David O'Connor riding bridleless in a parelli show

David O'Connor doing showjumping and dressage exercises, without bridle

[@poniesgirl1]

I absolutely love this. If only all high leveled riders could ride like this.

[@eventingjourney]

Truly amazing... Gives me goosebumps! The O'Connors are showing us a lovely way of riding. When riders are considering resorting to bigger bits and "gadgets" as Jim Wofford calls them, riders should just watch this video. Karen and David are my equestrian idols! Thanks for posting!!!!!!!!!!!

[@rosasinclairemerson]

This is so lovely to see, I don't understand how you can dislike it - the horse is so relaxed and happy and his movement so free!

[@horselover5668]

i have done this many times and i love it. i think that one of the best things you can do to a horse is praise them. ive seen many people work with a great horse and they never once tell them good job or give them a pat on the neck. i saw lots of praise in this video and i really enjoyed it! :)

[@lurleenp]

I watch this every chance I get. Hooray for people sharing ideas to improve communication with animals, regardless of their human to human differences.

[@Bl0ndi33]

wow!! horse and rider both amazing! a lady at my livery yard does parelli, looks like fun! i love the way david goes so nicely with the horses movement

[@SmartAsAggie]

they are sooooo amazing. i love what david said about human vs horse language. i want to do their camp next summer. david and karen are awesome!

[@BlueWaterLillysGirl]

They look so much prettier without their heads jammed vertical to the ground-it just makes their movements flow sooo much smoother

[@LazyL1953]

It proves to me that the seat and legs are most important in communicating to the horse. The bridle is simply a balancing tool to help the horse, if you use it correctly. Weight, seat and legs can do it all -- as David so aptly shows.

[@PrettyLittlePony14]

That is so cool. I love when a rider and a horse can trust each other so much!

[@DeborahAnnHarding]

Me too! Well, they can with enough practice and patience. I never thought any of what I do with my horse would ever be possible, but after starting Parelli with my horse, it has literally changed my life. My horse was super spooky and would just lunge off in random directions and never listens. It's really amazing. :)

[@EquestrianPride16]

Wow. Amazing is all I can say! ROCK ON O'CONNOR DUO!

[@BerrySwingingJumper]

This is pretty amazing. I love the O'connors :D

[@Mdequifever]

The trick to riding like that is most upper level riders use mostly their legs to communicate with their horses. The horse goes off mostly leg pressure, and seat pressure with a bridle, so bridleless isn't that much of a big deal for them. I think this video is great! :)

[@BlueWaterLillysGirl]

lol. you all are correct. however, parelli is simply a pathway that all of us can take, to achieve these results with our horse. It combines the knowledge of not only pat parelli, but tom dorrance and many others, and translates it in a way that we can all achieve our dream that way if we so choose. :)

[@poniesarethebest]

This man is amazing! he must have a really good bond with his horse (: if i tried this on my pony.. well i dont think i'd be here to tell the tale!! haha

[@parellisavvy]

Have you tried it? I am sure David has amazing balance, he doesn't need the string. But he is using the string to help the horse understand what his legs and seat are asking of him.

[@grumpyotter]

Those horses look so happy! (Unlike the horses of some I could name)

[@cytroska]

Wow, amazing!

[@Bolgie136]

WOW!!!! i wish we all horses could be ridden like that its so much nicer and pain free :):)

[@x32bred]

i was taught to ride at a yard, you where expected to be able to ride bareback and without riens (schooling and jumping) and that was over 15yrs ago. my little girl rides now and i encourage her to ride with no saddle and no headcoller...balance and butt and use your body.

[@HBrownHorseTraining]

I dont like parelli much either, but I LOVE the o'conners!!!!

[@denisecookable]

I love this.

[@tillynbella]

I'm working on this with my pony. But just starting with the bridle on, holding the buckle on the reins and using my legs to push him over from one side of the arena to the other. And leg yielding and all that.

[@apollojakenwill]

Good, correct riding can easily achieve this, and it is a good example that you can ride very effectively with your seat.

[@pegasus1747]

linda Tellington Jones does this in her"Joy of Riding"clinics; it is a level of trust and understanding horse and rider develop on the ground first!

[@horseskickbutforever]

wow thats amazing, those horses are really responsive! i used to be able to ride my welsh with nothing, but i got to big for her :( good riders too!

[@tanya2horses]

who would people bag out in the horse world if they didn't have Pat P. to bag out. You know he has done more good for horses and humans than most horseman. Thanks to him he has brought to the world of horseman the media coverage and concept so that more people become aware there is another way out there, free advertising for nat. HS. Note he always give credit to his mentors and never says he is the only one out there teaching it. Bag out stuff when there is actually something wrong with it.

[@TheBigBadBadger]

The "Parelli competition team" recently bragged about winning ribbons at a dressage show. . .though they failed to mention that they only won ribbons in classes where there were only a few riders, and the only first place ribbons were for a class where the Parelli Team member was the ONLY one in the class.

[@Eventer13]

Correct dressage does not jam the head down. And good dressage will make the movement flow more smoothly. I can guarantee that either one of them can produce that exact same movement with a bridle on. Its about engaging the hindquarters and raising the back, not about whether the head is vertical or not.

[@Kayla_irl]

I dont like parelli so much, but i do agree that EVERYONE should be able to work with their horses to the point that they dont depend on devices. :) and i love the o'connors

[@dillwithit]

Wow! The horses noses aren't on their chests! Amazing : )

[@TaylorSpurgeon]

good video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@parellisavvy]

I believe that this is at the Parelli Savvy Conference, but I don't know what year.

[@ninajoey96]

with neck reining ther is still a very slight contact with the bit

[@hidenseeker424]

@hipersonhello The point was that PP was saying that any person of any riding level can do this with any horse. My point was that, no, this program actually DOES have a purpose for a lot of people, including myself. Much of the material helped me understand my horse's reactions better, and therefore deal with them more effectively. And have YOU ever met a young horse of a hot-blooded breed (and a former racehorse) who didn't actu up in a new environment?

[@painthorselover11]

what did they put around the horses neck? a rope? that took awhile prob to learn so if your trying to do it don't get discouraged or anything, that took awhile.

[@hidenseeker424]

@daisyappleby I'm not sure if you understand the idea of Parelli. Parelli, if done correctly, IS based on a bond built from respect. That respect is just built on the horse's level, in a way that the horse can understand. What makes more sense than becoming a horse's leader as if we were alpha horses ourselves? I have implemented the ideas of Parelli--having a relationship with my horse based on communication on his level--and have had wonderful results.

[@elliexena]

i can depend on wht kind of horse u havthere esp efective on dominant horses like mine besides there alot of fun once u get em

[@hannahappiest]

amazing o_o

[@horselover2009]

Yeah the pony i ride does not like the brdle but i have to use it so i just hold on to like the very very end of the reins and he holds his head were ever he wants. and we always do really well

[@krystenhagedorn]

Where is the rest of this video?? Where can I see more???

[@helsd]

That's horse is so cute!!!!

[@horselover2009]

they have a camp what is it called

[@lovemyappycolbalt]

alot of people think if you do NH you can't compete...and this totally proves that wrong!!

[@Britisharcherfan]

Well said. :)

[@hannjenn]

@Stonymypony I've watched the video again, and I'm even more certain that the O'Connors' are communicating with their horses through, among other things, the ropes around their horses' necks. One good place to see this clearly is at the end of the video when Karen O'Connor backs her horse up. She pulls on the rope and releases broadly when she wants him to step forward again. That's not bad, but neither is a bit in good hands.

[@HBrownHorseTraining]

I'd love to see the rest of this clip... :)

[@amityxx780342]

yes parelli isn't the only way to do things and get results but it is a truley effective way when you follow the whole program from the very begginging steps through all the levels. as with anything you have to have a good foundation and build on your basics if somthing is going wrong then one of your basics needs more work. and patting a horse on the neck really doesn't mean a thing but rub them on the neck or itchy spot that does for alot of horses but not all some r more food motavated, etc..

[@duckhollowfarm]

Podhajsky and Klimke and many others often rode their Grand Prix level horses in a simple snaffle to encourage relaxation and forward movement. The full double is to REFINE, to LESSEN the cues. It's for a highly schooled horse ridden by a HIGHLY schooled rider. Unfortunately, it's mandatory for upper level dressage classes. To me, it compares to the western rule demanding a curb on horses over a certain age. Often, a snaffle, bosal, neckrope, or less would be more than adequate.

[@myprophet1]

now that the pros are showing the world this CAN be done, perhaps things will change for the better for all the horses.

[@Kayla_irl]

mmhmm! The o'conners are amazing :)

[@fatcatcook]

They loveed the jumping part. Look how his ears where forward.

[@inwe1205]

@tanya2horses I thougth that was well done, everybody of those big names has something that isn't so positive about them. So I like it when magazines point out both sides. But as I said, that is pretty much the only thing I don't like about him (well, that and the fact he also wear spurs and a "harsh" bit, as I like to call it). He has done a lot to improve the wellbeing of horses and just for that nobody should "bash" him. I do appreciate all he has done.

[@Stonymypony]

@hannjenn I think you have it wrong there. The rope is not for controlling the horse but instead a place for the rider to put their hands. The O'Conners were using there body's to control the horse. I have tried this before and its very hard.

[@parellisavvy]

Sorry, I said that I thought that this was at the Savvy Conference, but then realized it wasn't...not sure where it is.

[@LightWthoutTheStatic]

@jessickah2593 I would not say that. A horse is a horse, and a human is a human. What is tangibly beautiful here is relationship. A well trained animal/companion and a good trainer/owner have created a relationship through a distinct language. The horse never literally teaches a human anything, but humans can learn things about nature and how nature was intended to be by being around such a marvelously made animal and witnessing its capacity to learn.

[@onyxcameo]

@Mira0Sekelsky It is unfortunate that there are riders that use brute force or quick fixes to make the horse appear correct. Classical dressage should not use draw reigns or cruel bits.

[@pegasus1747]

Whre was this? and when?

[@vikidobe]

'Up to the human to understand the horse language'? Parelli? Remember that one? I didn't hear anything about beating up the horse 'til it gives in.

[@ARMwins1st]

i love riding bridle less, but i would never jump my show jumper bridle less lol

[@jawbreaker90210]

Hurry up and get out your handy dandy shoe strings, boys!! hahaha (rofl) I am glad my horse doesn't need the string to ride bridless.

[@FreeRideHorses]

When you neck rein a horse he still knows there is a bit there and you can use it if you need to. You need the same ammount of control to jump as what you do to canter a horse around an arena.

[@miazhorsecrazy]

A savvy string

[@wildwoodskier]

RIP great horse

[@apum218]

awesooooome o___o

[@deltaholding3]

isnt david o connor is a member of electronic arts ??

[@daisyappleby]

@HorsesForeverable dont call me honey? And i have a trusting bond with my horses thanks and i dont need parelli to make that bond. each to their own.

[@Camilley88]

but you can tell the horses arent being neck-reined because the riders arent pulling on one side or the other

[@vikinghunter79]

I used to ride my mare around in nothing more then a halter and lead rope. Guess i was riding bridleless before bridleless was cool.

[@OTTTB]

@deltaholding3 what?

[@WhiteStarWoman]

Yeah Event riders rule!!!!!!!

[@nameofthepen]

AMEN, duckhollow! I quit showing because of that same draconian rule, among other things I disagreed with.

[@jenniehavens2076]

Just enjoy the video....

[@OTTTB]

heheh david's horse remind me of my mare :D

[@thelifeofchrissi]

It's nice to see the content communication between the horse and rider here, but as you can see in the unsuccessful canter pirouette, he is not able to obtain the type of collection, and weight bearing on the back lacks by riding like this. It's still nice to see, and I ride my boy without a bit very often too. However, this has it's limitations as well, and not all horses are ridden with tight draw reins or hurt by bits.

[@jmdnarri]

@windsong427 No, not a lot of leg... correct and precise leg, and you need to teach your horse to be responsive to your leg

[@jeveuxlesoleil]

The rope was for security purposes :)

[@hidenseeker424]

@TreasureOne Quite honestly, I tend to not think much of someone uses the word "retarded" in that way.

[@ButterKeksRock]

such a trust that is sooo cool! * - * That's all Dolomie between Gilgamesh and horse

[@poniesgirl1]

I do Parelli. I love it and it works for me. I know some people don't like Parelli, but there's no way anyone should bash something they've never even tried (trying it one time doesn't count - it's a learning process). I feel like it's the fear of the unknown that causes the idea that anything untraditional is ineffective or abusive.

[@inwe1205]

@tanya2horses I have only one problem with Parelli, him saying his method is the only one. I use my own method and it works fine (not that I have worked with many horses). And I may use some things the same as he does, I don't care. I just don't think he should say his method is the only good one. He said it in a interview and a show; could be interpreted wrong 'cause it was in a horse magazine, still I don't think it was. They pointed the positive things and the negative things out about him.

[@TheBigBadBadger]

Might want to ask the almighty creators of the Cradle Bridle exactly what is so "natural" about it? It's just more junk, but since the Parellis sell it and give it such a comforting name, their Disciples think it's "better" than any other type of tack. Hey, LP. . .wiggle wiggle CLUNK. . .sound familiar?

[@daisyappleby]

If it worked for you thats good but my old pony and i had the most amazing bond, now i have an anglo arab and him and i have alot of trust so im not going to get involved in pareli because i dont need it

[@hidenseeker424]

@hipersonhello Fine, you teach my high-strung Thoroughbred to do this with you in a new environment.

[@hrsegirl]

@heyitsanya Anyone can do this. Dream big!

[@pegasus1747]

shoestring is to help rebalance the horse

[@ShadowBramby]

well its not really cheating in dressage because the horse relys on the riders contact to stay in an outline! In dressage everything counts so to be able to perform dressage without a bridle is pretty incredible!

[@Iris1410]

any horse with any rider? Why the.. h.. then are they using all this brutal and crucial stuff in mouth and other parts of the body?

[@WoodstockLover8]

What you see here is GOOD RIDING. He knows how to ride a horse effectively through his seat and legs. It seriously has nothing to do with Parelli. I've ridden my horse with out bridle and can still walk, trot, canter, halt, & make perfect circles & we have never done parelli since I've had him. It's riding & knowing what you're doing/telling the horse with your body that does this NOT Parelli training. You can jiggle a rope at your horse all day long & you still wouldn't be able to achieve this.

[@hipersonhello]

@hidenseeker424 this horse already new how to do it when he was doing this clinic...and being in a new place shouldn't make your horse forget it's training anyways :P

[@luv4cascy]

O'Conner is a great horseman...Im not into the Parelli videos..they are such Hype..i also rode some of mine bridleless...its all about your seat, balance, and the horse...i laughed when my friend was using the "carrot stick"...it annoyed her horse more then anything...there are many ways of bonding with a horse besides a string on a stick... but love to watch O'Conner ride his good looking horse

[@hipersonhello]

@hidenseeker424 ok im i'm not trying to get in a fight on youtube. i undersatnd the point of the video. i was just saying that anybody could train their horses to do this. i don't see how that could offend anyone,but whatever. i also never said the whole parelli thing was bad. and actually i have met young horses that haven't acted up in new environments. i don't see how this pertains to my original post either. go pick on somebody else when you have some valid points. thanks for wasting my time

[@ARMwins1st]

i dont see how a shoestring can re balence a (at least) 1000 lb horse more than david can with his body..? please explain :)

[@stupidblond428a]

well he doesnt have a bridle, therefor he is bridleless

[@FoxDragon]

Yea, I have a lovely little paint mare that I refuse to show at the upper level in western because I respect her far to much to do the things they say that you have to, to win. A ribbon just isn't worth it to me.

[@stupidblond428a]

he has to have some direction. Especially when jumping 3ft+ oxers.

[@T519]

is that karen and david or david and some one else

[@MysweetAnnabelle53]

aww, reminds me of teddy :(

[@ninajoey96]

no u would be spoiled if he was ur trainer Ian miller is my trainer