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The Great Nurtural Bitless Experiment: The 'Hot' Horse

Pictures and video to come.

Lady came to me as a hot 13 year old off-the-track Thoroughbred with a history of anxiety under saddle. She pranced throughout entire rides, and would not stand still- when asked, she would ‘stumble’ to the ground, eventually leading to several broken bones through previous riders as they fell under her. That was 3 years ago.

For 3 years she sat as a pasture ornament, too hot to risk safety. Years before that, she served as a broodmare to produce racehorses. In the early summer of 2009, she was given to me. I knew upon seeing her that this was an otherwise athletic horse, one with great potential. I also knew there was a bitless experiment going on at Cinch. So came, perhaps, one of the biggest breakthroughs in Lady’s under-saddle career.

I had already been introduced to the Nurtural bitless bridle riding one of the other test horses, and had had positive results. Though my previous beliefs would have otherwise told me to stick a bit in her mouth on her first ride in 3 years, I went with my gut and fitted the bitless to her. I have never regretted that move…

I quietly hopped on, expecting to be jigged, or perhaps even bolted upon- nothing. As we walked, she began to prance. A soft, quick brace on the reins was all that she needed to settle down. She walked out freely. As she worked through her paces, she would use her underline, and begin to prance. A soft whoa on the reins, and her demeanor changed to the beneficial. I was ecstatic!

Hoping this wasn’t just a fluke, I continued to work in the Nurtural bitless bridle. There was much to work on. Her turns were unbalanced and she expected to be asked to run every time up. As each session progressed, she gradually became softer. She became more balanced. She began to tune in to the rider.

Seeing how she was beginning to excel under saddle, I decided to introduce a bit- a simple French link snaffle. She tensed. She turned her head into the air. She pranced. She bolted. She was more apt to spook.

Her teeth have been checked, chiropractic and veterinary checks done. She passed all the tests. Something about the bit yielded her uncooperative and anxious. Perhaps she was expecting to be off to track again; perhaps she had associated the bit with discomfort. Whatever it was, the bit was not the answer.

I tried several more times, changing bit styles to no avail. Giving up for now, I decided bitless was the best route.

…It has been a mere 3 months that I have owned this mare. Her training has improved tenfold. She now jumps more confidently, is incredibly responsive, and will even begin to bring herself into an outline after a while.

She is still ‘hot’, but it is manageable and a positive attribute rather than a negative with the bitless. I can rate her and bring her back from a dead gallop much faster than can be attached when a bit is in her mouth (generally, it was almost impossible to bring her back in a bit except by circling).

I am happy to report after her short return to work, she is now calm enough to move completely off seat and legs, and will stop without any rein should you ask her. All this is thanks to a tool which I shunned just a year ago.

Some days I am surprised that I did try bitless on my hot horse. It is something most people would never fathom doing. This single horse alone has shown me that horse people really do need to keep their minds open. Had I not been willing to change my way of thinking, chances are Lady would never have been able to be ridden again.

Perhaps we are “never afraid of what we know” (Anna Sewell), but maybe we need to bridge past the stereotypes and misconceptions. Bitless isn’t just for dead-broke, calm horses, but it can be used on virtually anyone. All you need is an open mind, and a willing attitude.

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