Bridleless Training

from Elite Equestrian magazine Nov/Dec 2023 holiday Gift Guide issue

Autism And

by Lynn Palm

If you want to build a greater trust of and respect for your horse, bridleless training will give you just that! It will also prove that you can control the horse without your reins. Reins often get in our way and we tend to use the reins too much, too early. And we also tend to use them too aggressively and with too much force. Riding bridleless will show you how to ride effectively using just the opposite.

You can ride your horse without a bridle and achieve a new level of success with both training and control. You might be surprised to learn that your horse will do better without the bridle than with it. Bridleless riding will also assist you in gaining more control and understanding of your own riding skills. Bridleless will also help your horse trust you when you transition to using a bridle by using a lightness of rein aids. However, bridleless riding is not something to try with your horse if you are a beginner rider or have problems with control.

To Begin — Before Taking Off the Bridle

Start in an enclosed area. Make sure you have at least six months or a year under saddle with this horse so you know him fairly well before riding bridleless. Before going totally bridleless, you’ll ride with a neck rope and your regular bridle still on the horse.

I use a neck rope that is not flexible. I find that a rawhide material is the best — like a roper’s rope material. Using a rein as a neck rope is too flexible and it lies on the neck all the time, thus not giving a clear signal. Maintain a correct position and balance in the saddle as much as possible.

To begin the bridleless training you’ll still ride with the bridle on. Ride with the neck rope and reins in one hand to teach the horse to stop. Your position in the saddle should ask the horse to stop with your seat, along with your legs on the horse’s sides. The neck rope should make light contact on the bottom of the horse’s neck.

To ask the horse to turn, he should turn with contact from your legs and by guiding him with the neck rope touching on the outside of the neck. In other words, to turn left, the neck rope should touch the horse’s neck on the right side.

In order to back, your horse should back a few steps with guidance from the neck rope placed at the bottom of the neck. He needs to be skilled at these steps before taking off the bridle.

Taking Off the Bridle

Here’s the big moment! After you take off the bridle and start riding with just the neck rope, begin with the simplest steps and the easiest patterns. Ask the horse to walk, halt, back; then walk, trot, walk, halt; walk, trot, canter, trot, walk, halt, back; etc. Adding turns on the forehand, yielding and pivots will also help build a good foundation. These maneuvers add control before you venture outside to a bigger enclosed arena. That will be your next step.

When progressing to a larger arena, start at the simple things again. Only progress to something harder when you have conﬁdence that you can stop your horse at any time. Keep checking on this “stop” ability as you ride.

When you progress to a bigger outdoor arena, you can keep advancing to harder tasks, like jumping, cantering with more speed, ﬂying lead changes. Only ride bridleless with the tasks you already do well with the bridle. Believe it or not, riding bridleless will make training with the bridle get easier and more advanced as you continue your riding/training!