RIDING MY HORSE BITLESS (big mistake?)

[@CarmellaAbel]

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[@rustyspence5086]

I got a 'free to good home' horse. He was gorgeous. Unfortunately, he had two paces - walk and flat out gallop. This ALWAYS culminated in me being thrown during the gallop. My husband (who didnt know anything about horses till I taught him) suggested a bitless bridle. I tried one and was VERY apprehensive! Within 50yards he went from pulling, prancing and chewing onthe the bit with his head in the clouds to being totally relaxed and very controllable. That day was the first day in 2 and a half years that I got a wonderful trot then controlled comfortable canter. He was amazing! And it was a virtually instantaneous change. Prior to the bitless I had completely lost all confidence on him and always needed my husband to lead me. Not after the change.

[@CarmellaAbel]

That’s amazing! I’m glad it worked out 😁

[@ErinMartijn]

With a reaction that extreme to a bit it makes me wonder if he had lower wolf teeth (possibly a loose one that was sharply painful when touched by the bit) that were getting clanged due to them not being removed when he was younger. I’ve had four horses and all felt noticeably more relaxed in the bitless bridle. No more fussing with their mouth and lips either.

[@theequestriandreamer2020]

Bitless Is Incredible! I love it! I rode my mare bittless today and it went so well! She usually throws her head when I turn or stop her but when I rode her bitless she didn't throw her head once! Seriously considering changing to doing bitless for all our rides!

[@auntieliz930]

Seeing you be more confident shows him being more confident. It’s a trust circle of sorts. Great job you two!!!

[@RockieC1]

I think Tucker could get used to bittless bridle! Very cool that you’re experimenting!

[@Sarah-hh2tt]

What farm is that at I also live in va

[@MarcoNotPolo]

For one rein, that was amazing, haha, Tucker's done this before, haha Just a suggestion for two reins, tie the end of the lead rope to the halter, either under or to the side as to form a loop, ✌️ Good boy Tucker, he was amazing 😊

[@CarmellaAbel]

The last time I rode him like this was a few years ago out on a trail. He got spooked and took off through the woods. Be both got scratched up pretty good running into trees and all 😂 But I thought it was time to try again…but in the arena 😂

[@emiliaandtana]

Whenever I ride in halters I always tie the rope underneath so its more similar to reins! You two look amazing and I’m a big fan I really look up to people like you since I’m very very young!

[@StellarumCreative]

A lot of people rely on bits (and reins) too much. To thwart this, my first trainer would literally take her students' reins off during group lessons, not put anyone on lunge lines, and just watch the chaos unfold. We didn't get our reins back until we had it figured out. (Disclaimer: every horse in the arena had been taught to ride bridleless with multiple horses in the arena prior to doing this with students.) I ultimately have ended up switching every one of my horses to bitless. My first horse needed to go bitless to stay in work while recovering from a summer sore on her lip one year, and she did really good in it. Switched back to her bit because she was fine with it but as she got older and had dental problems, I switched her permanently to bitless when she stopped loving her bit. My mom's paint always hated bits, ended up being allergic to metal and the skin contact was making her face and mouth swell with hives. Switched her to bitless and all of her "craziness" under saddle stopped. My new gelding is currently being slowly transitioned to bitless. He has a severely misaligned jaw, his previous owner never removed his wolf teeth because she thought it was unfair/unnatural to do so, but still used a bit on him. I could have his teeth removed, but I'd still be keeping him bitless because of his jaw, so it seems kind of pointless now. Understandably though, he does not like wearing a bit.

[@SeraMoore-o5g]

I like seeing that Tuck is comfortable in almost anything you ride him in, he seemed calm and collected, especially when you first got on him. You should try doing just a neckrein next, it’s super fun, and let’s the horse have more freedom, but also will let you see how well he responds just to let pressure, and not as much with the head. It’s super fun, you should try it!

[@BambiEquestrian]

I agree with these comments! I love how you are so confident with Tucker and Tucker always goes with the flow as in to say he's ready to ride however you want to ride him! Good for you!

[@solveigelisabethhenne1739]

You and Tucker did so well! I don`t own a horse myself, but if I`m able to choose, I go bitless so I don`t cause any pain or discomfort to the horses mouth.

[@AnimaAde]

Same

[@Froby2378]

I love how you realized in lateral movement you were doing something to prevent him from going where you wanted to get to!!! You were aware your hip was closed and as soon as you told yourself “open”, your body did it, and he felt it and was able to complete the task you were asking. Fucking perfect. ❤

[@ladywalker68]

Good video! Like you said, Tucker is a Rock Star. With all of the 'blowing out' he did when you first started riding him, it was like he was saying, "yes...I can get behind this no bit stuff." Well done!

[@ErinMartijn]

A couple years ago I finally tried riding my reliable old senior mare (that I’d had for 20 years) without a bridle. I did keep her halter and a lead rope on as a safety backup but was NOT using it. Although steering definitely wasn’t the best, stopping was no issue. I always make it a top priority to teach my horses voice commands, to ensure they reliably slow down and stop with just voice commands, and always ride much more with my seat than my hands for most cues. Usually I ride in a bitless Dr. Cook bridle although I do also train them to accept snaffle bits. Without any bridle or halter to turn her I found I instinctually started using my palms on the side of her neck to try and direct her away from pulsing pressure, kinda like neck reining with hands. I can see why neck ropes are usually used when riding bridleless since it moves the mouth cues back to a larger surface area around the neck and lets your hands stay in a more usual position. It was a fun experiment. I wouldn’t attempt it outside of a fenced ring though. She’s not a bolter or spooker on trails BUT loves a snack of grass and it’d be tough to get her head back up once she put it down to eat, or to keep her from putting her head down in the first place.😂

[@jutrhgfd]

That’s really long 🤣🤣

[@that_hunter_jumper818]

Y’all have such an amazing bond! Btw can you do more skits?? I love those ❤

[@Western_Witch]

Hi hi! I’ve done bridless with my 23 year old mustang before. But we just had her lead rope around her neck. That might be a fun thing to try out too! Also you could always tie the other end of the rope onto the halter to give yourself that two reined experience! :) It’d be great practice in case something happens out on trail or anywhere else. Love seeing people trying out bit less riding! Glad you guys had a good first time. 😊

[@Emily_equestrian24]

Amazing job!! I actually ride with this type of halter all the time. There is a way to tie it! It pained me watching this bc I was like NOOO YOU CAN TIE IT!!! Loll!😊😊😊😊

[@johnbradley8417]

Love this video. The bond between you and Tucker is great.

[@cow_and_horsey]

You still did really good!

[@CarmellaAbel]

Thank you!

[@AnimaAde]

Glad to see that tucker is still here ❤😊😢

[@thegrannychanny997]

A good way to do this is tie the end of the rope back around to the other side so you have something that can act as reins and go over Tuckers head

[@klairewilde3118]

That was great! You should do more

[@Chey651]

Whenever I ride my older mare I just throw a halter on then vault onto her back and we ride around haha I also do this when I’m to lazy to take my horse to the arena and just want to ride I put the halter on clip the lead rope to the side of the halter then tie the lead through the other side ( I also sometimes use clip on reins if the ride was planned ) then if I’m also to tired to vault onto her back I use an old fallen down tree in the back 😂 I only use bridles and saddles when I’m practicing for a show or just some fun jumping

[@rubymetalcat18]

I remember riding one rein with one of my trainer’s Percheron mares. We did jumping too and it was sooooo much fun! 🥰

[@misslaa6785]

Can we see a teaching Colin to ride video please 😁

[@CarmellaAbel]

Yes! We just have to get a horse that would be big enough for him!

[@diggingmary129]

I use to ride my quarter horse around with just a halter and rope because she use to fight me about putting in the bit, back then i didn’t know about bit less bridles, are rides where more relaxed when i used just the halter ❤ great job 🏆

[@RidingWithHope]

How come you are back at your old barn? Tucker did so good!! I love your videos Carmella!

[@olgadark2436]

Tucker’s so beautuful ❤ 😊

[@CarmellaAbel]

Thank you, and yes I agree 😃 He’s starting to get his Summer coat too, which is the best!

[@gretaterris6169]

Carmella if this is easier for you, you can tie the end of your lead rope to the other side of the halter so you can feel like you’re riding with normal reins.

[@thomaslee8088]

what?!?! 0:19 a little swag :D

[@erynd2524]

That was so fun to watch. Great job!

[@MozeyDnTheTrail]

So many different "aids" but voice is also an "aide." You talk a fair deal to Tucker; I wonder how much he could do with voice alone (or thereabouts) 😊?

[@CarmellaAbel]

That could be a video! I just don’t know if I could shut up for that long 😂

[@MozeyDnTheTrail]

@@CarmellaAbel 😄

[@chackey24]

I love your vids so much and get so excited to see that you posted. Just wondering if you could do a jumping vlog(I know you did some of that in this vid tho but idk)

[@Swiftie-Horsegirl]

You should try riding with no tack sometime

[@fae3725]

Ok I wish I had pics of me do this with my mare but I have similar halter and lead rope and so what I did because the rope was so long I wrapped the rope around her neck loosely of course lol 😅 and started her training for bridless as well and over exaggerated my seat and leg cues but if needed it still had the halter to do one rein stop, hope this helps. 😁👍

[@gagoulec]

I havent been riding bit less for a long time but i will tell you that the horse I ride really enjoys it and so do I. I dont think I'll go back to riding him with the bit wver again.

[@cathyweiss1814]

Loved it ❤

[@Cocomha]

Hi! I am doing western right now and I would like to try english one day but I am scared of the saddle because I almost fell a lot of time and I got the knob to catch up and not fall but the english saddle don't have a knob and it stress me out... Any tips to calm me down?? (Sorry for my english... It's not my first language...)

[@Wackyponies]

To*

[@ariellewilson730]

The biggest tip is to practice your balance when in the English saddle. However, if you are able to balance well in the Western saddle, it's not too much of a difference in the English one. If you're still doing Western, try not to rely on the saddle horn, try to use the reins to help you balance more. And don't worry about your English language. 😊

[@auntieliz930]

I love my Pivo! I also used your discount code. I’m super happy I decided to buy it.

[@iamacouchpotato11]

8-year old "horse experts": You should switch to a bitless bridle! And if you don't, I'm a better rider than you are! Their horse: Shetland pony

[@WebsterFarm]

All my horses can ride in a halter. And every horse I have started before I ever thought about riding with a bit they were trained to ride perfectly and safely in a halter. 💕 If you can lead them on the ground in a halter why not ride in a halter?

[@CarmellaAbel]

Amen, I agree 🙌

[@WebsterFarm]

@@CarmellaAbelyou did amazingly and a rope halter is actually GREAT for riding!! ❤️

[@M4PL3-zr7jd]

Riding bitless is never a bad idea. Bits are so unnecessary, and can cause harm to a horses mouth. I do appreciate that you are trying bitless though.

[@maryoneill6495]

I like to ride my horse just with her halter on. I attach the reins and off we go. I think she likes it better. But then again, she’s very responsive to the seat and legs.

[@biaV1997]

You tie it to make a rein... But there's some ppl that say if you learn one first you get super soft on both

[@TheLouisaLennon]

I notice that you are only riding on the left reign. Even if you were only using a lead, perhaps switching the lead every now and then would be good so you work evenly on both sides?

[@LaffOutLoud1]

What kind of riding boots do you wear??

[@MB_Rodeo]

Maybe try to tie the rope to the other side of the halter so you have reins so you don’t make it hard for yourself or fall of

[@lesliejacobs3002]

I practice my Spanish..with my horse..espera…..wait …..is a good one.

[@Elysiumexplorer]

Love it 😍

[@KaydenHoffman-o1h]

I have a question how much does a horse cost a year a month and a week (not counting emergency vet bills)

[@WebsterFarm]

For me just hay and feed is $150 per horse! Quality hay and feed is a must! 💕🐴

[@CarmellaAbel]

It all depends on where you’re located and whether on not you’re able to keep your horse at home, the needs of your horse, etc. right now with two relatively low maintenance horses at home, I spend about $200 a month. When I boarded just one horse, it was around $350, and that is on the low side.

[@KaydenHoffman-o1h]

Ok thank you

[@aagne07]

You did amazing!

[@CarmellaAbel]

Thank you!

[@crystalbeetham-bs1tl]

On. A. But less. Bridle. The. Lead. Rope. Needs. To. Be. Tyed. To. Both. Sides. Of. The. Halter.

[@MiraRack-ug5sf]

What was the big mistake😂

[@Sarah-hh2tt]

What farm is that i also live in Va

[@aqha.oliver]

😂❤

[@sarawilmot1312]

Cuold'nt you use a leather or nylon halter and then tie both ends of the rope in the little rings.

[@Saria_89]

Imagine how good it would've been with an actual bitless bridle and reins! Bitless for the win!

[@elliebeeme9134]

#rideforhannah

[@camillamalmquist141]

what was the *big mistake* here

[@stridewayYT]

You are suck a pretty rider even when you don’t have reins

[@CarmellaAbel]

Thank you!

[@Deanekels]

Not a fan of bits at ALL.