Or should I say: why bitless chose me?
So, was it a curse or is it a blessing?
I often wondered about these questions and I've come to the conclusion that yes, maybe once, a long time ago it was a curse, but now I truly can say that it is a blessing...
So, why was it a curse for a such a long time?
As much as I wanted to stay in the "normal" horse world, getting a normal groom job at any of the so many equestrian centres around the world, just wasn't a possibility for me anymore...
Once I'd tasted the feeling of bitless, the feeling of using a bitless bridle or in most cases even just a simple rope halter, I couldn't do it anymore, I had been changed forever.
I couldn't have a normal horse job as I was now against the majority, but I knew in my heart that using bits in bridles was a punishment to horses and not something that you should employ if you are truly trying to bond with your horse. I am sure my life would have been so much easier if I had stayed stupid, but once I had seen the damage they can do first hand, I knew deeply in my heart that it was wrong to use them.
Let's think about it for a moment. I just wanted to be around horses, right? Every day. Day after day, for the rest of my life. As much as possible...
So back in 2012, I made the most logical decision I had ever made in all my days and stepped forward to become the wandering wanderer, an outlaw, a nomad, Billy the Kid :)
The horse whisperer...
In order to achieve my dreams and also in turn help others to see horses in a new light, I worked at different equine facilities all over the world, learning, watching, riding... And having to move from place to place was fun, each new place I came to brought with it new challenges, new opportunities for me to learn and develop myself and my ability to bond with horses, it also gave me the opportunity to prove to people that I met, that even though many places still used bits in bridles, the need for them was just a myth and that if those people used bitless bridles, the benefits for the horse and their ability to bond better would far outweigh any perceived benefits they would get with sticking with bits.
Being a free spirit, I was free to implement my great plan. Having just got my first job at a prestigious, modern equestrian centre in Romania, which happened to be not only a highly ranked equine centre but also a well known hospitality resort with a big restaurant and nice rooms for tourists to rent.
Anyway, I won't describe it too much, that's not my point. My point is, I spent a couple of months working and living there with my horse and dog at that time and I really enjoyed the team work, the company of my collegues and talking to clients, teaching them how to ride, going on trail rides, etc.
So here I am living on site in my self contained, pretty, all inclusive accommodation, with my dog in the house and my horse in the stall, all this for free and with a good wage on top of it as well. It looks all nice and dandy, right?
I mean I have a good place for myself and my dog to live in, good food and drinks, co-workers' and clients' good company, good fun with horses and people, even my laundry was taken care of, haha.
Working in these conditions in a prestigious place with great horses: Friesans, Arabians, PRE, Andalusian, Lusitano, super modern barn with a fancy tack room with all kind of horse tack: english horse bridles, snaffle bridles, hackamore bridles, the boss's personal western show bridle and saddle and the latest acquisition of course: my humble bitless bridle which was more of a halter than a bridle anyway.
So...what else could I wish for? Well, I have to say, I did enjoy all this until I started to notice more and more the boredom, the frustration, the fear and sometimes the pain in the horses' eyes.
What do you mean? - You'd ask.
These horses are well cared for. Look at them! They all are well fed, brushed all over every day, I mean look at their shiny coats!
They are sheltered from rain and cold in nice, clean boxes, with plenty of fresh sawdust to lay on, with automatic drinking troughs for each and every one of them...They even have their own blankets for winter. What an insult thinking they would be ignored or mistreated!
Yes, that's all true. - I'd say to you. But what does the horse have to tell you, my friend? What do they tell you when you look into their eyes? What does their body language and attitude tell you about how they are feeling?
If you were to have eyes to see, my friend, you'd easily notice exactly how happy they are and in most cases that I have experienced, not at all happy, not in the slightest.
In many of the equestrian centres where I have gained experience, I have come across horses that are not content, not calm, not responsive, but instead they appear much more reactive.
Think about it for a second, take a knee, have a good English cuppa...
If you were to stick a piece of metal in your horse's mouth, tie their head down maybe, get a whip in your hand to get ready to quickly adjust its unwanted behaviour at any time and then you can be really impressive and show off as you parade around on their back...
Yeah right! That's until they freak out of something, you want to stop them of course by pulling on the reins, the bit then causes pain in their mouth making them freak out even more and then you find yourself flying off of them, not so proudly anymore... By the way. Did you know that going bitless could massively help horses with TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint disorder), meaning it could alleviate the pain in this joint? So what do you think the best bridles for horses with TMJ are? Bitless bridles, of course. I think this is definitely something that's worth keeping in mind.
There have been many people to lose when it comes to horses... Sorry to mention it here, but think about the sad case of Superman... Just think, nurturing a horse takes years and years to achieve, but accidents only take seconds...
So how do bits and other horse gear and riding techniques help then?
Well, let me tell you how bitless riding would have helped. A bitless horse would have been much more prepared psychologically, therefore a horse that is used to a bitless bridle is often:
- much more calmer
- much more responsive
- much more willing
- much more attentive to their rider
- much more comfortable with their surroundings
- much more curious instead of fearful
- much more relaxed
- much more easy to handle
One word for all, a horse trained to ride bitless would have been much more safe and enjoyable and isn't that something that worth taking the time for?
If you happen to be a bitless rider or thinking about becoming one, I have to tell you, there are, thankfully, many kind of bitless bridles already out there, but there's one particular bridle I'd mostly recommend which I find it to be very effective and also a good looking one. It was designed by one of my favourite horsemen, a guy called Justin Dunn and he traines wild mustangs totally bitless from A to Z, with a very simple and gentle training method and then use them for riding only in this high quality leather bitless bridle.
You can see a full size picture of this bitless bridle over at the Justin Dunn website if interested in having a look, but a preview is below (that's my personal bridle :)). His website is amazing and definitely worth the view, especially if you are interested in bitless bridles, but even if you just want to read some great horsey information. Justin is a true advocate for bitless bridles and has inspired me in many of my endeavours...
How many times have you heard or witnessed or maybe happened to you that the horse took off running blindly with the rider in the saddle, the rider who had no clue how to stop him anymore despite of the piece of metal shoved in their mouth or the tie downs and all the special, fancy tack put on him?
You don't need to search too far to find out about all kinds of similar stories.
Really? Why does this all need to happen? What's the missing link? Why would happy, healthy horses who love your company as a human, be reactive and act as if you're not even there, putting maybe their and your life in danger?
Well, horses are unpredictable. That's just the way they are. Everybody knows that...
Actually, this is not entirely true... In my experience, horses are only as unpredictable as the lack of trust in the human handling them. Which means, of course, that the higher the trust you have for them the more they will trust you. If they trust you, they are more likely to keep you safe from harm.
Okay, so that makes sense. - You say... But what does trust have to do with the way we keep horses then?
It is interesting how personal horses can be. They love to be kept in dry, clean, even luxurious stables at times. And with this in mind, I find it truly amazing how so many people would consider this is all the horse could ever need or want, but in my experience, they need even more care and attention than this.
Let me explain... So, is it wrong to have a nice, clean stable? No, it's not. Is it wrong to keep the horses locked up in boxes for long hours, depriving them of moving freely whilst enjoying each others company? Now that is totally the wrong thing to do!
Just imagine yourself being confined to a room 20 to 23 hours each day, all by yourself without any or the rare opportunity to have a proper interaction with your fellow human beings. And on top of that having to sleep in the same place which you use as a toilet as well. And every now and then, if you're really lucky maybe every day, somebody would come, stick a piece of iron in your mouth, tie it to a leadrope or to the reins, walk you out of your cozy box and make you perform the exercises they expect you to do and if you don't understand how to do them or don't want to do them, they'd yank on the bit in your mouth and maybe even whip you for not complying.
Hey, but other than that you'd be treated as a king or a queen in your fancy cell: you'd get nice food, good drinks, many treats, nutritious supplements every day, two or three times a day.
Would you like that kind of life? Would you be happy and healthy? Would you be looking forward to meet the one who'll take you out? Would you be eager and joyous to spend time with them? Would you do your best to please them? One word for all: Would you TRUST them?...
So which one would you prefer if you were a horse?
This one (even if it has a small paddock besides the actual horse box)?
Or this?
I think these questions and photos speak for themselves. The answer is pretty obvious...
It's one thing, you see, to keep the horses together in a big enough outdoor area where they have the space to freely gallop if they wanted to and only have them stalled for short periods of time let's say for the purpose of getting them ready for a trail ride or waiting for the vet to come, etc.
But even then I'd much more prefer to see them in a smaller outdoor place, a paddock for example, than shutting them in boxes. And it's a whole other story doing it all vice versa, like keeping horses confined for the majority of the time and getting them out only for short periods of time.
Anyway, I'm sure you get my point by now. That's the reason I couldn't stay for longer at that equestrian centre because of the fact that in most cases, all of the horses were kept in these beautiful looking, wrought iron and shiny wooden made boxes.
Then we'd take the so-called school horses into the fancy indoor arena and teach people how to control them and show them who's the boss by pulling on the reins, yanking the bits around in their mouthes. And that's the reason I've stopped working at this type of places for good.
From my heart, I just couldn't force a horse do something they clearly didn't want to do, or didn't enjoy doing. Even more than that, how could I possibly feel entitled of having any expectations at all from a horse that has been deprived of their fundamental needs?
A horse that has been deprived of freedom and social life is nothing more than a human being deprived of the same life giving needs... Heck, we treat criminals as such, why should we treat horses as criminals, they are beautiful creatures, that deserve our respect!
What right would I or anyone else have to keep you closed and use you in any which way but loose? Isn't that slavery? Isn't that exploitation?
I think I've made my point by now, so I won't go further down on this dark path. I'd rather talk now about the blessings of going bitless and why choosing bitless was a blessing for me.
The fact that it didn't feel right for me to pull on the reins attached to the bits even from my first riding lessons, quickly led me to search for other possibilities. By researching, I found out that there are indeed other, more humane, more friendly methods of interacting with horses. And it was a real delight learning and finally experiencing bitless riding!
I found it absolutely astonishing, amazing and beautiful! You know what? I know it sounds over realistic but I just find riding bitless, simply undescribable! I mean if I had to describe it in only one word, I guess I'd have to sum up all the positive words you can ever find in all the dictionaries around the world all together. Ha! But I'll have to let that to your imagination only because I'm not that creative with languages, haha.
That's bitless riding for me: joy, ease, flow, lightness, friendship, understanding, peace, harmony, excitement, adventure, choice, respect, happiness, miracle, exuberance, freedom, trust, love...and much more than that...
Something like this...
I know it sounds like pure fantasy but for me it is reality. It's my reality because I've lived it and that can't be denied by anybody.
You could experience it too, but maybe slightly differently, which is totally fine as we are of course different individuals and everyone has their own reality about the very same subject, right?
Maybe you already ride bitless which would be wonderful news of course and if you leave a comment on this post, I would love to hear and read about your experiences, journey and trials.
I can imagine that you may have started out in a similar way to myself by learning to ride using all the gear that common riding schools teach you to use: bits, whips, spurs and tie downs.
Well, that was certainly my case and as I mentioned earlier, I quickly turned my focus on bitless riding and, thank the Lord, have been on this path ever since!
So why going bitless turned out to be a blessing even if it's given me lots of inner restlessness as well as external contradictory interactions by people who wouldn't understand it and would even ridicule me for it?
Okay. Here's why: giving up bits and other control devices was a blessing, my friend, because when you do that, what you really do in fact is make room for your very first step towards a successful, powerful, flourishing relationship between you and your horse.
By going bitless, a whole new world opened in front of me, a world with endless opportunities, a world with so many ways of being with horses and doing things with them other than just jumping in the saddle, tighten the reins, bossing around and hoping for the best.
Going bitless gave the horse the chance to express themselves, to show their feelings and their wishes and it also gave me the chance to work on myself and learn every day a little bit more about what can I do, how can I approach the horse so that he'd rather choose me to be with than even their horse fellows.
It is a blessing you see because it teaches both the horse and the human about trusting each other more and more with every minute spent together. And is there a more valuable thing for someone, be it human or horse or any other creature, than giving them your whole trust or for you to have their full trust? Well, for me definitely it's the greatest honor somebody could give me and of course the greatest honor I could give someone.
As you can see going bitless is not just about going bitless. It is much more deeper than the simple act of removing the bits from our horses' mouths or bridles. It's about building trustworthy, harmonious, long lasting relationships by becoming a better version of ourselves in the process. It's about mastering oneself.
And I must say, having the privilege of helping others take on this journey, adding to the quality of their lives and also the lives of their horses' is a true blessing, indeed...
I'll end this article here with a picture of me and Romulus, a friendly, young gelding I encountered a few years ago, having a nice bonding session by just enjoying a good walk on a beautiful, sunny day and eating some fresh, raw corn together. Sorry you can't see Romulus's eyes, being covered by a corn leaf. 😃
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