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RE: [RC] [RC] Bitless bridles - terry banister" I place it up high enough on his face to not obstruct his nostrils at any time."Good point! The picture of the Dr. Cooke Bitless bridle shows it very low on the nose. Not only do I question how that affects the horse's breathing at speeds, but also the location in relation to the soft cartelage down there, which can be broken. I think straps and pressure devices are supposed to be kept up on the hard bridge of the nose. Also, the Dr. Cooke Bitless is the only "bitless" headstall that puts pressure on the poll. If your horse does not react well to that, the various Sidepulls, PonyBoy Bitless, English Jumping hackimores and S-Hacks all work well. As some people have shown, communication is easily transferred between the horse and rider, even with nothing on the horse's head. And, as some have pointed out, many horses will run through a snaffle bit. So If a person is riding with contact on the reins, the "vibes" or pressure are transmitted to any headstall, it's the horse that chooses to ignore and run through that request (with a snaffle or a bitless). Then I question that horse's training. I would not want to ride one that either had that little training - or that bad of an attitude. I know that bits have other functions - head carriage, collection, etc., but isn't that after the fact? Isn't it the horse's understanding and attitude that determines what is done with the pressure / request? Terry "May the Horse be with you"
I've used an english hackamore with a leather chin strap for years. My ex-racehorse had the same reaction to a snaffle that was described earlier - lean on the bit and run right through it. The english hack is cheap, hangs on any bridle, and has a nice wide nose piece and with the leather chin strap is quite mild. I place it up high enough on his face to not obstruct his nostrils at any time. I tried the Dr. Cook's thing, but it made him uptight - I don't think he liked the feel of that much poll pressure. CAVEAT: When I compete (and I have made a vow I will be back out in 2005) I'm in the back half (if not last) and we don't ever do 5 meter circles - or even 10 meters. I can make him side pass, shoulder-in, whatever, but primarily through leg cues, not reins. We can do a version of a rollback, if the trail demands it, but I don't attempt to do the kind of precision riding like dressage or reining with that kind of bit. Rev is not a precision riding kind of horse, anyway. I get the impression that the bitless bridle, with the poll pressure, transmits signals better than a hack. Having said that, though, my personal belief is if you ride the same horse over the course of several years, they pick up more through your seat and legs than you know you are transmitting. Basically, they end up waiting for the hand cue for permission to start the manuver. . . Laurie in Clare _________________________________________________________________ Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee® Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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