changes of direction, halt and go, halt and turn and generally just walk around giving directions to your horse. If your horse doesn’t respond you may want to teach verbal commands on the lunge first as it comes in very handy. Alternatively a second person can assist or you can bump the horse on the side where the leg normally asks for forward. For those experienced in long-reining you could do this now. For those not experienced in long-reining I wouldn’t recommend it with new equipment as unless done correctly it can be difficult and create problems for both you and your horse.
How a Cross-Under Bitless Bridle Works
Flexing when mounted
STEP 3: Riding
It’s a good idea to do a few sessions of ground-work in the bitless before riding. This is where your ability to read your horse and know when they’re ready comes in. What you’re looking for is a horse that clearly understands what you’re asking while remaining calm and responsive. It's important for the first few rides to have a longer length of rein. If you immediately collect up a short rein, or suddenly pull back strongly on both reins, the horse may become confused by the unfamiliar feeling of the bridle. As with all new pieces of gear, introduce your horse to it slowly and gently, so they have time to accustom to it.
The first time riding in the bitless I recommend being in a small yard. If you usually do liberty circles or lunge before riding do so, then run through a few of the groundwork yields described above. Mount your horse then just sit there a moment and relax. Run your hand down one rein and ask for the head/neck flexion that you've practiced on the ground, using the same squeezing pressure. Repeat to the other side. If your horse walks off just let them but keep asking for the yield. When your horse stops release the pressure to reward the stop then ask again. Keep repeating until the horse realizes they don't need to walk off when you ask for a head yield. I'll use one rein at a time when I first start a horse under saddle, which is easy to do if you're in a small area. I don't apply pressure with both reins at the same time until I know the horse is comfortable with the bridle.
Ask for a few steps forward with your legs. Ask for a halt, I exhale deeply and sit deep in the saddle before squeezing with the reins. Stay in park for a moment before asking for the next forward. Ask for walk then turn gently in one direction, repeat to the other side. If your horse doesn’t respond at first use an open rein (take the hand out side-ways away from the horse). Continue mixing it up with go, stop, turn, in the walk. Every now and then just halt and sit (park is a wonderful gear to have in a horse) and allow your horse to digest the new information. On the first ride I would recommend only walking and progressing to trotting then cantering once responses are consistent and soft.
After a few rides in walk, when you are feeling confident, ask for the trot. Trot for a short distance, then walk, then trot, then walk etc. to ensure the brakes are working. Gradually build up to canter and before you know it you’ll be riding a cross-country course in your bitless! After a while most people are riding along and suddenly realise they don't have a bit, they've completely forgotten about it, because their horse is responding so well to the bridle.
If you don’t feel confident to go through the above steps, just pop the bitless bridle on first, then put your bitted bridle on over the top. You’ll then have 2 sets of reins. If you get worried at any time you can pick up the reins to the bitted bridle. This can be a very easy way to transition for people who are a little nervous when making changes. Most horses transition effortlessly but some people find it a bit more difficult. Our pre-conceived ideas that we need a bit to control a horse can make us tense and hesitant.
Once you make the transition to bitless you’ll never look back. It changes something about riding horses. You feel better knowing you’re no longer causing pain, and your horse definitely feels better. It opens up a line of communication between you and your horse that is priceless. And the best thing of all is that anyone can have this. You don’t have to be a professional trainer or horse whisperer to ride in a bitless bridle and feel this amazing communication with your horse. Anyone who wants it can have it today. I've transitioned all levels of rider and horses, including total beginner riders and young green-broke horses. Enjoy the journey!