Bitless Driving (please be gentle)

[hitchinmygetalong]

@Auventera Two;4352909

Last time I checked, anyone was free to post anywhere on the board they so choose. :lol:

And the last time I checked, it was quite rude to call a person an ass.

[quote=Auventera Two;4352909]I did not tell anyone to go out and drive their horse bitless. All I said, is that BITS DON’T STOP HORSES. If you think they do, then its just a matter of time before you get in a wreck. TRAINING stops horses, whether they’re bitted or not.
[/quote]

Yes, a correctly trained horse should stop when asked. But what about a bolter - I mean a true runaway, which we all have conceded can happen even with the best of horses? How would you stop a runaway in harness, and how do you feel a bit may or may not be advantageous?

[quote=Auventera Two;4352909]A specific few have told the OP to not even CONSIDER driving said pony bitless because it’s an accident waiting to happen. So yes Thomas, this does have something to do with driving bitless, and leverage nose bands and stopping runaways.
[/quote]

See above bolded question.

[quote=Auventera Two;4352909]And I certainly was not the only one on this thread to make that point.
[/quote]

Alas, you were the first to resort to name-calling, which lessens the legitimacy of your argument in my mind.

[Thomas_1]

^
You were indeed the only one to make that point.

You were also the only one that posted about what happens with riding horses when they run away.

Of course you can post whereever the heck you want and about whatever the heck you want.

You can go off topic and post nonsense and display your ignorance for all to see if you wish.

You can post advice about riding endurance even though you don’t actually compete and you can post advice about driving even though you don’t do that either.

But don’t expect to go unchallenged when you post hogwash.

NJR rightly and properly suggested you were spouting off and expressing opinion that could be dangerous.

I’ll just do my little bit to ensure that those reading understand that when you suggest that driving bitless might be pretty much seen at shows that it’s baloney and that your minimal experience with your trail horse is irrelevent.

[blue_phlox_farm]

Now I shall add my two cents. It’s been quite a while since the OP has inquired about bitless driving. I’m wondering what she actually ended up doing. I would really like to hear. I think it was great that she was trying all avenues with her little mini. Maybe she has found a better job for her.
I’ve had a lovely mini that is only a pasture mate for the bigger (12.2) boys for 21 years. He’s gray in the face now but knowing how strong he is and how much I like “brakes” there is no way I would drive him bitless. Years ago I had my very welled trained (successfully shown as a pony hunter and as a driving pony & who really knew the meaning of whoa! and STAND!) decide to save himself from the small group of young holstein heifers that ran up to the road fence to see us trot by. Our trotting changed to a fast shy and a gallop in less than a second. I had drainage swales on each side of the road and no where to turn so I gained real respect for those “brakes” in the first slot down on my liverpool. The little bugger thankfully galloped straight and with pull/release on the bit I got him back to a “spectacular” road trot in mere seconds. My heart was in my throat, my hands ached, my stomach was doing flips but I was alive, uninjured, to feel it all. No training in the world saved me. My trusty liverpool did the job!

[HappyTalk]

Wow, I had no idea my topic had a resurrection!!!
The mini has not been hitched yet as I had to have some pretty serious surgery earlier this year. I found an Amish made copy of a Dr Cook type cavesson on e-bay so I do have some turning capability. I did ground drive her pretty extensively pre-surgery and she is pretty consistent on her voice commands. She is a fearless little beast and she really seems to enjoy the attention and the job. This will also freak out some posters as I have to drive her open-bridle as her forehead requires a HORSE size brow band. Her driving bridle is an amalgamation of mini and regular horse size parts to accommodate some head deformity. An earlier post details why she cannot be fitted with a bit.

LostFarmer does not have to worry. The little miss is only going to be driven on my property in an enclosed area.

[blue_phlox_farm]

Hey Happy Talk, I’m glad you didn’t have to give up on your mini. I hope you recover well and soon feel up to giving that Dr. Cook cavesson a try. Let us know what the outcome is. (you have an following here!)

[Nojacketrequired]

Sorry to hear of your setbacks, but glad things seem to be turning around for you.

NJR

[HappyTalk]

I know it has been a long time since I posted about this. It took us a long time to find a cart to fit her. Most carts had the shafts too narrow to accommodate her rather bulging sides. We finally found one from a seller out in California and had it shipped here.

The little mini is driving bitless and is doing very well. My husband and I drive her in our dressage ring and around our FENCED pasture. Her ground work was very solid. She has a good 'whoa" and she knows gee and haw. We have been upping the ante and making it interesting by setting up some cones courses.

She was a good candidate for this experiment. She is absolutely fearless and is very willing. I still would rather drive with a bit, but in this case it was just not possible. I cannot post pictures but would send some via e-mail if people are interested.

[Drive_NJ]

Happytalk
Im so glad this worked out for you and your mini

While Im not a fan of bitless, Ive now got a couple of friends who have horses that cannot use a bit for various reasons - broken tooth, and other issues

If you work at it and train for it, seems like a viable solution to keep the horse working

good for you and your horse