What you can do in a Dr. Cook Bitless Bridle?

What can you do in Dr. Cook's Bitless Bridle? Just about anything! This is Cathie Hatrick Anderson and her quarter horse, Ruger, competing in the Versatile Horse and Rider event at the 2010 Equine Affaire in Springfield, Massachusetts. She placed 12th out of 30 competitors, and this on a four-year-old horse! Most of the other horses were twice that age and much more experienced, making her placing that much more impressive. Great job, Cathie and Ruger!

Cathy is a certified Bitless Bridle Instructor based in Upton, MA. Check out her website at www.bobcatfarm.com. For more information on Dr. Cook's Bitless Bridle go to www.bitlessbridle.com

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• dr. cook
• bitless bridle
• bitless
• equestrian
• natural horsemanship
• hackamore
• sidepull
• bosal
• crossunder
• cross-under
• bridle
• horseback riding
• english riding
• dressage
• eventing
• cross country
• cross-country
• show jumping
• western riding
• barrel racing
• rodeo
• Cathie Hatrick Ancerson
• bobcat farms
• nurtural

[jmdnarri]

@Reddogscooter A skull is not a living horse, tongue issues are usually nervous issues, and bits don't just rest on the bars either. I have yet to come across a horse that wouldn't become relaxed in a properly made snaffle, with a few weeks of training, after bing told by the owners "this horse HATES bits" when they couldn't get their horses to settle into work in all the gizmos and bitless bridles they spent hundreds of dollars on. Good training comes from good riders not equipment.

[Reddogscooter]

Ruger and I moved up to place 11th in this years versatile horse and rider contest.

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Equine Affaire 2011 - Springfield, MA - Cathie Hatrick-Anderson

I am very proud of him!

[Reddogscooter]

@jmdnarri I just spent 4 days at Equine Affaire with two horse skulls. People placed their finger on the knife edge bars of the mandible, I gently pressed a mild straight bar bit on their finger (tougher than a "fleshy" horse tongue,) which does NOT absorb pressure if it did horses would not desire to get their tongue out from under the bit to go over it, they would NOT desire to hang it out to the side. The pressure from Dr Cooks bitless bridle is not just nose, it's cheek, chin, and poll.

[jmdnarri]

@Reddogscooter Did you ever consider that your horses nose is nothing but thin skin over hard bone? He/she has no fleshy padding or moveable muscle, such as the tongue, to absorb the pressure you exert with your hands. When asking for a response, each horse is going to respond at a different stimulation level. Do you really think that by moving the pressures from the mouth to the nose your horse is MAGICALLY responding to less stimulation?

[jmdnarri]

@Reddogscooter I couldn't agree with you more, a horse tossing its head, is resistance to what is being asked of the horse. A good trainer will work through these issues instead of blaming the equipment. My problem is all these people being convinced to throw their money away on expensive equipment like the bitless bridles when the problem won't be solved by changing tack.

[Reddogscooter]

@jmdnarri I check your channel to see YOUR horse videos and found none, but please feel free to check my channel for all my other videos, I shoot off of the back of my horse and he never tosses his head, but I do appreciate your input. I am aware when he does fight the pressure of the bridle and work to get him soft. Him tossing his head lets me know I have work to do, he is not up to what I am asking him etc. At least I KNOW he is not tossing because I am hurting him inside his mouth w/ metal.

[Reddogscooter]

@jmdnarri  My horse was tossing his head because he wanted to leave the venue, not because he was bitted or bitless Horses can object to loading on a trailer by rearing, pulling back, and they have no bit, horses on a halter can buck and rear and charge when in a halter these examples are NOT bit related but attitude related. Horses ARE allowed to have opinions when face with walking into a hallway and getting blasted with lights and a few thousand people clapping.

[jmdnarri]

Funny, you hear all these bitless bridle fans raving about how horses toss their heads with bits, but not with the bitless rigs, I see this horse tossing its head the same as horses with bits do. Sorry People ITS THE RIDER, NOT THE EQUIPMENT!!!

[sazzlepops]

Wow, that looks really skilled stuff! Kinda similar to handy pony/ handy horse classes in the UK, or the Obstacle part of Trec. Would love to have a go at a class like that. x

[Reddogscooter]

So much fun, Ruger who was sleeping BEFORE the noise erupted from a few thousand people spooking him right before we went in, notice the nervous head shaking, and two poops! but he really held it together. At home he backs up beautifully head low, no fighting the bridle, but add the crowd, the urgency of his rider to complete the course in under 6 minutes or a no time, this little guy held it together. If I had to use a bit I would have never asked him to do this. Great job Ruger !