#I love seeing neckrein dressage because the horse's head position isn't dictated by the bit in their mouth

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

As someone who worked with horses for many years and studied equine science in university, I can say that "acceptance of the bit" is... kind of bs. So even if you're new to horses, OP, I'd say you're definitely on the right track of minimising your restriction of your horse's movements!

The only reason a curb bit was established in classical dressage was because you 1) proved that you could ride enough that you wouldn't hang off the horse's mouth and 2) you were probably going to be riding one handed and potentially be in a battle. Or just were showing off how fancy and powerful your horses were to the lords and ladies of the court.

But we know self carriage does not require a bit - self carriage is the result of the horse being built up correctly to lift their back, engage their core and hold themselves with the correct posture to carry a rider effectively. Self carriage is properly demonstrated when there is no pressure on the horse's mouth. Not when they're leaning into the bit or ducking behind it because it's too uncomfortable to "accept" the bit.

I heard a modern dressage trainer say, very confidently, that "some horses actually LIKE being behind the bit (aka their nose tucked towards their chest, compressing their windpipe, hyperflexing their neck muscles and causing long term damage to their nuchal ligament) - if your horse prefers to crank their head and neck into an uncomfortable and potentially painful position to avoid the bit in their mouth, maybe you need to be considering what on earth you are doing??

What we see in modern dressage is young horses bred for "flashy" gaits, that are not built up correctly, rushed into Grand Prix moves they're not ready for and forced into a "frame" by the curb bit. Luckily for these rich competitors, the double bridle is mandatory in most tests (though there may be some push to do tests in a snaffle now) - so they HAVE to use these horrible bits even though some horse's mouths can't even accomodate 2 bits without extreme discomfort.

The requirement for the bit and the mythology around the bit is only because the elitist and the rich - the main class of people who are competing in competitive dressage, would not be able to rush their horses and make money off them if they didn't have all their harsh bits and training gadgets. They want to believe that there is nothing wrong with what they're doing. Even though their horses are hobbling with borderline lameness around the dressage arena with blue tongues from the pressure of the bit, flinging out hollow and tense bodies and barely able to shift their weight into their haunches for a proper piaffe.

I encourage new people to the hobby/sport to not let themselves be swayed into the culture of normalised abuse by coaches and trainers. Don't let anyone tell you that you "need" to use a particular piece of equipment or bit. Or that your horse is "going to waste" because you just like hanging out with them in the padddock or doing groundwork and clicker training instead of trotting around in circles.

Most horses actually don't like being ridden and would prefer to chill in a paddock with their friends all day.

wanted to share clips of this beautiful dressage test done in France. To a certain level you can perform your test without a bridle.

Anyway I’m still a horse noob so I don’t know too much theory but I know “acceptance of the bit” is generally considered a big part of English riding but I feel more inclined to work on riding on a loose rein lately. I like the concept of minimizing our restrictions on the way the horse can move his body during riding. Seeing that even the more advanced movements can be performed with minimal equipment just makes me feel good, I guess. I don’t think I’ll ever be this good a rider but I do really want to try and train Wonder to neck rein at least.