The goal isn't to ride without a bridle. It's to build the partnership that makes one optional.

Hi, I'm Lyla

I believe that success with horses comes from understanding and connection.

For over 20 years I've specialised in a unique blend of horsemanship principles alongside sensitively applied traditional ground and ridden techniques, helping riders of any discipline achieve transformational results with their horses.

I first rode my gorgeous mare Arielle bridleless well over 20 years ago. Some of my photos date back to 2003, when Arielle was still dapple grey 😱

In those days you'd often be told how irresponsible and dangerous it was. I think people assumed we'd just whipped the bridle off to see what would happen, not that we'd spent hours and hours, over months and months, teaching our horses to listen to our body cues. To go, to stop, to turn, over and over again, until it was so finely tuned that we didn't need the bridle.

This year I was honoured to be the Relationship Judge in the dressage section of the British Bridleless Competition. I had the final nod on whether each combination was safe to take the bridle off and go fully bridleless, and I'm happy to say I didn't need to use it.

There were horses prepared for this from very young, competition horses, horses with a challenging past and everything in between. Proof that with the right preparation, anything is possible.

We're not trying to compare ourselves to others, and we're not saying bridles are bad (most of us use one as well). It's about showing what's possible, and letting that partnership be seen.

Lyla 🦄💞