Bitless bridle

These are often specifically patented and marketed as "bitless bridles", usually referencing a particular type of headgear known as the cross-under, though other designs are sometimes also given similar names.

[1] However, because the materials used to make gear other than metal bits disintegrates quickly, archaeological evidence of the earliest use of bitless designs has been difficult to find.

[2][3] The earliest artistic evidence of use of some form of bitless bridle was found in illustrations of Synian horsemen, dated approximately 1400 BC.

[9] Bitless bridles apply pressure to parts of the horse's face and head, such as the nose, jaw and poll, but not to the mouth.

There are many different styles of bitless headgear originating from bitted bridle and halter designs as well as from the ancient Persian hakma.

It differs slightly from a sidepull in that the reins attach farther back, on either side of the jaw, rather than at the cheeks.

It consists of a heavy noseband with rings at the top and cheeks, held on by a sturdy headstall that will not slip when pressure from the line is applied.

Both designs have antecedents in the classic cavesson utilized by European masters such as William Cavendish, and can be dated to the 17th century, and probably earlier.

[18] Evidence of the concept of creating leverage by crossing the reins under a horse's jaw dates back just over 100 years.

[citation needed] In 1980, the crossunder principle was part of a design by an individual named Woodruff, who obtained a patent for a halter.

A European design, known as a "Gluecksrad" or "LG bridle", uses metal loops from the headstall to the reins to add leverage, though with less force than the shanks of a mechanical hackamore.

The wheel turns slightly when the reins are drawn and creates some leverage, which makes it work like a mild mechanical hackamore.

A ghost cord, Cherokee bridle is a rope passed through the mouth and tied in a slip knot or half hitch under the chin groove.

One authority describes this bridle as "in competent hands, an instrument of either mental diversion or extreme cruelty,"[22] historical illustrations and early photographs show it in wide use among Native Americans in the United States.

Another style uses a single piece of rope that goes over the poll and is placed around the nose with a slipknot attachment, in some cases tightening when a rein is pulled.

A third style has the rope run over the poll and through the mouth, tying with a square knot to serve as a type of bit, and leaving the ends as reins.

Some people also ride horses with an ordinary halter, though this is generally viewed as unsafe due to the lack of control inherent in the design.

[citation needed] Specialized training is required in order for the horse to remain controllable by the rider in a riding halter.

A cross-under bitless bridle
A classic bosal-style hackamore
An English-style Jumping Cavesson
A cross-under bridle
Gluecksrad or "LG" bridle
Blackfeet warrior riding with a ghost cord, illustration c. 1840–1843
Simple rope bridle, c. 1895