When it comes to riding a horse without a bridle, there is a certain awe or impressive aspect associated with it. This is primarily because we have been brought up to understand that having a bridle, reins, and a bit is required in order to control your horse and are used in tandem with leg aids and cues to get your horse to stop and go.
While reins are important and, in some cases, indispensable (say during an emergency stop), they are not absolutely necessary to the riding of a horse.
So, can you ride a horse without reins? Yes, you can ride a horse without reins but it takes training and a deep, trusting relationship with your horse.
How Do You Stop a Horse Without Reins?
One of the many things that riders dream of being able to do when learning to ride their horses without reins, is perfecting the halt in which both of you are completely in harmony with one another.
When this type of halt happens, your legs and the horse’s legs are going to feel like they are one and your thoughts are going to feel coordinated.
In order to stop your horse without pulling on or using the reins, you are going to need to ride from your seat using weight distribution in combination with leg cues.
⦁ Use contact to set the halt up. You will need to prepare several strides ahead of the intended stop location. Make sure that there is enough steady contact between you and your horse so that your horse can recognize subtle changes in pressure. This is critical, as you will be changing up the pressure throughout the next few steps.
⦁ Use a series of half-halts to get him/her ready to stop. Keep your horse in a nice trot with both of your legs before starting with the half-halts, as you want your horse to recognize the change in pressure. Once in a good trot and in rhythm with your horse’s movement, begin to resist with your lower back while maintaining the rhythm. Essentially, instead of constantly flowing with each movement, you will instead resist, flow, resist, flow and so on; resisting only with your lower back.
⦁ During the flowing portion of the above movement, squeeze your legs together lightly. Not only will this help your horse understand that you are preparing for a halt, but it helps the horse engage their hindquarters.
⦁ During the resist portion of the movement, you want to use your rein aids by squeezing them (no pulling). The rein aids should be used after the leg aids and occur in tandem when you are resisting in the seat.
⦁ When ready to stop, stop your seat and say “Whoa”. When you want to stop, say “Whoa” and squeeze on your rein aid while pushing your feet out in front of you and your weight downward. The key here is your weight distribution of your seat – you want to push back and down.
Please keep in mind that if you usually pull on the reins to get your horse to stop, they might not respond to any of these cues above as the signal will be to be hauled backward or dragged to a stop rather than allowing them to patiently slow down.
It’s going to take training and more than a few tries to get your horse to recognize when you want them to stop and what the signals are. It is recommended that if the learning gap seems too difficult at first, try applying several half-halts first, stopping in your seat, and pulling them to a stop.
However, the end goal is to not have to use the reins at all with the only exception being during emergency stops. During the training process, if you feel your horse’s front end lighten into a halt, it means the training is paying off.
Do Reins Hurt Horses?
When not fitted or used properly, yes, they can. When you have the reins in rough or inexperienced hands, combined with a bit that is not fitted properly or is too harsh, it can cause rubs, cuts, and sores in your horse’s mouth.
Any type of repeated pressure of the bit on the bone in your horse’s mouth can cause the sensory nerve within the mouth to become sensitive. Your horse can experience pain in the mouth, eyes, and ears as a result and may show behavioral issues like the tossing of the head, unable to stand in bright light, or refusing to engage with you or move forward.
Bits can also impair breathing, interfere with their stride, impede performance, and make your horse bolt.
What Equipment is Needed to Ride a Horse?
The answer to this question is dependent on a few things, including whether you are a beginner rider that is learning through riding lessons or you are a committed rider that needs to buy your own tack (gear).
Below, we have this broken down for beginners who are looking to take lessons at a riding barn and committed riders who want to take their training to the next level.
Beginners List.
⦁ Riding Pants. These may be called breeches, riding tights, or riding jeans, but they all refer to the same thing; a pant that has no seams along the inside of your leg. They will also have patches of grip material on the inside of the knee. They will keep you comfortable, safe, and secure on your horse.
⦁ Leather Boots. Also known as paddock boots, these are ankle boots that come with a 1-inch heel and grippy treads. If you are an English rider, you may wear tall leather boots instead. Regardless, the heel is used to keep your feet in the stirrup.
⦁ Riding Gloves. Holding onto reins bare-handed is never fun and quite uncomfortable. You want leather gloves to keep your hands from sweating and making the reins slick as you need to keep a safe grip at all times. Riding gloves will have grip material on the palm side and conform to your hands (well-fitted).
⦁ Riding Helmet. You will need a riding helmet, as any other kind of helmet will not protect you properly if you take a fall. You can either borrow one from the barn you are taking lessons at or get your own. In this department, you always want to buy new and have it fitted to you.
⦁ Safety Vest (optional). While this is not a “must-have” it does protect you if you fall and hit the ground. If you are planning on cantering or jumping, wear a vest to help protect your chest and organs, so that the shock is absorbed. Cracking a rib is never fun.
As for a shirt, you can wear a jacket, sweater, or any other type of shirt that is breathable and does not restrict your movement. You do not want to wear extremely loose clothing or jewelry.
Committed Riders List.
In addition to the items on the beginner’s list, you may also want to get the following if you are planning on leasing, owning, or spending a lot more time with horse riding.
⦁ Custom Saddle Pad. Having a customized saddle pad is a fantastic accessory that will look good on your horse. If you are using a western saddle, you will require a thick, rectangular pad, whereas an English saddle, will require a thinner pad.
⦁ Saddle with Adjustable Gullet. If you are doing a lot of training lessons in a barn where there are a lot of students, it might be worthwhile to get your own saddle with an adjustable gullet. This prevents you from having to adjust the stirrup leathers every time that you fit your saddle to a new horse.
The following are suggested if you are leasing or will own your own horse.
⦁ A Girth. Having a girth for your horse will help keep the saddle nice and snug on them. It is attached to the saddle on both sides via leather billets. A lot of research will need to go into finding the right girth as there are several different types and they are not interchangeable with saddle types.
⦁ Bridle/Reins. You will need a bridle (headgear) to attach your reins and bit too. The reins should be long enough for your horse to stretch his/her nose down to the ground.
⦁ Bit. A bit is what has contact with your horse’s mouth and enables you to control your horse with the reins. It is a very specific piece of equipment that needs to be fitted properly to your horse, otherwise, it can cause them pain.
Other equipment to consider.
⦁ Grooming Tools. You can either buy a grooming kit online or hand-select your grooming kit at a tack shop. A basic grooming kit should have a soft-bristle body brush, stiff-bristled dandy brush, a hoof pick, and a rubber curry comb.
⦁ Bathing Equipment. You can either buy a bathing kit online or hand-select your equipment from a tack shop. You will need a sweat scraper, scrubby brush, detangler, large sponge, and a bucket.
⦁ Fly Spray/Sheet. This helps keep the flies off of your horse during the summertime.
⦁ Halter/Lead Rope. This is used to lead or tether your horse. You can choose one in your favorite color or get one that fits the rest of your gear.