Can you be sure that when riding in a bitless bridle and the horse spooks and you jerk on the reins that it's not going to squeeze too hard on the sensitive nerves at the poll??  Hey... if you can't use a bit why not squeeze the heck out of your horses head?

That's all I'm going to say about that.

It doesn't work as harshly as you imagine....you should try one on your horse!

 Thanks for everyones input. 

And yes Hidden Farm we can't go bitless in dressage, and the owners had tried that with a hackamore going western, but he didn't respond well to it. 

We have found a german silver french link eggbutt bit, that he seems to be ejoying. Instead of opening his mouth now constently he opens it at the beginning when warming up but starts chewing the bit and gets all drooley over it lol. 

I have gone back to the beginning with him and getting contact on the reins slowly and releasing as soon as he gives and praising him and he is improving. I also don't over do it with him, he goes round with my riding with my seat into my hands and barely any contact, but we can't have slack reins. so we are working on finding the sweet spot were he is happy and i have consistend contact with him. He does not have any teeth problems, as we had the vet come out and check. 

it seems to us that he was abused when he  was broke, and had his mouth and tongue ripped open. this horse is sooo soft and subtle after warming up, that it is a shame that he opens his mouth and plays with his tongue out. he is so in tune with his rider and waits for cues. 

PicassoReflex:

I have gone back to the beginning with him and getting contact on the reins slowly and releasing as soon as he gives and praising him and he is improving. 

There was actually a study done that found some bitless bridles put a lot of pressure on the horse's face and are not necessarily "more gentle" than bits. Link here (you have to join the site to see the articles) -- http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19877&src=topic

From the article:

Early studies on one type of bitless bridle, on the other hand, showed that the pressure on the nose, under the chin, and on the poll is quite high, Clayton added. Although this research is still in its early stages, Clayton said she isn't convinced the bitless bridle is more humane.

"Some people are under the impression that if you take the bit out of the horse's mouth, then you solve a lot of problems--that the bit is a source of pain," she said. "I would caution you that taking the bit away and simply putting pressure on the horse's nose may not be a cure-all."

Even so, the bitless bridle might be a "useful alternative" for horses that are unable to wear a bit, such as those with a lacerated tongue, she said.

Well, I did say that my last post was my last but I have to answer this one. I say the "proof is in the pudding" and if you haven't tried a Dr. Cook's bridle, then don't condemn it. I have a dozen horses here, all using Dr. Cook's bridles. There are many sizes, age ranges and breeds involved. Three of them are TBs off the track. It's been my experience over 38 years that when horses react to extra pressure from a bit (as in the case of a spook or runaway, or more recently in my observance of local people running barrels and pole bending) that the horse will open his mouth and point his nose up to the sky in an effort to get away from the pressure. With our horses, first of all, there is normally little need to put extra pressure on the reins. Sometimes we get a small rider on a larger horse and the horse needs a bit of extra pull on the rein because the little rider's light weight isn't felt by the school horse. There is no mouth open (obviously) and no skyward nose, not much of a reaction at all except for stopping like he should. I would think that if there were excess pressure causing discomfort on the nose, under the chin or on the poll, we would be able to see some sort of uncomfortable reaction from the horse? People call me a "bleeding heart" when it comes to horses and my concern for making sure that the horses are not in pain....believe me, if the horses were showing any signs of discomfort at all with these bridles, we would not use them. 

I don't see anyone here condemning the Dr. Cook bridle.  It's just another tool in the tool box, but I do see you condemning the use of a bit.  Any well rounded horse person will use whatever works for that particular horse.  When I see a horse going around with its head in the air and its mouth open, I always look to the rider first.  Usually this person does not have an independant seat, uses their hands for balance, uses no leg whatsoever and rides the horses head.  If not the rider, then it's always some other physical problem, not caused by a bit.  Hundreds of thousands, hell even millions of horses go around every day perfectly comfortable and happy with a piece of metal in their mouth.

Any well educated/experienced horse person will know horses that go around with heads in the air and mouths open, more likely than not, are not being ridden correctly, not because they have a bit in their mouth.  A properly fitted bit does not cause pain...  like I said before, it's the hands behind them that do the damage.  I see this alot in gaming because the horses are being ridden totally with the hands and not with the seat.  Even a horse in a bitless bridle being ridden with all hand is going to go around with its head in the air because... They are not being ridden from behind!    

I agree with BHK. Well put.