Going Bitless

On Friday I had my first ride in a true bitless bridless (a Micklem bridle)

obviously, not Indy

It was fascinating how easy it was to ride in this and how much didn't change about the way I needed to ride Indy.  Actually, not having the bit for me to interfere with allowed me to work on a lot more lateral work than I have done recently with him because I couldn't over-rely on the bit, thus had to actually correctly apply the leg and seat aids and he couldn't get braced and stiff.  All in all, it is really interesting to explore things with an honest, safe horse.  He obviously liked the bitless option, too, he always seems pretty darn content with life but I really sensed that yesterday.