# Bitless with chinstrap?



## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

What is a sliding chinstrap? 

All bitless options I use have somethin on the nose, and something under the chin - like the Little S hack I have, I use the straps from a different hack I bought, padded, furry nose band and normal strap under the chin. My sidepull is basically a noseband. Halters...


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## Eltie (Mar 29, 2017)

It's basically a side pull, the chin strap goes similar to where a curb chain would and is attached to reins but isn't very active, the pressure still acts mostly on the nose. The sliding chin strap is meant to help with stabilty of the bridle as the strap moves without the entire bridle being pulled around. I find them to be a little clearer with the aids then a standard sidepull and allows you to have a looser noseband which a lot of horses seem to prefer. I'm just not sure if the leather would make a difference or not, I'm worried it'd get kind of stuck, basically making the sliding action moot.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

not sure about the sliding chin strap, but when I did start horses in sidepulls, the general design has a headstall with a complete noseband, and that creates the stability
A chin strap would apply to any mechanical hackamore, where you have leverage
Here is a basic sidepull
Diana Thompson Acupressure for Horses

Can you post a picture of what you are talking about?


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## Eltie (Mar 29, 2017)

Maybe sliding chinstrap is the wrong way to describe it?, I thought this was a common bitless design.

The leather bridle








The lighrider








What it looks like on a horse


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Well.. as, theoretically, reins have to be light at all times, I do not like the idea of that strap moving, and/or pulling against the chin. to me it looks like it would try to compress the nose and chin together.. 
And if the reins are light, never pulling, then the noseband shouldn't move around the face. I ride with the hack quite loose around my horses face, and apart from crazy green acting moments, it barely moves


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## Eltie (Mar 29, 2017)

I agree with you, my own concerns was why I initially brought a hackamore (and it was the cheaper option) when I decided to continue her bitless. Ideally I'd have had her in the hackamore for general out and about and a snaffle for flat, I was very careful about introducing her to the hackamore too because I wanted her to like it. Tough luck for me, she doesn't.

She's fine with the dually and I think she'll do fine with the lightrider. I just want to know if the leather strap on the bridle I want to buy looks like it will give a similar action to the lightrider


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

You you talking hackamore, as another name applied to a bosal, thus no leverage, OR a MECHANICAL hackamore?
Can't compare apples to oranges,as it is no different then comparing a snaffle to a curb
Of course, if she is not used to leverage, and you are using a mechanical hackamore,you can't expect her to like it, anymore then putting a curb into a horse's mouth that is still at the direct rein snaffle stage


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## Eltie (Mar 29, 2017)

Okay, maybe saying she doesn't like the hackamore was too strong wording, she's fine in it, just goes kinder in the dually. She's got a bit of an odd past, not bad, just lots of different handlers, largely inexperienced and very inconsitent which has given her some quirks including the stuff about her head. I've recently restarted her from the ground up after she got messed up by a bad farrier so she is very green at the moment. 

Yes the hackamore does apply a small amount of leverage when used that way, it's called a flower I think, the side pieces twist and dig in if you open out your rein to much, fine for a trained horse, more difficult with a green horse where you have to overexaggerate a cue at times, especially my one who is no bright spark.

So I wanted her in something simpler but nicer looking for taking her out, and thought the lighrider would suit, it's the bitless of choice where I graze, and I've ridden other horses in it multiple times so I understand the feel and know it works. I'm the odd one out though in that both my horses have been started bitless and eventually moved to bits while everyone else has started bitted and moved to bitless. 

If you don't like lightrider design, what do you then suggest?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

If she is green, does not matter if restarting a bit or bittless, it must Have no leverage, and that leave that flower hack out!
A broke horse should ride both with abit and bittless. Whether you start a horse bittless, and then go to a bit, or visa versa, does not matter, long as you realize a bit takes education far as letting a horse learn totally new pressure points, while bittless transcribe very well from halter training, using many of the same pressure points
I have started horses in side pulls, then gone to a snaffle, and have also started them in a snaffle and then ridden them in a bosal
Far as what you should use, depends totally on how green she is, and if green, should use a non leverage devise. For riding out, whatever you and the hrose are comfortable with.If she is ready for some leverage, then that is fine\
The main point being, if things are not right in either a snaffle or a non leverage bittless, going to leverage won't truly fix anything
Nothing wrong with the light rider, as I was mainly curious about it, but do prefer one with less appliances on it
Mine is shaped something like this one pictured at the top, but with a plain leather noseband

https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-a-side-pull-bridle-1886065


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## Eltie (Mar 29, 2017)

Thank you, my mare has already explained that to me . I've swallowed my mistake and she is no longer in the hack. As was the point of the post, I'm looking at buying a new bridle for her that will suit her current level better.


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