My experiences and thoughts about the Dr. Cook Bitless Bridle
Cricket – Just after a heavy rain
Why did I try using a bitless bridle? Well I have a 14 year old Rocky Mountain gaited horse that would throw her head and in general act unhappy and become high headed with both snaffle and curb bits. I tried several types of each, including tongue relief bits. I heard about the bitless bridles and decided to do some research and in doing so I came across an article by Dr. Cook on the short and long term effects of bits on a horse’s mouth/jaws.
What the heck – I found a leather Dr. Cook Bitless Bridle at a consignment tack store at a great price. That’s all it took! I bought the bridle and fitted it to Cricket (my victim). Luckily fitting instructions were included with the bitless bridle.
First time with my new bitless bridle
The next weekend (Saturday) I did some round pen work in order to get her familiar with the bitless bridle. We did directing, redirecting, lateral flexing, vertical flexing all on the ground. Cricket was initially a bit confused as a bit pulls on the mouth/tongue/jaw while the bitless bridle pushes on the opposite side jaw/pole/chin. This was no big deal as it took her about 10-15 minutes to start “getting it”.
The next day (Sunday) would be the big test. We did about 25-30 minutes of arena work with figure 8’s, serpentines and circles. Cricket went from unhappy, active mouth and high headed to relaxed, licking and chewing with her head and neck below the withers.
Now remember Cricket is a gaited horse and so often I hear people say that you need a walking horse bit and have to ride them “on the bit”. Well guess what gaited horse fans – with the bitless bridle she does a really relaxed and nice dog walk and flat walk as well as a self-carriage gait on a loose reign now. Her mouth is closed and she is so much happier!
What is the results of using the bitless bridle
I have been using the Dr. Cook Bitless Bridle for approximately 2 months now, both in the arena and trail, and have had really good results. No control issues on the trail either.
Would I buy another bitless bridle again?
The next question is would I buy the bitless bridle again? Absolutely! Actually I just bought the Biothane version for another gaited horse that I have in re-training after 4 years of not being ridden but that’s another blog.
If you have any questions about my experience with bitless bridles and gaited horses please feel free to either e-mail me or respond to this post. To see pics of Cricket in a bitless bridle click here
Bob