Help- taking the bit!!!

[clareg]

Hi
Im a very novice rider in every and have recently bought my own horse. She is an absolute angel in every way except when she is getting her bridle on.
i thought it was just because I wasnt too sure about what I was doing but Im getting lessons now and even my instructor struggles for 10 - 20 minutes to get her to take the bit!!!!
To start with, she lifts her head and also clamps her mouth shut! If you put your fingers in her mouth and get her to open she then grabs the bit between her teeth to stop you moving it back!!! Once tacked up, she doesnt react in any way that would indicate a problem with her teeth(Ive also had her teeth checked by an equine dentist) but when I take her bridle off, I have to hold her head down to stop her lifting her head and catching the bit in her teeth again!!!

Im finding now that Im only riding her when Im getting a lesson or when someone else is there to help me tack her up so Im looking for any suggestions or help!!!!

thanks
Clare xx

[cvb]

Hi Clare

I did a description of the way I bridle somewhere on another thread - will see if I can find it again.

But some preparation work.....

You want to teach your horse to be comfortable with her head and with lowering it.

Is she ok to touch all over her head ? If not, then spend time rubbing her and working slowly into the 'no go' areas.

Then start to work on getting her to yeild to pressure, on her nose and on her poll. A parelli-style approach should work her (check the natural horsemanship forum for various conversations).
i.e. you start with a light pressure and hold for a couple of seconds before increasing the level of pressure - release the instant the horse gives to the pressure. At this stage it does not matter if the head comes back up again.

(for nose pressure you can ask her to step back).

Then ask again, until you get to the point where she is lowering her head and staying down.

..now I'm going to look for the previous thread.....

[cvb]

:mad:

can't find the thread, despite a few different searches/keywords...

its a shame as there were some good descriptions on it ...

[clareg]

Hi, thanks for your advice, Ill read up on that stuff.
in answer to your question, she does not bother at all if you touch her head, ears, nose etc and doesnt bother about headcollars- only her bridle!!!

[cvb]

aw shucks - guess I'll try rewrite it from scratch.....

put the reins over the horses neck.

stand next to the horse, on the left hand side, facing forward.

put your right arm under the horses chin, round the right hand side of his face so your hand is over his nose.

put the middle part of the bridle in your right hand (which is now over the horses nose), so that the bit hangs just below the horses mouth.

with your left hand, curl down all but your thumb and little finger and spread the bit across the hand, palm up (little finger and thumb keep the bit open). stick a thumb in the corner of the horses mouth and ask him to open. It may take a moment for him to react, and you may need to wriggle your thumb.

As he opens his mouth lift your right hand up and raise the bridle so the bit just slides into his mouth.

As your horse tends to try and 'bite' the bit, try to keep your thumb in the corner.....

Once the bit is in the mouth, keeping your right hand on the middle of the bridle, use your (now free) left hand to put one ear of the bridle over, and then (releasing the right hand) the second ear over.

Advantage is that the right hand over the horse helps keep the head down and the bit ready to go in the mouth.

Be patient. If she clamps down,just wait, and stick a thumb in the corner of her mouth.

You can also try and make her look forward to the bit by putting some molasses on it every so often.;)

[horsemad]

A few months ago, my horse went through a phase of not wanting to accept the bit - she threw her head up, clamped her teeth together etc. It was extremely frustrating - and it meant I never knew how long it would take to get her tacked up.

Anyway, I started to give her a titbit when I eventually got the bit in her mouth - and it only took 2 or 3 times doing this for her to associate accepting the bit with getting something tasty. As soon as she sees the bridle now, she actually moves towards me, she is in such a hurry to get her 'reward'!

[clareg]

Hi

thanks for that - I have been trying that as well and now the only time that I give her a treat is after she takes the bit but that doesnt seem to convince her!!!

[Crazy horse2601]

keep working at it clareg. she will eventually realise that a bit is not a nasty thing and that she will get a treat after it's in. How long have you had her? if you haven't had her long then you might find that the more you et to know each other the easier to tack up etc. anyway good luck and keep trying!:D :)

[galadriel]

What kind of bit do you have? Is it one of the "flavored" metals? (sweet iron, copper, and I think German silver has a tang to it too) Maybe it tastes yucky to her.

Maybe the bit is the wrong shape for her mouth. Maybe the way it works bugs her. You could try different bit designs.

One of my horses HATES bits. I got her a Happy Mouth and she's much more relaxed about it. ("apple flavored" plastic)

If you still can't figure it out, the molasses/honey on the bit thing is reputed to work. There's another thought I could offer you, too. While you're working to get her to accept the bit willingly, you could try using a halter-bridle. I understand they were originally designed for endurance, but they can be used for any discipline.

Put the halter part on, and clip a lead rope to it. Hold the lead rope, and then put the bit in and clip it to the halter. This should help a little in keeping her from flinging her head about and hurting you. Don't use it to play tug-of-war; she will win. Try to get her to accept the bit willingly--but if she pulls, just make sure she doesn't hit YOU.

Here is a halter-bridle:
http://www.tack-wholesale.com/Aussie1402_Combo.jpg
See the D rings up on the cheeks? You can snap the cheekpieces (attached to the bit) on and off. You can thus have the bridle on and THEN put the bit on :)

(If you've seen these, please pardon the long description. Some people have never heard of them.)

[Cathy Reynolds]

Try a different material - Benny DETESTS stainless but loves the Happy Mouth stuff and is happy in a copper one, too