Rated 3 out of
5
by
Maddie Elizabeth from
Ugly but functional
I purchased this bridle a few months ago for a horse I picked up thats an ex polo pony. He was extremely sensitive to the bit and would hold his head up high and hollow out to avoid contact and was frankly an unpleasant ride. His teeth were checked out and he had been seen by the vet and there was nothing physically wrong with him. I decided to give this bridle a try and cut the bit out of the equation completely. I chose the beta bridle over the leather version because of the price difference, and I regret it. I'm used to the pretty traditional look of leather bridles, so to me the beta looks tacky. You can clearly tell it's synthetic. However, I will say this bridle design (pressure on the poll and nose) worked wonders for my horse. He's calmer and happier to ridden. He now lowers his head and stretches into the bridle and lifts his back instead of riding around with his head in the air. He's far more comfortable. So functionally it's a great bridle, I just wish I had gone with leather. I'll likely keep this for trails and buy another Dr. Cooks in leather at some point for lessons and schooling.
Date published: 2017-04-21
Rated 5 out of
5
by
DrAngie from
Still hard to believe!
I bought this for my gypsy horse and instantly had better rides. He doesn't fight the bridle at all - not even a little turn away. He seems to appreciate that he can have a snack if we stop on a trail (although that confused him at first!). The BEST thing, though, was that I later tried it on my 19 year old quarter horse who I keep thinking I can't use. He has tried to buck my husband off countless times and only lets me ride, although I can lead him around with a kid on him forever. After a few good rides with him, I let my son (who is 5 and who this horse adores), get on him and I finally let go. It was AMAZING. Total cooperation and he was so gentle. I let him ride in a bit later to see what would happen and this horse wanted no part of it - didn't buck, but would slowly ease his way back to the barn with my son in tow. Put the bitless bridle back on, and instantly they were back on track having a nice little ride together. This video is the second time my son has ever ridden a horse independently and his first solo ride on this big guy. I am so happy to have tried this bridle on him. In all fairness, I admit I think the price of this particular brand is pretty high and there are less expensive options out there...but this is what I bought and I have happy horses and kids, so I still love it!
Date published: 2017-01-09
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Marti54 from
Nice and leathery looking
I already had the nylon bitless and needed this new for showing. Not as easy to put on, and doesn't slide well through the side rings. Does the job, but would like it to slide better. Would like the reins connected differently.
Date published: 2016-12-13
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Nadwalker from
I love this bridle!
Absolutely love it! And the customer service is great too! Received the item in no time and then found out I ordered a too small size so I had to exchange it and it was no headache at all!! Nice ppl and always available for questions.
Love riding bitless, great quality too! Thanks!
Date published: 2016-10-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
KNMI from
Happy horse
I bought this bridle because my horse has a loose sensitive tooth that the bit would occasionally bump and cause discomfort. With the bit less bridle she is relaxed and responsive. She adjusted to it quickly and worked well in it the first ride. The Beta material is a bit rubbery feeling but cleans easily. My only complaint is there were no directions with it when it arrived and I had to figure it out by looking at pictures.
Date published: 2016-09-19
Rated 3 out of
5
by
12437474636 from
Great Quality
I was really satisfied with the quality and fit of the bridle. However, neither him or I liked the way it put pressure on his poll.
Date published: 2016-09-19
Rated 3 out of
5
by
aarmstr from
Too Small
There was no oversize option available and the "horse" size was very small. Back it went. I was disappointed as I was really looking forward to trying this product. :-(
Date published: 2016-08-23
Rated 5 out of
5
by
ursila from
Nice quality, horse loves it
I researched, read, and talk to other bitless riders for months and went back and forth on the Dr. Book bitless bridle. I decided to try it based on SmartPak's great return policy. I had nothing to lose while I tried on one of my horses who is just not happy in even a gentle bit. I knew the first time we put it on that it would be good for him. He was happy, didn't throw his head around, walked forward with no fuss and stopped instantly with the very lightest pressure. The plus is that it looks beautiful on him. I have more to learn to teach him how to respond outside the ring but so far, we love it. I gave it 4 stars for price - everything is expensive now but it's bit high considering I had to buy reins separately.
Date published: 2016-08-23
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Lira from
Good, but...
My horse responds very well to the bridle, he started to collect himself easily, turn on a little tug of the rein. But the worst thing about it is when the horse did something correct, you cannot give him a full release- the beta material sticks and the only way you can release the pressure on your horse is pushing the rein thru the ring by hand (you have to do this at walk/halt of course or dismount which is very uncomfortable)- you cannot just "give" the reins to your horse... this disappointed me a lot and I am now waiting on a leather one to try it out!
P. S. it has a "dr robert cook" engraved on a beta plate on the top of the bridle which surprised me. The quality of the engraved letters is bad..
Date published: 2016-08-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
The Bean from
Soft
Love this bridle. Its soft and my horses work well with it.
Date published: 2016-07-07
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Patty from
Dr Cooks Beta Bitless Bridle
Hawk so appreciates the gentleness of the bridle yet follows the reining commands that is asked of him. I've only had him for 3 years whom I bought him off my friend. She said that the people that owned and trained him before used a harsh but which he has a permanent laceration across his tongue. So, you can see why I love this Bitless bridle.
Date published: 2016-06-08
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Lacie from
Nice looking bridle
I have only been able to use this a few times, but it is a nice looking bridle and my horse was very receptive to it. Also, it isn't leather, so cruelty free!
Date published: 2016-05-13
Rated 3 out of
5
by
M7200 from
Not a fan of the faux leather
Very functional and my horse is happy with this compared to the hackamore we were using. The faux leather is very plasticy and doesn't look fabulous. In retrospect I wish I had upgraded to the leather headstall.
Date published: 2016-05-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
blackjack10 from
Love it!
I have to start by saying I have a great horse, but he took so well, and so quickly to this bitless bridle that I have to give kudos to the great engineering as well! I went from a broken snaffle bit to bitless with this bridle, and there was almost no learning curve for both horse and rider. I got the synthetic leather version, and absolutely love the no-maintenance material. Sorry to gush, but I'm really happy with the whole thing!
Date published: 2016-05-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
MaddieD from
Best Bridle Ever!!!
I got this bridle for Christmas and when I rode my mare in it for the first time she was amazing! She was better then when we have a bit in! She was so soft and calm!
Date published: 2016-04-14
Rated 4 out of
5
by
CMac from
Great product
Used on my Ottb for fun. Looks great and he loves it!
Date published: 2016-04-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
angel from
amazing
I bought this and my horse loves it. Gentle and effective. Could not ask for a better bridle. Bitless is the way to go.
Date published: 2016-02-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
kissnkait from
My horse LOVES this bridle!!
I chose to try the Dr. Cook's Bitless bridle because my OTTB has a tendency to toss his head when we ride and bite down on the bit and try to pull the reins out of my hands. So, I really wanted to go bitless. Well, my horse loves this bridle. He is so relaxed now when we ride, he no longer tosses his head or tries to pull. He is head is relaxed and never too high and for the first time ever he has rounded at the canter with very light contact! It makes me so happy that my horse is so happy!
Date published: 2016-01-13
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Laura from
Happy Horse!
My big warmblood loves this bridle. He is soft and responsive in it. The material is great too. Very easy to clean and keep looking nice.
Date published: 2016-01-07
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Charlene from
Cooks bitless bridle
Love the bridle. Very comfortable for tbe horse.
I would recommend it this bridle for any type of horse.
Date published: 2015-12-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
StacyV from
Love the Beta Material
I previously wrote a positive review on the Dr. Cook's bitless beta bridle (scroll down). I would like to amend that I am quite pleased with the Beta material. I vacillated between purchasing the leather one, or the more economically priced Beta version. I went with the Beta to save on funds, as I was not sure how effective the bridle would be. I love both the bridle, AND the Beta material. It is low maintenance, but has a nice look to it. :-)
Date published: 2015-12-24
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Stacy V from
Light as a feather!
I own a light, sensitive, off-track young TB mare. In restarting her (working dressage & jumping), I have realized how 'less is more' with her. She stretches into the contact with a bit fine, but when I saw this Dr. Cook's bitless bridle, the design spoke to me and I thought it would be perfect for this mare! People tend to be traditional, and will look at me like I am nuts for going bitless on a hot, sensitive horse. I have found that my mare 'rides like butter' in this bridle, and has no fuss. She responded to it instantly, stretches down just as nicely, and has better turns. I have not experienced any spooks or bolts while riding in it, so I can not yet estimate how much control it offers in that situation, but it seems better than I expected. I am definitely keeping this bridle!
Date published: 2015-12-03
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Wendy B from
No more chomping!
I recently acquired a 13 Tennessee Walker and I didn't know anything about her background. She runs just a little hot at first, and her way to deal with tension was to chomp on her bit. If the bit had a shank, she pulled it into her mouth and chomped on that. She is a rather "mouthy" horse, so the chomping was just one of the struggles I faced with her. I tried three different bits, but after using Dr Cook's Bitless Bridle, she is much less mouthy with everything. She settles in on the trail much more quickly, yet she is still as responsive as she was with the bit in her mouth. Overall, she is a happier and calmer horse.
Date published: 2015-09-28
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Black Copper Farm from
Not crazy about metal rings
Decent bitless bridle but I'm not crazy about the rings on either side of the mouth-they will rub a horse raw in the wrong hands-
Date published: 2015-09-18
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Pualani from
Bitless is the way to go!
I love this product. Horses respond well to it and trust more. I have used product on horses that have experienced the misuse of a bit. They are no longer defensive and reactive. I recommend this product for beginners to they can learn the contact without aggravating the horse. I like the leather one better
Date published: 2015-09-15
Rated 5 out of
5
by
nina from
Love it!
I have one brown and one black to match my different saddles. I love them, my horse listens really well in it. Can even get an extended trot and a collected canter
Date published: 2015-09-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
pgwh from
Love it.
Going from a snaffle to this bitless bridle has been an easy and successful transition. It works well for my horse who used to be a lesson horse and was constantly rooting and pulling her head forward even with no contact. She no longer does this and I've had no problems with steering/stopping her for wtc and small jumps.
Date published: 2015-08-24
Rated 4 out of
5
by
momoftwoboys from
Love the bridle, but not the matching reins
I purchased the Beta Bitless Bridle and matching Beta Reins. I love the bridle and my horse, who has never used a bitless bridle, immediately responded positively too it. The downfall is that the matching reins are an awkward length and much too short. I'm going to return both the Beta Bitless Bridle and Beta Reins for Leather ones because the western reins are much longer.
Date published: 2015-07-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Winnie from
Love it!
This Bitless Bridle is awesome! I didn't really want to buy it but I thought, "Oh well, If I don't like it I can just send it back". (They do this free of charge). But I don't want to send it back now!! My thirteen year old girl rides her Appy mare in it all the time and she does great! Even with Barrel racing and jumping!! She needs a lot of control and I DID NOT think it would have enough control for her (She's pretty head strong) but this works great! She use to toss her head a lot with a Hackamore but she doesn't AT ALL with this bridle. It's very easy to clean, seems VERY durable and fairly easy to put on. It just takes a little more time to put on because of there being two chin straps. It's a really good design and I would definitely recommend this product. Well worth the money!
Date published: 2015-07-13
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Desert Dweller from
Dr. Cooks (in my opinion) is the best in Bit-Less
This is my 3rd Bit-less Bridle. they are everything and more in what is professed.
I recommend Dr. Cooks 100%
Date published: 2015-06-17