Here; https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/fei-frangible-device-flag-rule-eventing-changes-proposed-691452
The banning of bitless bridles in XC is not clear. Do they mean the specific âbitless bridlesâ or do they mean bridles without a bitâi.e hackmores.
The language about bitless isnât changing except for banning for XC. The current language already states that hackamores are not allowed. (539.3.2âŠâFor Cross Country, hackamores without bits are not allowedâ.)
The bitless bridle proposal was initiated by the Australian NF as they feel that all bitless bridles limit control on XC, hence they requested they be forbidden.
Ah. Thatâs a new rule this year.
Note the confusion that comes so easily from the attempt of the rule to cover a broad range of opinions attempting to influence the rules.
Your statement âThe current language already states that hackamores are not allowed.â But your quote of the rule does not say that at all.
â⊠hackamores without bits are not allowed.â The rule is not forbidding hackamores, itâs saying that there has to be a bit as well.
I strongly suspect that some of those complicated rigs we see on horsesâs heads on XC, with leverage pieces connected to nose pieces, all strangely connected to the rest, are really attempts to be able to use just the hackamore without the bit, even though the bit is included in the rig. However it is put together, it may work kind of like a pelham or a double, with the hackamore standing in for the curb rein. Just a guess as I havenât figured out how some of them are supposed to work.
That is a very good point. Many people donât use the term âbitless bridleâ to include hackamores. To them, a true bitless bridle is has a different control point on the head than does the hackamore, and works very differently.
bitless bridle
https://www.sstack.com/dr-cooks-betaâŠridle/p/38459/
hackamore
https://equizoneonline.com/products/hackamore-bridle#
traditional bosal (reins are connected under the head, not on either side of the head)
https://www.dmtack.com/products/hv30-38âł-double-rope-hackamore/
Although in the U.S., no-bit is traditionally connected with western riding, there is a growing population of âenglishâ riders who are interested in it.
If the FEI meant âbridles with no bit attachedâ, that would cover all bases and create less confusion and misunderstandings on the day, when the bridle is questioned. I doubt anyone is showing up to ride XC in a bosal, but a hackamore is definitely something that might be seen.
This makes me a bit worried. Arenât we supposedly doing whats best for the horse? We teammates, not a system of trying to create dominance?
I donât think it has anything to do with dominance. Itâs just physics and biomechanics. Regardless of how well trained your horse is, if they get spooked or something and bolt out in a field and canât bring their minds in the focus on you, you are going to have a hell of lot harder time getting them under control in a bitless than with a bit, you can at least get their attention a bit better with a bit. Safety of both horse and rider is way more important.
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All good points. There are definitely a lot of ârigsâ that include hackamores and bitsâI seem them more and more in FEI jumping. I should have been more clear that I was specifically responding to the person who asked whether hackamores fall under the âbitless bridleâ category, so I assumed it was clear that I meant a hackamore without a bit. I donât know how long the hackamore without a bit language has been in the rules, but I wouldnât be surprised if they were intending to indicate that a bridle with a bit must be used on XC. Otherwise it doesnât really make sense to specify that a hackamore without a bit is not allowed. None of the horses I ride right now would be safe without a bit (nor are they on track for FEI :lol:), so I wonât hurt myself thinking too hard about this one.
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There are some really freaking sharp hackamores on the market though. Obviously not all bitless bridles are going to be super severe, but something like this, or this? There are a lot of, shall we say, âingeniousâ bitless products on the market that IMO would inflict way more discomfort on an animal than a smooth snaffle or a pelham would.
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The rule as currently written;
539.3 Cross Country and Jumping Tests
539.3.1 Permitted
The type of saddlery is optional. Gags or âbitless bridlesâ are allowed as are unrestricted running martingales or Irish martingales. Reins must be attached to the bit(s) or directly to the bridle. The stirrup iron and stirrup leathers must hang free from the bar of the saddle and outside of the flap.
539.3.2 Forbidden
Any form of blinkers, side, running or balancing reins; tongue straps and/or tying down the Horseâs tongue; any other restrictions, any bit or other item of saddlery likely to wound a Horse. Sheepskin (or other material) may not be used as addition on cheek pieces of the bridle.
For Cross Country, any device which does not allow an immediate and unrestricted separation of the Athleteâs boot from the stirrup in case of a fall is forbidden.
Neck straps, if used on Cross Country, must be attached either to the breastplate or to the saddle.
For Cross Country, hackamores without bits are not allowed and the lower cheek (lever arm) may not exceed 10 cm on any bit.
So I can ride in a bitless bridle in XC and in SJ. I assumed they mean this:
https://www.sstack.com/dr-cooks-betaâŠridle/p/38459/
The reference to reins being attached directly to the bridle indicates this design, as opposed to a levered hackmore where the reins are attached to the lever.
I can also ride both jumping phases in a hackamore, but in XC it has to have a bit as well. I assume that by âhackamoreâ, they mean a levered version like this:
https://equizoneonline.com/products/hackamore-bridle
and they want a bit with that.
It reads as if a bitless hackamore is ok in SJ.
Is that the intent?
Why are they permitting a bitless bridle in both jumping phases, but insisting that a levered hackamore have a bit? The bitless bridle is much milder in control than a hackamore with a lever.
Because common usage of these terms can vary from place to place, I think they need diagrams (do they have diagrams? Iâm not an FEI member). As they do with the types of allowed bits.
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What about the rule about being seen by the vet delegate if eliminated? Is that totally new?
Yeah that all confused me even more :lol:
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