What works best bits or bitless

2 different scientific studies suggests that bitless is both better and worse than riding with a bit. How do we know what works best for our horse and make sure he or she is comfortable with the tack we use?

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Keep on what you do, I like your dedication

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Hi I am new to your channel. Just want to say - I love it and have subscribed!!! I agree with you in everything -have seen more videos too :) For me I use both bit/, bitless but usually I will (for example now) use a lead rope (bandmúll/snúrumúll) and ride in the horse then introduce the bit later. I will ride all over the area of course beginning in a closed area first, but get the horse used to the environment with a simple lead rope and rope halter, or reins on the lead rope. Then have the teeth checked and fixed. I am in Reykjavik. My favorite bit to start a young horse with bit (right now at least) is peewee. That or the one you had there that has this: Þ its great because the horses take time to learn to stear properly. In fact I find it easier to steer with only halter. There is not much contact on the reins at all with peewee and I use a leading turn aid with no pressure on the outer rein. Until when I start to collect the horse then I change to normal bit. Right now I have not done any real collecting work on my horse but he is starting to collect himself anyway and is tölting quite well . I took him in 3,5 months ago he had almost no human experience, they even neglected his hoofs. I took about 4 or 5 weeks only working from the ground and teaching him to lead. I also like to go running with him next to me we did a lot of that but we still enjoy it. He had been in a herd with 80 horses and I believe we built a really strong connection he will run next to me slow and do everything quite well. Of course its like interval training for me since I cant run like that more than 30 seconds LOL He will even do a slow gallop with me, then I usually hang a bit on his mane you know the place you hold when you are a kid or when you get on, since its a bit to fast for me and thus he will kind of pull me forward. Its so much fun. When I saddled up he would not move with the saddle on excepth the walk. He was always turning dniffing the aaddle also when I bounced on his back he would turn and stop agains sniffing the saddle. I did not want to be too harsh in urging him forward. So this only happened bc the only way for him to run with a saddle was if I ran with him and not sitting on. I also did this a few times with a tight training girth. I felt if I stayed by the saddle it made it closer to the feeling of me in the saddle. I would then get on and we trotted and off again and ran etc. Fyi: Usually I would otherwise not run behind the front legs of a horse much since you simply dont want a horse pulling you. But every horse is so different, in a way him pulling me was a huge breakthrough for him. He generally lacked forward thinking and would hide behind me a lot for ex if he saw spooky things on our walks. (He would actually hide his head behind my back. It was really funny!! He is big too 1,49 cm) He is lovely to ride now, we are riding very free and carelessly. He is extremely curious and will want to be the first to walk before the other riders if there is a new place which I find so cool. He is a son of Galdur frá Leirubakka and looks a lot like him. Five gater. I need to start collecting him more and train the gates but I kind of dont want to. I sometimes still ride with a halter just to see if all my signals work as well as before. They do. Its so much fun. I urge anyone to "break in" their own Icelandic horse, if you have learned "gangsetning" breaking in is not an issue. Its just fun 🎉 and having a horse that follows you around never is "unpolite" for ex will move away by a gentle touch when you are tacking up. I mean its your horse so you can do everything over an EXTENDED period of time. People are in awe how well trained he will be. Sending him off for 8 weeks is not good. Plus then he meets you and needs to re-leatn anyway.... and you wont be his first human trainer. Sorry for the speech.