Australian Equine Arts |
Australian Equine Arts |
Copyright - 2003 Australian Equine Arts - ABN 19814 575 741 - All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher. The information contained within these web pages/articles is intended for information and educational purposes only. Readers are cautioned to seek expert advice from a qualified health professional and/or experienced Trainer before pursuing any form of treatment or training on their horses/animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or webmaster. |
The Bitless Bridle - Testimonials |
As a mother of 5 yr old twin boys, safety when riding is paramount. Well made, effective and safe equipment for our Welsh Mountain pony Jack Lewis is essential. The boys are very young to be riding on their own and first they have to convince me they are up to the job. We chose The Bitless Bridle after reading 'Metal In The Mouth' and after seeing how Jack Lewis seemed to lean on the bit with his previous 11yr old boy rider who used a Kimberwick curb bit to compete at Pony Club events. We thought we would take the 'fight and flight' out of the equation and see how Jack Lewis reacted. Immediately we tried The Bitless Bridle Jack Lewis responded with obediences and softness. As we suspected if there was nothing to fight against there was no fight or flight. Both boys practiced their Pony Club sporting events with no problems so we ventured out on the tracks, this will be a good test I though, especially as the less talented of the twins was riding. Jack Lewis went well, on the way home the pony was keen and started to go into a strong trot and even a few strides of canter, I thought well this is it if Tommy can't stop him now then he's done for, but all was well Tommy did not fight him he used lateral flexion to control the pace, the bridle worked brilliantly with the cross over strap encouraging Jack Lewis to turn his head. I have seen Jack lewis in a similar situation with the previous owner where he simply leaned on the curb bit and turned his head and stuck his shoulder out and kept ploughing on at a forceful pace. This was completely different, yes he had the energy but he did not fight, he simply responded to Tommys rein aid and turned in a circle - there you have it a moderately able 5 yr old boy completely in control of a cunninly experienced Pony Club mount. I must say I was impressed, yes relieved too, it was a true test and the bridle passed with flying colours. We use the bridle all the time at home and would really like to use it at all of the Pony Club events including the One day Events that we thought we would try this year. From Tommy, Willy and Georgina Pankhurst |
Hi Ysabelle, I purchased a couple of bitless bridles a year or so ago. I have not ridden in anything else since, they have been terrific. Our horses live in a small herd of 7 on 100 acres of high quality pasture, and we try to keep them in as natural a state as possible. All our horses are barefoot and we ride them everywhere, including trail riding, with no problem so far. Looking forward to catching up for a chat some day! Kind regards, Valerie H |
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Hey Bobby, I really like this no metal in the mouth stuff........... |
Yeah, and much easier to eat too ! |
Hi there, Just thought I'd drop you a quick line and some pics to show how well the kids are going in the bitless bridle and barefoot. The arab mare loves it and is whipping and taking the drag in all the hunts with no head shaking at all - she has a history of being beaten about the head causing a fracture, causing trigeminal neuritis (pinched nerve) and is almost unrideable with a conventional bridle due to the pressure. As you can see she is perfectly happy now - and has never worn shoes either! All 19 of our horses are barefoot and going beautifully in all disciplines. Regards, Joylene Anawa Performance Horses www.freewebs.com/anawa <http://www.freewebs.com/anawa> |
">
">
">
">
Dear Ysabelle, Well what a triumph the Bitless Bridle was on the Quindaning Easter weekend events. It's a very important competition for the WA Donkey Society because its our only Harness competition each year. It's judged by an independent Horse judge who has no familiarity of us or our donkeys. For Neddy and myself this was only the second time we had entered the competition and Neddy's second time ever in harness with the Bitless Bridle. I am always nervous before a competition but a little more this time as it was like taking a step into the unknown and I didn't want anything to go wrong as we had been granted permission to use the Bitless. As it turned out the donkeys driven in Bitless Bridles cleaned the table of Prizes, Trophies and Ribbons including the Great harness race which my husband Paul with Neddy won, yet another first for the Bitless. Warmest Regards, Lisa Lalley |
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Hi Ysabelle I took my Bobby out today for our flatwork lesson this morning, the first time in your bridle. It went really, really well. The nose band was, surprisingly, a little too big, and I had to put in an extra hole just before the leather flat piece, and even then, it isn't at all tight, but doesn't seem to slide up, so I think it is fine. Other than that, it fitted beautifully, and looked gorgeous. My instructor is concerned that the noseband is too low, lower than the norm for nosebands, but I reassured her that the bridle is designed to sit where it is. Certainly it did not seem to worry Bob. It was a fantastic lesson, Bobby was forward and happy, rounded and so giving and soft. We got the left hand canter every time (well, one quick false start, but that was my fault) and he didn't swish his tail once (that's his way of grumbling at me). We had lovely transitions, both within gaits and between gaits, and he was so calm walking over, and home, even past the silly alpacas. He is a calm settled, giving horse anyway, but he honestly went even better than usual. I especially noted that he was so soft in the "mouth". I don't know why this bridle would be any different really than the synthetic one we have been using, but today was particularly great. He did dribble, but he was so calm and happy, I am not concerned. He was much better than the other 2 horses in the lesson (I think!). But people think that its "just Bobby and Rose, that's what he is like anyway, my horse is too bouncy/forward/naughty/strong to ride bitless". I am only a novice rider but I wonder. It is tempting to be evangelistic but I am a newish rider on a very well schooled quiet older horse, so I'll keep quiet. Anyway, today was great. Tomorrow we are going out on the trails with my husband and his big mare (Bob's friend), so we we see if that is any diffferent too! Many many thanks, Rose Fisk |
Mereana Lewis with Clyde and Kevin Lewis with Sheba. |
Having told Helen how clever Dylan had become at putting his tongue over the bit, it's small wonder that I was so interested when she showed me the ad in Hoofbeats for The Bitless Bridle . I visited the web site listed in the ad and became even more interested as I read about the bridle, how it works and studied the diagrams. I contacted Ysabelle Dean, the Australian Representative and Associate Clinician for The Bitless Bridle by email and have subsequently ordered and received Dylan's bridle. Before I tell you about Dylan and his new bridle I must say that Ysabelle has been completely approachable and willing to answer any and all of my questions before and after I decided to order my Bitless Bridle. She answered all of my emails immediately and helpfully so that I felt like I knew what to expect. Also, realizing that as is always the case with bridles and donkeys, the brow band would be too short for Dylan, I asked Ysabelle if a longer one could be traded for the one that ordinarily comes with the bridle. She replied that would be no problem and enclosed two browbands of different lengths for me to try. It is very important to adjust the bridle properly, so my first task was to put it on Dylan, who, being Dylan, loved the attention and stood quietly while I fussed about with buckles and straps. It was a perfect fit because of ample allowance for adjustment. The buckles all were easy to do and undo, and the straps were easily fitted into their keepers. One of the assets of this bridle is that by clipping a lead rope to both of the rein-attachment rings it can become a halter that gives excellent control. That feature also makes it very handy for tying up without using the reins, which we all know should never be done. On our first outing using the Bitless Bridle I attached long reins to it and dressed Dylan in his harness saddle so I could feed the reins through the terrets. Off we went on a 1.5 km trek, with Sebastian in tow to keep us company. Since the bridle operates on the principle of pushing (like the leg aids when you're riding), rather than pulling, Dylan was slightly confused about which way to turn the first few times I asked him to. He knows "Come left" and "Come right", but since he's accustomed to me pulling on the rein and feeling the tug in that direction with a conventional bridle or a halter, the push from the opposite side instead made him stop instead of turn. One time he actually turned in the wrong direction, but at the same time gave me THAT LOOK that said I was doing something wrong. By the time we had gone about a fourth of the distance, however, he had easily worked out what was expected, and from then on responded as if he's been wearing the Bitless Bridle all his life. One time, as I strolled along behind him, he reckoned he had me lulled to the extent that he could make a dive for one of his favourite treat-to-eat-weeds that was growing right beside the track. Fortunately I woke up just in time to give a very sharp pull on both reins, which stopped him very well. I know from experience that it would have been harder to stop him even with a bit, which makes the Bitless Bridle interesting indeed, as it exerts pressure but no pain. Most of you know that most of the time I have used just a halter or nose band on Dylan, even when he is pulling loads for me, but I had wondered when he took delivery of his new Kevin-built Kart how much control I'd have if I really needed it, say for instance going down one of our incredibly steep hills. I think the Bitless Bridle will give me a bit more confidence that I can stop him if he decides to get home the fast way, although it's not in his nature to take advantage of me. Sue Harris |
">
">
">
">
DYLAN: BITLESS AND GOING PLACES Dylan has taken to his Bitless Bridle to the point where I have to lock the tack cupboard to keep it safe. One morning I found the door ajar and the ONE thing missing was his BB. He had managed to extricate it from the cupboard, but fortunately when he found he couldn't manage to put it on by himself he lost interest. I was afraid to look at it for fear of irreparable damage. Performance-wise, Dylan doesn't put a foot wrong when he's wearing his BB. He turns with a very light touch on the reins and stops when I want him to. When we hitched him up to his Kevin Kart for the first time and went for a little test drive. I had no qualms about being able to handle him using the BB. He holds his head up beautifully but shows no signs of stress with pressure on the reins. He likes his cart, is getting fitter and enjoys each outing. Sebastian goes too, wearing his BB with a side rein clipped to the crossover rings. - Sue Harris |
Donkey Society Report DYLAN GOES BITLESS |
Dylan's trial run |
