Bitless riding...

[shan]

Following on from Kelly's "No Light Hands without a Light Mouth" topic, I thought it may be a good idea to discuss the different ways people use their hands when riding without a bit, I'm specifically interested in the Dually here. In the usual horse mags there are alot of articles on different bits and ways to use them, but very few, if any, on how people work without them.

I ride in a Dually and find that I much prefer it to a bit. However, there are differing opinions on how to ride with one, and it has to be that none are right or wrong but what each individual horse needs has to be assessed, as with a bit.

I'd appreciate your input if you're a Dually rider, full time or part time!

[andyt]

Not a dually rider, but I am bitless with a Dr Cooks bridle. The Dr Cooks website (http://www.bitlessbridle.co.uk/) has some articles about riding if I remember correctly. I'm a relative novice but I try to be as soft and light as I can be with my hands and seem to remember someone telling me that with a bitless bridle you may have slightly longer reins than when riding with a bit Could be completely wrong there though!! ;D I'm off for lessons with my big girl and her bitless bridle with a dressage trainer soon so might have some more input then!

[Deleted]

I use exactly the same aids with a dually as I would with a bit, upward movement to ask for flexion and weight on the outside shoulder, outward for a turn, stillness for slow/ stop. When I was riding regularly several months ago Talin had learned to reach down into a contact on the dually, that's gone out the window a bit through lack of riding but we'll get there again.

Although my old TB liked the Dr Cook the direct/ indirect rein didn't work the same with it.

[Rik]

All the pictures/clips of Chico are with effectively a soft leather padded head collar, it’s a DR Cook without the cross over straps.

I wouldn’t say I use it any differently to a bit which I ride other horses in, the biggest thing people don’t understand about bitless bridles in my opinion is how sever they can be.

Physical pressure/discomfort/pain is commonly understood but not mental, it is not that it is ignored rather not even thought about.

I can’t say for the Dually by the Dr Cook’s Whole head hug as they put it, does not have great physical force but mentally it certainly does.

I can’t say I have read all of the "No Light Hands without a Light Mouth" thread as it seems to me it’s one of those equestrian dogma’s that never seems to get to the bottom of the sentiment and doesn’t really want to.

What’s a light mouth? Is it just a sensitive mouth, is it a light mouth because it has a sever bit or bitless bridle? Does a rider loose light hands if they get on a horse with hard or insensitive mouth? Does a rider loose light hands if they are on an untrained horse? How does a horse end up with a light mouth? Etc

At the end of the day isn’t it really nothing to do with the horse mouth/tack or even arguably the hands, isn’t it really about a well trained responsive horse.

Doesn’t “Light Hands” really mean skillful rider? this is not suddenly lost on an untrained horse.

Doesn’t “a light mouth” mean trained horse? Which doesn’t suddenly become untrained.

This causes "No Light Hands without a Light Mouth" to make no sense at all and ruins a good dogma.

"No Light Hands without a Light Mouth" is just about a horse that’s at a point where the tack/rider is just delivering an aid, the horse is responding willingly and the rider is limiting their self to communication not make.

It’s about communication and the horse wanting to do the riders bidding because of a relationship and not because of a learned physical consequence for not responding imo but opinions vary and it’s still only part of the story there is the journey to get to that point which ever route is chosen.

[arabmania]

Both my mares are bitless and i ride the same as i would if they were bitted.

I do tend to ride on a longer rein though when riding out and only tend to take my reins up if we are doing faster work but for schooling there is no difference.

[Yann]

I don't consciously ride any differently and there's not too much difference in the way they respond either.

[jinglejoys]

I'm practicing keeping my reins nuetral and concentrating on body language (as on the ground)

[heather]

youtu.be/JwyHqmsAXRs

Now this is bitless riding!! Alizee Froment, who is a GP rider and her Luso stallion Mistral. Mistral was trained in a bit but she rides him bitless too. Alizee is one of the most beautiful riders I have ever seen. Check out her other videos as well on youtube, so worth watching.

Heather

[jes]

I don't ride any different bitless to bitted. I keep a light contact and try to ride more from my weight and legs than my hands anyway. It helps that my mare is quite responsive to leg and weight aids.

[shan]

Thanks for your input... I find that I'm more in touch with the amount of pressure I use than with a bit, I seem to be able to feel it better through the rein.

[Rik]

Dec 9, 2011 18:52:20 GMT 1 heather said:

youtu.be/JwyHqmsAXRs

Now this is bitless riding!! Alizee Froment, who is a GP rider and her Luso stallion Mistral. Mistral was trained in a bit but she rides him bitless too. Alizee is one of the most beautiful riders I have ever seen. Check out her other videos as well on youtube, so worth watching.

Heather

For comparison an Olympic Rider with Classical credentials of the highest order.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPUNsC5RNmA

The bits where it's not 100% and why are to me interesting as is the use of a rope halter.

[heather]

Yes I have seen that video of Catherine, and have watched her ride and school at home. I do not like this nearly as much as Alizee.

Heather

[Rik]

What is it you see in the first clip that you find appealing and not so appealing in the second? If you don't mind me asking?

There are some things better in the first and some better in the second, on the whole when it's not getting confused the movement, cadence and rhythm of the second is more pleasing to my eye.

[heather]

I do not like Catherine's seat, I deplore a backwards leaning torso, having seen her ride at home and in competition, Rik, and she is riding in a dressage saddle, not a bareback pad. I would have liked to have seen how she coped with that movement sans saddle!! But for me, her horse looks unlevel in the shoulder in on the left rein at about 40 seconds into the clip, and there is a loss of balance as he turns down the centre line at 1m 11, and I do not like the way she leans back into the halt across the centre line.

The transition into canter is rough but I almost get the impression the horse did it by himself and not by her aid, because she gets him round the corner and then brings him back into a trot travers, which is an odd thing to do in a demo, if it was actually meant to happen!

I see far better movement, cadence and rhythm in Alizee's clip Rik. To me, Catherine's looks more rushed and less fluid altogether. Just shows how subjective dressage is!

Heather

[heather]

Dont forget that Mistral is Lusitano and not a purpose bred competition horse. Catherine of course does ride Lusitanos, was one of the first to ride them at international GP, and I saw her ride Orphee in competition a number of times in the flesh. But it doesnt state the breeding of the horse she is riding in that clip, could be a very big and powerful Luso, but more likely to be one of her warmbloods. Some of the purpose bred Lusos are losing their type and becoming difficult to distinguish between Lusos and warmbloods :-(

Heather