Going Bitless – Day 11 Of Being A Better Rider
Well it’s another day in our being a better rider challenge and today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on going bitless.
About a month ago I had posted about my thoughts on bitless bridles. This is something I had given some very serious thought to, because Ethan just doesn’t like the bit. I can’t blame him. I don’t think I would like it very much if I had to walk around with a big hunk of metal in my mouth either.
At first I wasn’t too sure how it would go, or if my horses would do well with it. And the answer to both is a resounding yes!
I got the Micklem Multibridle. It can be used as a halter, a bitted bridle, or a bitless bridle. I have primarily used it as a bitless bridle. I tried it on Frisby first with the bit attachment. He did ok, but he was still walking around with his head as low as could be trying to escape the bit.
Then I put it on Ethan, and he seemed to love it from the get go. On Ethan I used it bitless. At first I was a little afraid, not quite sure what he would do. But he handled it beautifully too!
Micklem Multi-Bridle
The bridle does not fit like a traditional bridle. The cheek pieces set lower on the sides of the horse’s face. It keeps the headpiece from pressing on any sensitive nerves of the horses’ face. The crown is very well padded, as is the noseband. And the throat latch also lays lower too.
All of the buckles have rollers, making adjusting the bridle for fit very easy. And if you are wanting to try bitless, it has another leather attachment that you attach to the lower portion of the noseband. It is easy to attach. But if you want to remove it for adding a bit, you have to remove the reins too. That makes one extra step, but I have been keeping my reins attached since I have only been using this as a bitless bridle between my 2 horses.
The Verdict
Overall I am really impressed with the quality of this bridle. And I am even more impressed at how happy my horse’s seem to be in it. There is no more head tossing. No mouths open wide. And my favorite, no more giraffe necking from Frisby trying to escape the bit!
The bridle was not cheap. However, by not needing 10 other bridles, I think I am ok to downsize my bit and bridle collection. I will be keeping a few bridles, and my gentle bits because I may want to use a bit if we start doing some jumping, or showing. I just don’t know yet.
But I do know I love this bridle, and wish I would have tried it a lot sooner. I am sure my horses are thinking the same thing!
So that was my day 11 of our being a better rider challenge. If you have ever thought about going bitless, the Micklem multi bridle is a great option, in my opinion. And I thought it would be a fun time to do something different with my horses, especially during this challenge. After riding both of my horses bitless now for about a month I have seen an improvement just from removing the bit from their mouths. And I really don’t think I will go back to a bit because I love the change bitless has made on my horses.
Now my opinion may change if we ever do go to a show. Unfortunately the world of horse shows isn’t keen on bitless bridles. It’s kind of sad in my opinion. Or, I just may never go to a show outside of my home that doesn’t allow bitless bridles because my horses comfort is worth way more to me than a ribbon.
