​Bit vs Bitless For The Gaited Horse

​Bit vs Bitless For The Gaited Horse
By Gaye DeRusso
 
If your horse is well gaited, well trained, and calm, you can just about ride that horse in anything including just its halter and lead, but don't forget the rider must also be well trained. 
 
But getting a horse that is not well trained or well gaited to gait and have control of it, can be a challenge. Many people do not understand that a bit helps communicate to your horse in a more sensitive way then the bitless options. So, if your trying to lift your horse's shoulders or to raise or lower the horse's head or to do a shoulder in to help get your horse's gait, it can be easier to do with a bit. But once your horse understands, then you can convert to a bitless option. Using a bit to start just might help you get there faster. 
 
There are many options with bits, and you can watch my video on bits which helps explain what each one does. Many times, I get asked what is the best bit for the gaited horse? The best answer is the one that you can communicate best with, gives you good control if issues come up and that your horse is comfortable in.
 
With a light hand you can ride in a snaffle or in a shank bit and your horse will be comfortable, but with a heavy hand if you ride in a snaffle or a shank, your horse can be very uncomfortable. Even with a bitless option a heavy hand can still make the horse very uncomfortable because all the pressure is going on the horse's nose. 
 
Signs your horse does not like the bit your using or you’re not using your hands correctly:
 
Throws head when you try to put on the bridle
Throws head when you apply pressure to bit when riding
Jerks on bit
Hangs tongue out of the mouth
Puts tongue over the bit
Opens mouth when you apply pressure
Runs through the bit
Does not stop well with the bit
 
Now some of these signs are because your horse was never taught to accept the bit, but if you have gone back and restarted your horse with a snaffle and made sure it understood how to do lateral flexion and vertical flexion (give to the bit), one rein stops and taught it to bend and stop well and backup and the horse still showed the above signs then it not comfortable. If you then, have tried several options of bits from snaffles to shanks and still the horse is acting up, then trying bitless is a good option. Some of the gaited horses, just do not like the snaffle. Some have a lower palate, and it seems to annoy them, so I always try a shank with a port that gives more tongue relief before deciding the horse really does not like bits. 
 
Also, if you’re not the best rider, it is good to have a better rider, ride the horse and see if it acts the same. If it is completely comfortable with that rider and bit, then it is you that is the problem. You are not using your hands correctly and while you learn, you may need to use a bitless option to be kind to your horse. 
 
Now there are options with bitless as well, you have the hackamore, bosal, side pull and the bitless which crosses under the horse’s cheek and through two loops -one over the poll and one over the nose. 
 
The hackamore and bosal work off nose pressure and can still be harsh in the wrong hands. They also must be adjusted correctly to avoid hurting the cartilage area in the horse’s nose. The bosal applies pressure to the nose and facial muscles and is best for neck reining, it also is hard material, so if you horse shakes its head a lot with gaiting, this might also cause discomfort by repetitively hitting it in the nose. 
 
The hackamore applies pressure to the pole, nose and chin and is used with 2 hands. It usually has leverage and needs to have the rider be educated how to use it. It can push on sensitive areas of the horse’s head and cause pain if not used correctly. It can also cut off air passage to the horse if reins are too tight and using constant pressure. 
 
With both of these options you want to apply pressure and release and not hold constant pressure on the horse's nose. Also make sure you adjust them correctly to fit the horse. Just go on YouTube and there are lots of videos that show how to adjust them.
 
The bitless bridle applies pressure at the pole and nose and if the leather crosses under the cheeks, it applies pressure almost like a hug to the horse’s head. If it just comes through the nose piece, then pressure is just across the nose. So, you have to play around and see which bitless option your horse does best in and gives you control, especially if the horse spooks or starts to act up. 
 
Many gaited horses have been handled harshly. They are not started well and never taught with kind hands and they go very quickly from a snaffle to a shank to get results, but the horse never understands what exactly the bit means. Since the horses don't understand to back off from the bit, many gaited people are then taught to drive the horse forward into the bit and then pull constantly to get the horse to gait. So, the horse learns just to pull on the bit and go forward, it does not understand to back off from the bit, that's why it has no idea to slow down, when you pull or half halt on the rein. It is not the horse's fault.
 
Retraining these types of horses takes time and patience and still many will not like a bit. The bitless bridles can do wonders in these horses and releases much of their anxiety over the bit. So sometimes a horse that will run through a bit and be very forward, will be calm in a bitless bridle. 
 
The best thing to do is to try different options with your horse and see what they respond best to. It takes time for the horse to understand the new equipment and how it works, so give them time. Try a new bit or hackamore or bosal or bitless for a couple of weeks, if they are getting better, stick with it a couple more weeks. If they are doing well, then use that equipment. If they are not doing well change the equipment. 
 
I have had runaways do great in bitless bridles and I have horses that also just leaned on bitless bridles. So, it just depends on the horse and what works for that individual horse. Recently I had a horse that opened its mouth with the bit, I tried lots of different bits and he did it with all of them. I used a noseband to show him to keep his mouth shut but he still pulled against the nose band, I switched to a bitless and it only took a couple days and then he was gaiting well, very responsive and I had good control. So goodbye bit.
 
So, remember it’s not just the bit or the hackamore or bosal or bitless. It’s what works for your horse and what works for you. Any equipment can be harsh, and any equipment can be gentle in the right hands. If your horse is not gaiting well and your using bitless, try switching to a bit even if you do it just for a month till the horse understands the cue better and then you can try switching back. But to say all horses should have a bit or all horses should be bitless is not understanding that some do go better with a bit and others go better without it. Listen to your horse and they will tell you what works for them.