Bitless or keep the bit?

There is no way to be sure. Usually you can do both, but you can't go for too long bitless and then expect your horse to bit up for the show and give you a top performance. I would be sure you still work your horse in a bit on a regular basis to keep her polished. My horses could be ridden either way, but I made sure to keep them bitted regularly, just not the majority of the time. Given their druthers, they will choose the Dr. Cook every time.