If I train my horse in The Bitless Bridle, will I be able to transition to a bit when I sell my horse or if I wish to compete?
A young horse can first be schooled in The Bitless Bridle and learn to respond to all the rein aids during ground work and under saddle. Once this basic education is complete, a bit can now be introduced to enable the horse to be usable for any competition work for which a bit is currently required. The process is rather similar to that recommended by Pat Parelli, who trains his horses in a rope halter before finally introducing them to a Western style curb bit. The trick is to start first training a horse without a bit, in order that the horse should not develop any one of a hundred aversions to the bit before it has learnt the basics. Schooling will proceed more smoothly, with fewer problems and learning will be faster if the horse is not hurt with a bit. Also, and this is important, the rider will have had a chance to develop a horse's confidence and a partnership will have been established as a sound foundation or further training.
The ease with which a horse can be transitioned from bitless to bitted will of course depend on the rider's hands. The better the hands, the easier will be the transition. The ability to use a bit is a test of a rider's proficiency. If a rider can transition from bitless to bit without triggering any negative, bit-induced behavioral changes they can be congratulated on their equestrian skills. If a horse resists a bit, this exposes a weakness of the bit as a method of communication, as it is a method that only a master horseman can use without causing a horse discomfort.
So the answer to your question is, don't hesitate to start a competition prospect bitless. Obviously, if you are planning that a horse should eventually be trained to compete in FEI sponsored competitions, it is no good placing a bit in a horse's mouth for the first time on the morning of the competition. One has to ring the changes during the latter stages of training and accustom a horse to accept a bit.
Yes, I suppose there is a chance that a discerning horse brought up to know that bridles don't have to hurt will make their feelings apparent if now required to accept a bitted bridle that does hurt. But there is a greater chance that if the same horse had been brought up on a bitted bridle it might have exhibited even more resistance and developed far more problems. My feeling is that there is less risk in the bitless option. I do not think that your concern represents a reason for not giving the horse the benefit of a pain-free introduction to training. Far better, surely, that a horse should learn the basics of training while it is happy and pain free, rather than to learn at an early age to associate training with hurting.
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