Why riding without a bridle is the ultimate test between horse and rider.

"Look where you are going" or "look up" are probably two phrases we have all heard at some point in our riding career.

When starting out with riding horses you are being taught that riding horses is done with with your body language by looking up where you want to go and by using your balance.

However as we progress in our riding career the question is how much do we actually use our body to ride or a better question yet is how much do we depend on the reins?

As Pat Parelli once said "The more we use the reins the less they use their brains."

Going for a bridle-less ride with your horse is the best way to see how much you actually rely on your reins when riding or if in-fact you let your horse use their brains by riding with your body language.

Going for a neck-rope ride every once in a while is a great way to both mentally challenge your horse as well as challenging yourself and your riding ability to see how (in) dependend you are of your reins and is therefor the ultimate communication test between horse and rider.