Bitless riding

The proof is in the pudding - it is not about the equipment (original article):

The Tunne Hevonen Dressage Challenge with bitless dressage competition exhibition held on Saturday 3 March 2012 at the second ever Helsinki Horse Fair in Finland was a huge success. The fair was attended by around 42,000 visitors and the exhibition was Saturday's main attracttion. The idea was to show that good riding is not based on equipment, but on good horse riding skills and good horsemanship.

Close to three thousand spectators attended the bitless competition class which was judged by Tiina Karkkolainen and Inkeri Kostiainen. International and national level riders took part in the show competition.

The winner was Julia Alfthan-Kilpeläinen and her 17-year old Swedish warmblood gelding Chirocco (by Chirlon x Castello). Maria-Kristina Virta and her 20-year old Finnish warmblood gelding Conquistador S (by Matador) were second.

Janne Bergh and her halfblood mare Show Me Colour N and Taina Rajala with her Finnish bred stallion Kiahan Renard tied for third place. Katariina Albrecht and her black Finnish mare Silkki Musta were fourth and Heidi Sinda with her Finnish bred gelding Hessin Jeviiri slotted in fifth.

To Bit or Not to Bit

All riders shared the same view on bitless riding. If a horse is tense, it will be tense with a bit too. Many of them commented that if they had had more time to practice, they would have reached the same results with the bitless bridle as with a bit.

Julia Alfthan-Kilpelainen on Chirocco

Julia Alfthan-Kilpeläinen rode twice with the LG-bridle before the competition and she thought that with practice, collecting would come faster and easier. “I wanted to challenge myself and my old familiar horse to the new situation and it went exactly as I wanted it to. Bits in themselves are not the main aid between the horse and the rider, all the other aids are. I had so much fun,” said Dressage Challenge winner Julia Alfthan-Kilpeläinen, adding that, "I would do it again, of course."

Maria-Kristiina Virta who came in second place told us that she had so much fun and enjoyed the fact that her experienced horse wanted to perform. Third placed Janne Bergh had a young, inexperienced horse, which as she said, would have been just as tense with a bit in her mouth. "However, I had fun," she stated.

Taina Rajala also said she enjoyed the competition and praised the atmosphere. "It was really fun to perfom for such a big audience. My horse was really happy and wasn’t tense at all. With more training I think I could get a better feel and I would ride at the same level as with a bit. A good competition with a good atmosphere!

Janna Bergh on Show Me Colour

Finnhorse riders Katariina Albrecht and Heidi Sinda also said that it was great to ride in front of a big audience. Katariina stated that riding with a bitless bridle is a question of training and she feels that you can achieve the same results without a bit as with one. She is ready to do it again, anytime. Heidi Sinda had a young horse too and she said that she was surprised that her horse moved with better back movement and used his hindquarters much better with the LG-bridle. “Great event, big audience and good arrangements, Heidi Sinda concluded.


This is not to negate the positive effects of certain pieces of equipment over others of course - when we do use equipment what we use matters, but it lends credit to the theory that horses may be ridden bitless - and in my opinion even bridleless - with the same results. The correct use of and the type of equipment we use matters however it can also be done without equipment.

Signs your bit might not be fitting

I felt this was an important blog to write because I recently have been teaching a woman who is by far not new to horses yet had no idea her bit was causing her horse problems. She had tried a number of bits on this horse and nothing worked - he was always upset. As a result, she was having a lot of communications issues with him and was only riding him in a hackamore...which is fine, but I don't like it when a rider has to be restricted to a particular piece of tack. This is not a problem unique to her, in fact I find a great many experienced riders have no idea why they're using the bit they are or that it might be causing their horse problems. So what are some signs your bit might not be fitting or might not be appropriate to your horse?

Chewing - signs of excessive chewing can include the horse constantly clanking the bit in his mouth and foaming at the mouth excessively. A horse who is chewing excessively can be expressing anxiety or worry or can simply be growing accustomed to the bit (ie. young horses). Horses who are already mouthy (extroverts) will tend to chew sooner than a horse who does not use its mouth much to begin with (ie. introverts). Chewing when done in moderation is a POSITIVE sign in the horse who is being developed correctly and in a relaxed manner. Such chewing is the result of suppleness and a soft and responsive mouth and will leave some light foaming at the mouth. However chewing can also be a sign of an ill-fitting bit so it is important to rule out the possibility of an ill-fit in the horse who excessively chews.

Head-tossing - head-tossing can also be the sign of an ill-fitting saddle (particularly in the withers area) or bad hands, but if neither of those criteria are present, then check your bit. Head-tossing can be the sign of a horse who desires tongue relief or who is responding to the nutcracker effect of a single-jointed bit or a bit that digs into the hard palate.

Gaping mouth - again, rough hands can also cause a gaping mouth, but if your hands are otherwise soft and your horse's mouth is consistently open, don't just strap it shut - figure out why and try changing bits to see if it makes a difference. Mouthpiece matters - a lack of tongue relief or a bit pinching or digging into the horse's mouth will cause gaping.

Resistance - heavy hands can cause a horse to grow heavier in your hands, but a horse who is constantly fighting your hands may also be fighting the bit. The bit might not necessarily be hurting your horse, but for whatever reason it might not be the right bit for that horse, hence the resistance to your hand. This is the horse who is rooting, who pulls against your hand to drag his nose in the dirt or who is pulling his nose out whenever you ask something with your hands, pulling the reins from your hands. Of course this behaviour may in fact be more training or rider related than bit related, but the type of bit used and its appropriate-ness to that horse is important to also consider.

As a sidenote, how can you fix the horse who is rooting, whose nose is dragging in the dirt, if is NOT bit-related? Set boundaries. First off, a horse who is rooting has to drag the reins out of your hands, right? So when he slips his head down to drag his nose, let him 'hit' your hands. Close your hands and allow your horse to hit the end of rein you have given him. As he does, give him a little squeeze with your seat and legs, so that his haunches engage and his head comes up. If necessary, you can even bump a little with your hands as your horse hits the end of the rein you have given him - this doesn't mean you pull back or that your hands really move much, it simply means that your hands close sharply and maybe twist slightly to apply a bit of a 'bump'. Open and release your hands the minute your horse's head comes back up and is no longer resistant. Lateral work will really lighten a horse's front end and ultimately developing a horse to where he consistently and thoroughly engages from behind will lift his front - his level and consistency of engagement will reflect in his consistency in lightness upfront. This takes a lot of classical dressage! With horses who are heavy on their front ends and love to drag on their rider's hands, I like to remove ALL contact so they have nothing to pull against. Transitions, lateral work, ground poles, hills - all help the horse to develop carriage independent of its rider. Once independent, the rider may re-establish contact.

Please do not however confuse the horse heavy on the forehand and rooting with the horse gently chewing the reins from your hand, or the tired horse seeking relief via lowering his head. These feel very different from the horse using the rider's hands as a 'fifth leg' to lean on and root on, but if you cannot differentiate the difference or are unsure, seek the advice of a professional.




I find a lot of people really have no idea what they are putting in their horses' mouths or why. So when they change a bit because they think the previous bit is not working for their horse, they often end up switching to a bit that is doing the exact same thing as their last bit.

For further information on bits, read my previous quip on bits here. Some general notes:
- single-jointed mouthpieces exert a nutcracker effect on the horse's tongue and also exert pressure on the horse's palate
- double-jointed mouthpieces exert a little more bar and lip pressure but offer some tongue relief, will not have a nutcracker effect on the tongue, and will not poke the top of the horse's pallet
- curved mouthpieces shaped to the horse's mouth (versus a straight mouthpiece) can be a little more comfortable to the horse
- a port under 2'' will not (usually) interfere with the (average) horse's palate but will offer some tongue relief (slightly more bar action however)

If you are going to try another bit, try a double-jointed versus a single-jointed, or something with a small port versus no tongue relief at all - don't simply switch between single-jointed bits (etc) and necessarily expect a change in your horse. Change the type of mouthpiece if it is not working for your horse. Lastly, do your research (books, online, etc) to figure out what action the bit you've chosen will have on your horse's mouth - don't just ask the tack store dealer or your instructor. Consult bit professionals who have done their (extensive) research. Figure out exactly what that bit is doing to your horse and how, so that you can understand the mechanics of what it is doing any time you apply pressure to the reins and why it might be or might not be working for your horse.

Lastly, if your horse seems to be uptight about the bit you are using, also consider adjusting the headstall - the bit should be high enough in the mouth that it is not hitting any teeth (ie. canines) but so that it is not overly tight either (no more than two wrinkles at most!). Preferably, there should be NO wrinkles and the horse should be allowed to pick up the bit in its mouth on its own. Ensure the bit is not so loose however that it is allowed to clank against the horse's teeth. Also, using a bit that has a roller or sweet iron can give a fidgety horse something more constructive to do. Ultimately, developing relaxation and suppleness in the horse is key, as is really engaging his brain.

Bridleless riding

Here, Cathy's post: Broke horses

I hate the word 'broke'. Your job shouldn't be to 'break' a horse or even to 'train' a horse. This isn't a dog or a monkey that you 'train' to do tricks - if you are riding a horse, your goal should be to develop said horse into a balanced individual (who is calmer/braver/smarter) and to establish a working partnership with them. One in which they have a say as well*, not where they are simply trained to execute certain maneuvers or respond to specific cues 'because you said so'. No one should ever be 'breaking' a horse - the horse should do what you ask of them because they want to, not because you 'broke' them down into doing so.

So when someone says that the roping horse in question, featured on Cathy's blog, is 'broke', I squirm a little. I hope not! I hope the horse is simply so in tune with the rider and that they have such a solid partnership, that they can work bridleless, but not because the horse is trained to robotically do as its rider asks. It is the difference between seeing a 'push-button' horse being piloted around a course by its rider who is simply 'pushing buttons', and a horse who is responding as it should - according to its rider.

I will start off by saying that I am neither a 'snaffle only' person. However I do not believe in using bits for control. Let me extend upon what Cathy said in her blog and ask you if you can take everything off your horse. OTTB or not (btw, they are not as 'psychotic' as people portray them!). If you took everything off your horse's face, what would he or she do?

I am even going to be as bold as to say that if you can't ride your horse bridleless, that you can strive for better - good, better, best, never let it rest. The rider should be continuously striving for better.

Bridleless riding is not some sort of trick, nor is it the result of 'breaking' a horse. It is the result of a strong partnership and intimate communication between horse and rider. Horse and rider are in tune with one another. Or rather, this is what it should be! When it is just a 'trick', the result of a push-button horse, it can easily fall apart, yet when it is the result of a partnership, you can take and apply that partnership to all aspects of your riding, of your work with that horse! Your trail horse is not spooky and your show jumper is not refusing jumps. Your horse is following your leadership. Your dressage horse is relaxed and has that swinging back...it all falls together as a result of that partnership. There is a balance of trust and respect, and both horse and rider move together as one. How many upper level show jumpers do you see struggling to get their horses under control before the next jump or combination? How many times do you see these horses take down a rail as a result of this tumultuous relationship between horse and rider? Would it not be so much better if the rider developed the horse in such a way where their partnership were harmonious? Where horse and rider worked together with the horse respecting and trusting the rider's leadership in full?

So don't just downgrade bits, get down to the simplest bit or hackamore (ie, a flexible rope hackamore or bitless bridle, not a mechanical hackamore or a bosal) you possibly can control your horse in. Rather than focusing on specialization - jumping, dressage, reining, cutting... focus on the foundation. Foundation before specialization. Get control without having to use a bit (use the bit or hackamore as a safety net only), then work your way up through the bits for refinement!** You should be able to halt or slow your horse, or move it up into a higher gait, using only your seat. You should be able to have your horse change direction simply by using your legs and seat and torso. You should have full control without relying on your equipment. Only then should you be using a snaffle for bending and lateral work, and a curb/leverage bit for subtler communication and straightness. The result will be a more relaxed horse you are not fighting for control over, with whom your work is harmonious and enjoyable. The ultimate test will be when you can ride your horse at complete liberty. The ultimate result will be greater success in your discipline because your horse is fully working WITH you.


*You'd be amazed at what can happen when you actually allow a horse a say in what you do, rather than fighting them to do what you want them to do. When you allow them a say, they start to want to do what you ask, what you want, and they start offering up suggestions and questions. Horses can certainly enjoy being ridden - using themselves athletically, partaking in particular activities (jumping, dressage, cutting, reining), and working in partnership with their rider. The proof? Well, if you take everything off that horse's head and he still sticks with you and does what you ask, willingly and happily no matter what you ask, isn't that proof right there?

**By refinement, I mean subtler aids and more intimate communication between you and your horse. That means that while perhaps in a snaffle you had to open or close your hand, in a curb you might only have to wiggle a finger. Or that in a spade bit, you only have to 'breathe' over the rein. If you use your bits in such a way, you understand what I mean. You put that curb bit in for the first time and wow, you can communicate so much, detail-wise, to your horse! It's so subtle and so refined. So much potential accompanies this subtle communication.

Bit placement & whisker trimming

A rather short blog, but I thought I would address a couple smaller 'issues'.

First, is that we are getting close to the outdoor show season once again up here in the Great White North (*ahem* Canada), and with show season comes: grooming. Specifically, whisker trimming (and other related practices). Most horse people I hope would already understand the purpose and importance of a horse's whiskers, but I was never taught such as a child who competed and thus I can only assume that there are others out there who are in the same boat. While most of the grooming practises I partook were moderate, there were a few practises I was taught and that I performed that I would think twice about now.

For experimental purposes, try trimming a whisker or two, using scissors; most horses will flinch and try to pull their head away (at least the first few shots at it). They do this because those whiskers are actually quite sensitive to touch; they represent an invaluable resource to your horse. By removing the whiskers around a horse's eyes, nose, and mouth, we are essentially limiting their sense of touch. Horses use their whiskers constantly - those whiskers help the horse construct a visual of an object they may have trouble seeing, whether due to lighting or the way which their vision functions (ie, considering blind spots, etc). Trimming a horse's whiskers can be akin to tying your hands behind your back then forcing you to navigate a dark room. You are going to be more likely to crash into objects, just as a horse may be more likely to injure themself (particularly their eyes or muzzle).

Furthermore, many people will go so far as to trim inside a horse's ears, which impairs a horse's protection from both the elements as well as from insects and debris. Our Quarab is a horse so sensitive that, in the summer, I absolutely cannot ride him without fly spray and an ear-net...I cannot imagine trimming his ears and making his ears all the more vulnerable to insects! Personally, I think it looks pretty goofy when a horse has his ears completely cleaned out...

Check out Natural Horse Grooming for additional points to consider and methods to help you 'clean up' your horse without compromising his well being. Think twice next time you go to alter your horse's appearance (etc)...nature probably created him the way he is for a reason.


Second order of the day: bit placement. I recently had a woman come out to try out our Thoroughbred (I was looking for a rider to exercise him whilst I am away this winter); she was a a dressage rider with a lot of experience so I figured she should be knowledgeable. First ride on my boy, she commented that she felt his bit was placed too low, that there should be 2 wrinkles visible. She was extremely insistent on the 2-wrinkle theory...something I think is ingrained in most riders from a young age. My response was that I set the bit in the mouth low enough that the horse may choose to pick it up (in lieu of it being held there via the headstall), without being loose enough to bang against their teeth and make them uncomfortable. Taking a look at the following, you can see where a bit needs to be or can be:



The headstall needs to be tight enough that the bit does not rattle against the canines, causing the horse pain and/or discomfort. Otherwise though, the bit may be adjusted so that there is one or even (barely) no wrinkles (depending on your horse's oral conformation). There is room for opinion, preference, and training technique. Where you adjust your bit is up to you, so experiment away and see what your horse prefers and what works best for the two of you, keeping in mind the horse's mouth structure. Just keep in mind that it does not have to be one or two wrinkles - listen to what your horse says and what works best with him and your methods of communicating with him.

Bits

I figured it was about time to do a blog on bits when I spoke with the owner of one of the horses I currently am working on, asking me why I chose the bit I did to work with him (double-jointed O-ring Happy Mouth). We could get into some long discussion on what-bit-does-what, but I am simply going to leave you with the basics, a few guidelines to consider or remember when choosing a bit. After that, I will leave the research on individual bits up to you.

Double-jointed loose ring Happy Mouth

First, two primary classifications of bits:




Curb bits
Bits that possess shanks. They utilize leverage to create pressure on the poll and under the chin (via a chin strap), and to also exert more pounds of pressure on the horse's mouth than a snaffle would. Each time you pull back on the reins of a curb bit, the pounds of pressure you use is amplified to the horse. The amount of pressure your horse feels is dependent upon the length of the shanks and thus the leverage applied.

In my honest opinion, I believe curb bits are misused much more often than snaffles. It's something called the "bigger bit theory": horse doesn't respond to a gentle bit, so it is put into something harsher, likely a curb bit. He doesn't listen to that, so he goes into an even harsher bit...and so the story continues until one day he's being ridden in a twisted wire single-jointed curb bit with 4 inch shanks. Finally, his owners have control. Or so they think. What people seem to forget is that this is a 1,000+lb animal. You are not going to out-muscle it, and relying on tools to do so will only land you in trouble - if not now, maybe a year down the road.

The only time a curb bit should be used is for refinement purposes, to allow for more intimate communication between horse and rider and to refine vertical flexion as collection progresses and is developed. If you lack control in a snaffle, get your horse into the gentlest bit possible (or even a plain rope hackamore if possible), and re-work the basics. Don't have control there? Work the basics from the ground first. Jonathan Field says "solve the problem on the outside, before going to the inside (the horse's mouth), so that you do not dull the inside", and I feel he is so right. I start any and all horses from the ground up: everyone starts out in a plain rope hackamore (after initially starting out with groundwork). Once I feel I have sufficient "control" (a.k.a. partnership between myself and the horse), I move them up into a snaffle, and finally (eventually), a leverage bit (if it fits with my purpose with that horse). For everyday riding, a horse should be in the gentlest bit possible, or no bit at all. Then you move them into a leverage bit for refinement, to work on more complex maneuvers that require a whole new level of subtle communication between horse and rider.


Snaffle bits
Bits that execute no leverage on the horse's mouth. This means it has no shanks. To clear this one up: snaffle bits are not bits that are broken, with curb bits being bits that are solid mouthpieces!! I'm shocked at the multitude of people who believe this to be the case. Either snaffles or curb bits may have solid or broken mouthpieces. Snaffles are your starter bits, used for the basics and for creating lateral flexion.

The following are some of the notes I took at the Red Deer Mane Event, from Jonathan Field and Bob Myler's demo concerning bits:

Bits do not train the horse! In other words, don't rely on a bit to "train" your horse: ie. don't upgrade to bigger bits when you feel like you lack control. Remedy the control issue without relying on equipment to do it for you.

There are two types of bits:
1- Those used for straightness (stiff bosal or a curb bit)
2- Those used for bend/lateral work/disengagement (snaffle/flexible rope hackamore)


There are numerous different areas in and outside of the horse's mouth that a bit can apply pressure:
- the bars of the horse's mouth
- the pallet
- the lips
- the tongue (the most invasive)
- the cheeks
- the chin
- the poll

Horses who periodically tip their nose up during sustained collection? Think about where your tongue sits when you are just sitting there on the couch, reading this blog. It's raised against the roof of your mouth, right? Well the same goes for horses. Many bits force the horse's tongue down, preventing him from lifting his tongue and swallowing. When a horse tips his nose up, he's likely just trying to swallow!

The angle of the spade on a spade bit determines pallet pressure and therefore headset (take note that in that particular headset then, the spade is applying no pressure). A spade bit is the ultimate level of communication, the ultimate level of intimacy, with a horse. It goes in only with prior and proper preparation, when horse and rider have achieved a high level of communication and training.

The reins are connected to the horse's feet, not the head.

Jonathan has a 5-step program he follows with his horses:
1 - rope halter for groundwork
2 - rope hackamore
3 - solid snaffle with a 1/4'' port ("lift") for some tongue relief
4 - solid snaffle with a 3/4'' lift for more tongue relief
5 - solid snaffle (can swivel around a barrel or such, but you don't want it folding in on itself so that it has a nutcracker effect on the tongue) with a 1'' lift

Keep in mind, a bit will typically not exert pallet pressure until the lift is about 2'' high. You start off with a smaller lift at first though and build bigger, because the higher the lift, the more pressure that is exerted on the bars of the mouth, though the more tongue relief. The lower lift assures that there is some tongue relief but that pressure is more evenly distributed as the horse becomes more accustomed to the action of that bit.

So, back to Equus:

The thicker the mouthpiece, the milder the bit (generally).

Single-jointed mouthpieces will exert a "nutcracker effect", pinching lips, tongue, and bars when pressure is applied to the reins. Double-jointed mouthpieces lack this nutcracker effect, however they exert more bar pressure.

The larger the ratio between the piece of shank above the mouthpiece and the shank hanging below the mouthpiece on a curb bit, the more leverage the bit will apply and thus the more severe the bit will be.

Smooth mouthpieces will exert less pressure/pressure points than a bit with bumps, knots, or twists in it.


Curb straps:
On a snaffle, they serve to keep the bit in the horse's mouth. In my opinion, that is what a full-cheek snaffle is for on a green horse (after transitioning from a rope hackamore). If the bit is coming out of the horse's mouth, I think it's time to re-evaluate how you are asking the horse what you are asking. With a green horse in extreme circumstances, sometimes this is a little unavoidable, but for the most part if the horse is adequately prepared beforehand, the bit will not be sliding out of its mouth.

On a curb bit, the curb strap serves to exert chin pressure and allow for more leverage. Without it, a good chunk of the curb's action is eliminated. Make sure you can fit two fingers in between your horse's chin and the actual strap when fitting.

Twisted wire bits have NO place in a horse's mouth in my books, I really don't care the excuse used. Those are not designed for communication, they are specifically designed to hurt your supposed "partner".

There are more variations to bits than just the simple curb and snaffles, however those are the primary divisions...the rest I leave up to you to investigate.