Riding both bitless and bitted

[thingstodotoday]

Hi

If you ride your horse both bitless and bitted, what activities do you use each option for? Like, do you always hack out bitless, and school bitted? How often do you use both?

 

[Yann]

I ride both my horses bitted and bitless, the divide is pretty much as you suggest, bitted for schooling and bitless in a Dr Cook for hacking, although one also gets hacked bitted as I only have the one bridle between the two of them. The frequency is fairly random, depends on the time of year and lots of other things, doesn't seem to give rise to any issues.

 

[Peaches]

I vary it

I ALWAYS jump bitless - he's just so much nicer that way as will lean onto a bit and become strong jumping. No bit = lovely and soft, so the canter stays light and springy, exactly as you'd want for jumping

Hacking I vary - bitless or bitted. I have access to a school within hacking distance, but it's not on my yard so I'm not using it on a day to day basis. I don't like the idea of only ever hacking in a bitless and then just chucking the bit in when I want to school. He's not as naturally happy in a bit, so doing that would just exacerbate it I think. Mixing it up makes sure he doesn't get too used to one and cheeky about me introducing the other!

I also school *mostly* bitted, but occasionally in bitless too, as it can show up some things that the bit hides - more obvious if your contact is a bit wonky, and because of my horses way of going, it can lighten his front end up too. I just find it a useful training aid