# LightRider Bitless Bridle - short review



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I bought the LightRider Bitless Bridle noseband. This allows it to be used with your normal bridle, saving money. In the picture below, I was just trying it on Bandit, so I didn't take off the rope halter underneath and didn't worry about tucking everything in. 








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Bandit has a long noggin, so I was on the last hole for him. When we tried it with Trooper today, I needed to tighten it up 2 holes on each side.

I tried it from the ground with Bandit and concluded he would need some training to understand what was being asked.

For today, I asked my youngest if she wanted to try it on Trooper. She did. Trooper has been ridden in a sidepull before. He seemed to understand the cues well, moving his nose left or right easily and tucking his head in with both reins pulled.

For the first hour of riding, Trooper did fine in it. I got a charlie horse in my left hip/thigh after an hour (which happens to me often), so I stopped Bandit from a trot and slowly dismounted. Yes, I was cussing, but I'm afraid my 17 year old daughter has heard those words before. To Bandit's credit, he stopped lightly and stood like a rock while I crawled down.

There was a place where we could split up and rejoin about 1/2 mile later, so I suggested we do so. I walked Bandit for 7-8 minutes. It took 5+ to get the kinks out of my thigh, and then we were walking up a steep hill. I remounted at the crest, met up with my youngest and we turned for home.

Afterward, I asked her how it went. She said Trooper got nervous, then took off while hollering for Bandit. It took her about 300 yards to slow Trooper. Once he settled, he behaved until we met up again, and the rest of the way home.*I asked her if she wanted to try the LightRider again or use a bit the next time. 

"A bit", she replied without hesitation. "This doesn't give enough emphasis for stopping him when he gets nervous. I also like to play with the bit when he gets nervous...kind of like telling him, 'I'm here, listen to me, don't worry' - and I didn't have that feel when he was getting nervous. It is easier to reassure Trooper with a bit, or slow him if he starts to lose it."

I figure that is review enough. Trooper doesn't care what bit you use. He's the same horse in any snaffle and/or any curb we've tried with him. He's ridden with slack reins 95% of the time. But my youngest made two telling points:

1 - She could not communicate with him as well when he got nervous, and

2 - It was harder to stop him when he took off.*​I like how it goes on a horse. It stays in place on the head and seems like a well designed variation of a sidepull bridle. I think it would be a good choice for a new rider on a good horse in an arena. But a very simple, single joint smooth snaffle D-ring works better for my daughter riding a good horse on the trail.

Bandit did fine in his Billy Allen snaffle today. He spooked in place a couple of times (both due to noisy trucks in a tight spot), but he didn't try to run or spin away. I think it DID help to have the bit so I could play with it when he got nervous. He also stopped today for the first time totally off of a voice command (and seat, probably). That was nice.

I think my habit of dismounting to stretch MY legs every hour has been good for him. When the cramps hit, he stopped easily and saw nothing too unusual about it, although I was pretty awkward crawling down from the saddle with a charlie horse. He was also rock solid on remounting. Nice. But he does fine in a simple bit now, so I don't see much value in switching him to bitless.

As sidepulls go, I think the LightRider is worth considering - particularly since you can buy it pretty cheap to use with your existing bridle. The design works well. It took about 10 days to get here from Australia. They shipped promptly with tracking. I have no complaints about the company.

But it is not a bit, and I think a properly used bit is a better tool than a sidepull for a trail ride.

LightRider Bitless Bridles - LightRider Bitless Bridles Home​


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I would still prefer to have a bit when trail riding!


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

^^ Thanks for moving it to the correct location, Foxhunter.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

I'm a little confused, is it just the noseband or is it just attached to to crown.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I bought the noseband, which attaches to a standard bridle. The stuff below the tie in the bridle is what I bought. You can also buy a full bridle from them:


















Since I'm happier with a simple bit, I'm glad I had an inexpensive way (about $40 US) to test it with my horses.


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## ThunderingHooves (Aug 10, 2013)

Thank you for the detailed review. I saw this several months ago and have been very interested in trying it. I've been looking at reviews, but it's nice to see someone from the forum post their review.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

OK, I'm looking at this thing, and it seems to me that it would not be stable. You say that it fit and worked well, but I'd have to make one and try it out to be sure.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

As bitless bridles go, I liked the design. In my case, my horses are comfortable with bits, and I think this bit used properly has more potential:










But as bitless options go, the LightRider is a decent design. IMHO. Easy for a horse to understand and it looks like it has a reasonably fast release of pressure.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

I would just like to add that I have always used different bits with my horses. My current horse goes in a mechanical hackamore when he is good, snaffle if he acts up, was started in a pelham, and a sidepull in the ring. I do it because it uses different pressure points, and kind of keeps my old horse thinking.


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