Are bridles without bits for you? for your horse?
New information and studies will help you decide; articles by theHorse.com:
Bitless Bridles Touted as Safer Alternative for Horses
Jessica Jahiel: "Beginner riders often use the reins for balance..." observes Jahiel. "All of this is painful for the horses because by jerking, pulling, and water-skiing on the reins, the riders are putting strong and erratic pressure on the bit."
"Horses in bitless bridles don't have to hesitate for that initial moment of evaluation, 'Is this going to hurt me?' " she says. Quicker response times can be had without a bit.
If a *horseman* is riding a horse, more than likely, he has little use for the reins, communicating with the horse through his body and natural aids. Cook believes that a supposedly simple snaffle in the uneducated hands can be an instrument of torture for the horse.
I ride my Icelandic Horse bitless, and throughout the world, there is a growing number of other Icelandic Horse owners following suit, turning away from the icelandic-style riding and training, in lieu of the more natural ways, which are considerate of the horse.
2 comments:
Stop complaining about the icelandic people ALL the time! They had the horses WAY before you did, they're the horsepeople. Almost everybody in Iceland knows how to ride or have a horse.. They have over 800 years of training riding the icelandic horse, which is the only horse they have there.
YOU do not know better than them what is best for the horse. You probably don't like to hear it, but it's the truth.
Synna, just because something has been done for years and years, does not make it right.
People have to be open to new ways, to new science, to new understanding of biology and biomechanics.
To stay stuck in "history" is not good; we must progress in life.
Perhaps having only one horse and being isolated for many years has hindered the horsemanship growth in Iceland.
But things are changing... slowly... for the horse... for the better.
I'm glad to see it; and glad to be a part of the growth for the betterment of the Icelandic Horses.
Have you seen the Cavallo article:
Cavallo Article
and here's a good article:
Primitive Riding
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