natural hackamore and bitless sidepull help needed!

hello everyone. im brand new to this forum and have a few questions if you could help me!

i have a nearly 3 year old arab gelding called sabir. i have been doing a bit of parelli games with him and he has been really good.

my sister breathes parelli. and whilst i do agree with many of his methods i also agree with montys methods and i cant see myself geting into it is as much as her.

anyway onto my questions. i am not planning to sit on sabir untill next year when hes 4. i do plan to do loads of ground work introduce saddle long reins and also his bitless bridle.

the bridle is my problem. i have bought a braided bitless sidepull which i do really like. i have put it on him no problem and he is quite responsive to left and right, i plan on long reining in it maybe at the weekend.

do you think this is a good bridle to start him in? my sister uses a natural hackamore i personally dont like the look of these and the huge fiador is a real turn off as he has a fine head. i find as pat is american and rides western his methods reflect this as with the holding one rein sittling position etc. and as parelli is about speaking the horses language and understanding the horse why cant i do that in a bitless sidepull?

any suggestions or comments please post!

thanks!

Hi there,
Well, I've never used an actual sidepull, but have ridden in a halter. I rode my Arab Pony mare in a halter when I didn't want to use a BIT! I had only had a couple of lessons, and yet and I didn't think I needed a BIT! Of course, I was only a beginner, but had already walked, trot and cantered! So when I rode her in a halter, she BOLTED! I couldn't pull her up! Although, I was a beginner and probaly had too much energy!!! She did it again the next time too!
I can ride ALL my horses in a Halter/Lead and have FULL control! But, it depends on the horse. Some horses are very storng willed, while others are very soft and responsive! Now, I have a Part Arab filly, she's just turned 2yo. She has never had a BIT in her mouth, and NEVER will!! I will be starting her under saddle when she's 4/5yo(depending on maturity as she's 50% arab!) myself. She is very intelligent and has gone through some Naughty stages! But, she is VERY soft in a halter. I've put my Bitless Bridle on her(a chinstrap design) and she was even better!

So, if your Arab is easy to control in the sidepull for all your activities and stops, backs, turns, etc really well in it, then stick with it!

I start all my horses in a halter under saddle! So, my horses are very soft and controllable! If you can't control a horse in a halter while ridden, then there's a high chance you won't be able to control the horse in a sidepull. A sidepull is just like a Halter, the reins are just clipped onto the noseband area, so your placing more pressure directly on the nose, rather then less pressure on the nose, as with a halter.
I don't see any too obvious problems with the sidepull.
I ride all my horses: bareback most of the time and can ride in any of these: HALTER, BITLESS BRIDLE, STRING AROUND NECK & AT LIBERTY, with no problem. But you can't just expect ALL horses to be contrallable in a halter/hackamore!!!
All my horses are ridden in the LightRider Bitless Bridles, I spent many hours researching all the types/styles of Bitless Bridles, and none compared to the LightRider! It is a Chinstrap release design and highly effective, weather it's a goey horse or a lazy one!

Hi "Sabir",

There are many people in here who have started their horses with bitless bridles. When the breeder was training my mare (I didn't even own my mare at that time, but really really wanted to buy her), I mentioned to her that I planned on using a bitless bridle, so she investigated it (the brand happens to be a Nurtural, which is a cross-under) and ended up buying one, and that is what she trained my mare with from then on I am so happy that the breeder, who is an experienced horsewoman and used to compete in jumping, was so open to the idea of a bitless bridle, especially when she didn't even know at that point whether or not I'd even be purchasing her horse!

When it comes to training, don't be afraid to move on to other "methods" if something doesn't seem totally right for you or your horse. If you don't mind me saying, I have been on this journey for a couple of years now, and have studied different "Natural Horsemanship" methods. I am finally at the point where I am comfortable with a particular trainer's 'style' and his philosophy. You can pick and choose what suits you and your four-legged partner best, because that is what counts

All the best to you!

hi thanks for ur replies!
i also have no intention of ever bitting him or shoeing him for that matter, hes got good araby feet so hoping he will be fine!

i think i will continue with the sidepull for now and see how it goes.

he is really laid back at the moment. he gets excited on our walks not crazy but just happy.
but the other thing is im worried that he will be laid back now but be the opposite when it comes to riding him?

do you have any experiance of this?

i dont plan on actually getting on him till hes 4 which is next year but i do plan on doing tons of ground work and other stuff.

thanks again

Hi, I just got rid of that post because I'm sure you've read it!

hi!

i think u must have read my mind as the other day i was seriously looking at clicker training!! i haven a clue where to start so if you could offer you assistance it would be really really helpful.

i totally understand what your saying about the negative renforcment of parelli and monty roberts, tho i had a similar discussion with my sister today and she said the reward or positive renforcment was the release? dont know what u think of that, tho i know i would like them to do something because they want to or are happy whilst doing it.

and also the massive heavy snap weighing his headcollar down is another area of concern cuz it doesnt seem to matter if he gets hit in the face by it or not?! and its really massive u must have seen them.

anyway as hes such a kind soul i want to keep him like that hes quite bold and brave tho he freaked at a climbing gym in the park but did touch it eventually.

the other thing avout clicker training is that im concerend it will just be like bribery and hes only doing it for the treat? you can proberly eplain that to me!

so if you could help me id really like that and give me an idea of how to start.

he will be 3 in april (hes such a baby) so maybe you could offer your assistance. i havent done anything apart frm some parelli games, i put a saddle on him but not girthed him up as dont have one i have a roller which i borrowed dont know if u use them i was going to use it to get him used to somethng tight round his middle?

let me know how u do everything as u sound knowlegable. anyway i have rambled on and on!

thanks for your reply!