The Key to Riding Bitless Safely

Today, more riders are ditching bits and embracing the joys of bitless riding. However, going bitless is not as easy as throwing on a halter and riding off into the wind. Even though you can have just as much control with a bitless bridle, your horse must be trained to respond to the new piece of equipment. Luckily, with a little preparation, you can safely ride without the bit.

Most horses have been ridden in bits their entire life

Bitless Riding Safety Considerations

The majority of horses have been ridden with a bit for most of their adult life. And odds are, they may have never been ridden without a piece of metal in their mouth. Therefore, suddenly removing the bit can quickly become unsafe, especially if your horse often leans on the bit or is prone to bolting.

Horses are much stronger than we are. A bit gives the rider more leverage in the horse's mouth making it easier to turn or lift their head and stop them in emergency scenarios. Therefore, riders often think less about training these behaviors because they can easily make their horses do it.

The 4 Steps to Safe Bitless Riding

Regardless of how long your horse has been riding with a bit, they can be transitioned to bitless. And by following these four steps, you can make the transition safely and successfully.

1. Consider your horse's behavior

Every horse reacts differently when being ridden. If yours is high-strung, spooky, or leans heavily on the bit, you will need to be more mindful of your prep work before removing the bit. However, if your horse is tuned into your seat and responds to slight weight shifts, they may not even notice that the bit is gone.

Even if you are excited to ditch the bit, safety has to come first. If your horse is very forward, bolts, or is hard to turn, you may need to start training with the bit still in place. If you ride with your hands need force to make your horse stop or steer, try riding with less pressure, slowly letting the reins out until you are in control with loose reins.

If your horse is high strung you may need more prep work before going bitless

Every horse will need a slightly different approach, so evaluate your horse's needs. The goal is to be able to ride softly without relying on the reins for control.

2. Prepare in advance with groundwork

To ride bitless safely, your horse needs to understand and respect the feeling of the bitless bridle. Without the bit, you may not be able to force your horse to comply, therefore they need careful training so they do it willingly.

Before you hop on, you will want to teach two key behaviors:

Flexing

Flexing will become your emergency stop. When you take up one rein towards your hip, your horse should bend their head to touch their barrel. This will give you stopping power even without the bit. The softer you can get them, the more reliable your stop will be.

It's important to practice flexing on the ground first

To teach your horse to flex:

1. Stand at their barrel, facing their head.

2. Reach about halfway down their one rein, and pull up towards their withers.

3. Once they give in to the pressure, immediately let go. Work overtime until they can bring their head to their barrel.

4. Practice evenly on both sides until your horse responds to the lightest touch and is willing to keep their head in place for a couple of seconds.

Yield hindquarters

Oftentimes, after transitioning to bitless riding, riders struggle to steer accurately. The more maneuverable you can get your horse on the ground before riding bitless, the more control you will have over their movements. Teaching the hindquarter yield is a great place to start.

The hindquarter yield asks the horse to move pivot around their inside front hoof. This will allow you to control your horse's hind end separately, giving you more power to position them.

Hindquarter yields will give you more control over your horse under saddle

To teach the hindquarter yield:

1. Stand with your hand on your horse's girth area. Slide your hand backward about a hand's width.

2. Apply light pressure, gently increasing until your horse takes a step with their inside hind leg. You may need to rhythmically tap with a whip if they do not respond to pressure from just a hand.

3. Slowly build steps over time until they can take multiple steps around, keeping their inside foreleg in place.
   

3. Use the right bitless bridle

Like bits, there are numerous options for bitless bridles, each with its pros and cons. Even though bitless bridles are often thought of as gentler alternatives to bits, some can be very harsh. You'll need to evaluate your riding goals and your horse's preferences when choosing a bitless bridle.

The four main types of bitless bridles are:

Dr. Cook

This unique bridle has two straps that run from the horse's poll, cross under their chin, and attach to the bottom of the noseband. This creates a squeezing feeling on the horse's nose, poll, and under the jaw when pressure is applied to the reins. To some horses, this can feel like too much pressure, so be sure to introduce it slowly. It is most often used in English riding.

Hackamore

The reins on a hackamore attach to shanks of various sizes. Just like with a leverage bit, the hackamore increases the amount of pressure you can exert on the horse. Pressure will be felt on the poll, chin groove, and nose. These can be very harsh and have styles suitable for Western and English riding.

Bosal

The bosal is a bitless bridle for western riding. The reins attach under the horse's chin at the bottom of a stiff teardrop-shaped loop that goes over the horse's nose. Bosals work in a rocking motion on the horse's nasal bone so it is essential that they are fitted correctly and used with a gentle hand.

Side pull

The side pull works like a halter with the reins attached to each side of the noseband. The most straightforward of all the bitless bridles, horses often have an easy time adjusting to it. Adjusted correctly, the side pull is gentle and suitable for a variety of disciplines.

4. Encourage good habits

The key to a lifetime of safe bitless riding is to maintain the good habits you built in preparation. Sloppy riding in a bitless bridle can become dangerous fast. Even as your horse progresses with the bitless bridle, the basics will keep you safe.

Go through your horse's basics often and continue working them to perfection even as you move on to more exciting things.

Don't rush to leave the arena bitless until you are sure your horse is ready

Remember...

... Just because your horse is soft in the bridle, doesn't mean you shouldn't work on flexing regularly.

... Just because you can make them turn with the reins doesn't mean you shouldn't keep them in tune to your seat.

... Just because you switched to the bitless bridle, doesn't mean you can't use a bit sometimes.

Especially when doing activities that amp your horse up or if you are leaving the arena, using a bit may be the safer option. Never sacrifice safety for the sake of using the bitless bridle. Knowing your horse, and your comfort level is key to staying safe without a bit.