Difference between a hackamore and a bitless bridle?
I ride my OTTB in a hackamore and always thought that it was also considered a bitless bridle but i recently discovered that it isn’t the same thing and that there are differences…But i don’t know what those differences are. Does anyone know? And also can it be that a hackamore is a western form of a bitless bridle while a bitless bridle is like an english hackamore?
You are right a hackamore is a type of bitless bridle (it’s a bridle without a bit). I’ve never come across a western hackamore, there’s the English hackamore and the more severe German hackamore.
The hackamore isn’t the only type of bitless bridle. I use the micklem multibridle with the same action as Dr. Cook’s cross-over bridle, but it can be used as a side-pull or like a lunge cavesson with the reins simply attached to the side of the noseband.
I don’t know who told you that the hackamore wasn’t a bitless bridle, it obviously is since it doesn’t have a bit. It’s not nessary a “soft” choose. In the wrong hand it can be very harsh on the horse, esp. the german hackamore.
Hackamores: act on the nose with potentially a lot of pressure. Lateral control (turning) isn’t brilliant.
Dr. Cook’s cross over: acts on the side of the horses face over a fairly large area. They push the head to the side or squeeze the head. I have had a lot of success with this system and it offers excellent control and my horse accepted it very easily.
The Bitless Bridle: Part 1