The point is not to control the horse, but to work with it. So why use a bit instead of a halter?

Question

My horse neck reigns great with a halter. My kids ride her with a hatler and rope. But she does act up for me. And when she does act up, I have no control with just a halter. I am confused. The point is not dominance... so why use a bit to cause the horse discomfort to the point of pain to control it? hackmores too are used for more 'control' then a halter. I am not looking for answers from people that say you need dominance or control. I believe in firmness.. but not domiance and abuse

Answer 1

I think perhaps you're a bit confused on the issue of working with a horse vs. controlling a horse, so let's start there. When you ride a horse, you want to be in harmony with the horse, but because you are the one deciding where the horse should go and what the horse should do, you are, in a sense, controlling the horse.

That said, I strongly believe bits are meant to improve communication with the horse (allowing one to work with the horse better), rather than for harming the horse. Bits, when used properly, are not at all abusive. A basic snaffle bit will put no more pressure on the horse's mouth than the rider uses. It takes effort to hurt a horse with a snaffle bit. Do an experiment. Take a snaffle bit, hook it around your arm, and pull a bit. You'll see that it really doesn't hurt unless you're yanking on it. Same with the horse. If riders use light hands, the bit will never harm the horse.

On the other hand, it is quite difficult to teach a horse to round and carry himself correctly without the use of a bit. It's also very difficult to stop a bolting horse without the use of a bit. Perhaps you would prefer to hang on a bolting horse while your halter and leads dangle uselessly, but if a horse has bolting problems, a bit seems the safest solution to me. The bit shouldn't be hurting the horse, but it will provide a much better reminder that a rider is on top than a halter will.

I can ride my horse with either a bridle or a halter, and she is safe either way. A bridle gives me slightly clearer communication, however. I can give signals that she wouldn't be able to feel without the bit. I wouldn't dare ride my friend's horse without a bit, however. The horse is still green and unpredictable. Without a bit, the horse simply won't feel the rider's commands. Attempting to ride in a halter would be suicide: no ability to stop the horse, to pull the horse's head up if it starts bucking, to turn the horse. Also, new riders often lack the skill to ride without a bit. Unless the rider is riding western and the horse neck reins, the rider has little power to turn without a bit if they have not yet attained the skill level they need to be able to turn the horse almost solely through the use of legs and weight. Stopping poses an even greater problem.

That was a lot of writing to explain, basically, that bits, when used properly, should never actually harm the horse. They increase communication in the same way a halter does, but add more points of contact so that the communication is more specific.

Answer 2

Do you know that you contradict yourself? You say that it is not about control but then you complain that you do not have control. "And when she does act up, I have no control with just a halter."

I'm kinda on the same page as Lou Lou. it is not so much would you buy a car with out a steering will but would you use one with out breaks? It is much easier for a horse to bolt in a halter then with a bit or hackmores. trust me I know. The bit is not there to harm the horse, but there to be an aide (and breaks) and the point is have control over the animal that you are riding. I'm not saying being mean to the horse but having it's respect.

My horse are my friends but I have their respect. I use a bit while riding and they aren't hurt by it. My older horse I can ride some with a halter but I wont do that while riding thru the woods. the young horse I always ride with a bit.

Answer 3

A bit used correctly does not inflict any pain at all on a horse. It's only when people use extremely strong bits and then use them incorrectly that people get the wrong idea. Jerking the reins, using thin wire bits, lots of these things can ruin perfectly good horses. However, some horses are not trained to be responsive to anything but a bit. I ride both of my horses in a smooth snaffle. My first horse was ridden in a snaffle, and he had a wounded tongue from abuse in his younger years. Someone had tied a string tightly around his tongue, which caused a part of it to fall off. However, he was still comfortable in a bit. So, bits are not to cause pain, the same as hackamores. But if your horse is running away with you, is he going to stop for a bit? or a halter?

Answer 4

In reason if you are using the right bit and using it properly it should not be causing pain to an equines mouth. I've been training horses for over 40 years and start all my equines in a breaking halter before moving to a bit, hackamore, or bosal. People use the bit as a tool to improve movement and balance within a horse, and those that aren't are using it wrong.
And you said that you weren't looking for answers from people that say you need dominance or control- but the truth is you need both to be the alpha and have control over a horse.
Equines are a much larger animal than a human and with no control or respect from your equine you are going to get hurt. You say the point is not dominance- but dominance does not mean abuse. Dominance means control and respect. Horseback riding is not a natural thing for equines which is why we must tame and train them. If you don't believe in being the Alpha(being dominant) or having your equines respect you then I don't see how you or your children are able to remain safe around her. If you are able to ride and be around this equine safely then you are the dominant animal and therefore really have no point to the whole being firm but not being dominant or having control.

I know I wouldn't let any of my children or grandchildren around a 1,000 pound animal if I wasn't in control of the equine.

Answer 5

It is impossible for a human being to control a 1000+ lb animal if it doesn't want to be unless you break down their spirit, but even then they can rebel.
This is not a preferred method.

A bit or a hackamore gives the rider extra help in communicating to the horse what is being asked.
Bits, hackamores, whips, spurs, etc. are only as harsh as the handlers/riders. For example a horse may not like a simple snaffle when used by a heavy handed person, but doesn't mind a strong curb when used by a light handed person.

How does she act up for you? Is she being playful or hyper? Is she confused? It's probable that she doesn't understand what you're asking her to do. Perhaps you signal more energy to her than your children. She could be acting up because you expect her to act up.
It's also possible she doesn't appreciate your extra height and prefers small children to adults.

I can ride my mare in a halter or bridle, but sometimes the halter isn't positioned where it is useful. She'll understand a cue to collect in a bridle, but gets frustrated when asked in a halter.


Good luck with your mare.

Answer 6

consider this...the horse weighs a lot more than you do and is a lot stronger than you are...if it came down to a contest of wills, your horse would win without a doubt and you or your kids could get hurt in the bargain. that is why there MUST be some type of control. it isnt because you want to dominate the animal. however, having said that, consider the mind of a horse. it is a prey animal and as such can spook at thinks we would never look twice at. once a horse gets it in his head to bolt, and you dont have any true control over him...you could be hurt badly. or your kids. a horse no matter how gentle, is unpredictable for the simple reason that we cannot read its mind. we cant predict what it is thinking or why it dos what it does. there are many things we can learn by studying a horse, and horses in the wild. but, it is never wise to trust one completely.
i would say your horse needs some more work in basics in a round pen...as he is learning that there are some things he can get away with. this is a big reason we show "dominance" over a horse. if a horse doesnt respect us...then we may as well forget it. because we are asking for trouble.
having said all this let me assure you that i am a firm believer in training horses the way pat parelli and john lyons do it. but what i have said here i have learned from experience.

Answer 7

I ride my horse in a saddle and bridle, but I can't say I haven't dreamed of the day that I ride without them.
Riding a horse can be a cruel activity if it isn't done properly. I did an experiment with a pencil one day to see what a bit might feel like. I put the pencil in my mouth like a bit, and then I pretended like I was using light contact and "turning" mostly with my legs (I just touched the pencil on the left or right side.). I pretended to stop myself. The pencil in my mouth wasn't unpleasant. Then, I jerked at the pencil violently. I pulled either side really hard, and even pretended that I had a rider who posted from their hands and made the bit jerk around in my mouth. After I was finished, my mouth was sore and I had reddish marks at the corner of my mouth.
It all depends on how you use a bit. Some bits are very gentle and aren't uncomfortable for the horse. Some bits can cause bad behavior because they hurt the horse. If your hands are quiet, you ride properly (no banging on the horse's back, staying centered, not banging the horse in the sides with your legs, allowing the horse to do what you ask, staying relaxed), and your horse is physically able to do what you ask, using a bit and riding a horse isn't cruel or painful.

Answer 8

I understand where you're coming from, my horse works well with a halter too. maybe the horse i more used to the kids riding it than you and so it cooperates better. There are many possible reasons that it acts like that. It could just be that it thinks it can get away with it. What i would do is just keep trying.

Answer 9

First- I disagree with you, concerning control , this is a animal you are riding which is more than likely About 1000 lbs. compared to you, there in lies the problem. Would you drive a car with out a steering wheel? I think not. you do not have to be abusive to have control.
What I recommend is to spend some time with your horse in a standard breaking round pen, using drive lines until he learns to respond to you on the drive lines from the ground. this may take a few times or a few months, depending on you and the horse. Good Luck

Answer 10

it sounds like the hourse has no repect for you .maybe you need too put the horse in the round pen,flexing,this is not being domiance or cruel,but to have repect for each other