Any tips for horse that raises his head before you put bridle on....

[Vik2]

I have had my new horse for about 7 weeks now and he has been fine getting the bridle on ...up until one week ago.

Now he raises his head high in the air when I try to put the bridle on. I am very gentle with him and slowly get his head back down but we do have a bit of a struggle for a good 5 mins or so.... He is such a sweetie in every other way so I don't want to be really firm and hold his head - or do I need to firm up a bit in order to nip this in the bud???

Tried some carrot last night for some bribing and that helped a little bit.

I think it has co-incided with him getting his booster Stangles jab about one week ago (jab in the lip) and he could be a bit funny about his mouth now. Although he wasnt like this the 1st time he got his stangles...

One of the girls at the yard said her horse developed this behaviour after about 6 weeks of owning...

Could I be doing anything that may cause this??

He is new and all up to date with dentist / saddle fitting / vet checked etc so no health issues causing this...

Thanks for any advice on how to overcome this. He was fine before so want to get it back to normal again.

Maybe he is just being cheeky now he is more familiar???

[eventerbabe]

first thing that crossed my mind when i read this was to check you haven't been inadvertantly banging his teeth with the bit. that can sometimes have this effect on them. or he may still be feeling a little tender after the jabs, or be worried he might be getting another injection!

you have only had Brodie a short time and he may have only just got over his settling in phase. he's reasonably young (i think? didn't you say he was 7?) so i'd still expect some teenage tantrums from him now and again. he's bound to start testing you out and seeing how far he can push the boundries at some point, but its perfectly normal for them to do this. and remember, he will still be learning to trust you

[Caroline Cole]

Funnily enough, my horse tried this with me a few times recently (I've only had him 3 months).

As well as sticking the head in the air he swung his legs round too.He gets angry if I tell him off and I though there could be a problem so I took the softly softly approach.

I was in a bit of a mood last week when he tried it again and shouted ' Oh, for goodness sake stand still and give me your head!' He was so suprised!

I make sure I do definite moves now to put his bridle on and grab his nose if he tries to move away.He respects me now for not being mamby pampy.

Hopefully this will work for your horse.As long as he's not sore or remembering pain, he's probably just being naughty. hehehe

[andreaB]

my first horse , a big lad , started this a couple of minths after i got him too , basically trying it on

as a new owner it can be a bit awkward trying to offer a traet & get the bridle on simultaneously

i used an apple flavoured spray , designed for older horses with loss of appetite , i sprayed it on the bit & my hand & hey presto!! whilst he was busy licking my hand his head was down , mouth open , bit in easy!!

i know its cheating but over time we could do away with the spray & no more issues

[horsey1]

My horse puts his head in the air and curls his lips up as well as though he was smiling (he's an odd boy) and eventually his head comes down, whats that all about then

[DITZ]

put one hand on his nose and put pressure on when he raises his head and release pressure when he drops it.

[Unbridled]

I had this problem with Sugar when I first got her. It wasn't the bridle or bit that bothered her, it was taking hold of her nose. Her old owners had made a habit of trying to drag her around by the nostrils (I didn't know this until recently!) and so she hated having a hand on or around her nose. With patience and effort, I got her more used to it, but bitting her always took 3--5 minutes. One day I was standing in front of her and holding up the bridle to get a kink out of the cheek piece and she just reached out and took the bit on her own. Now that's how I always bit her: just hold the bridle up with the bit out and she'll take it on her own immediately. I ride western so I'm not sure if this would work with a bridle that has a noseband...but anything is worth a shot, right?

[Tootsie4U]

If it just developed recently and suddenly, are you sure the bit fits and is positioned correctly in his mouth? And of course, there's the obvious question about his teeth.

Simple way to fix this one; teach 'head down cue'. Teach it with a halter first. Ask by placing your hand on his poll and adding downward pressure to the hatler with your other hand. The second the head comes down even a fraction of an inch, lift your hand off the poll and stop pulling. Continue with this until he drops his head to the level of your hip with only a touch on his poll. Then start adding the bridle. Ask for him to drop his head by touching his poll and offer him the bit. If he raises his head again, ask him to drop it and offer the bit. Continue until he realizes you have more patience than him. This will only work as long as he's not doing it out of a pain response. Your only hope then is to fix why it hurts.

[Portia]

Similar problem when I first got the mare. Wasn't good taking the bridle off either...
I took off all leatherwork bar the essentials ie no nose band, no throat lash. Have the bit as well as a polo in your hand and wait for her/him to drop his head down for the treat (bribery i know - but also creating pleasant associations ). Bit in and then slowly off, repeat several times, big pat and turn out.

I did this for perhaps coming on for a week, gradually increasing lorinery attachments, no probs at the end.

[^_^pEpPeRpOt^_^]

I have the same problem with my horse, she puts her head really high, so i do what DITZ said and put pressure on her nose and eventually she puts her head down. Although sometimes she takes the mick and shoves her head right down on to her chest so my arms trapped.

[virtuallyhorses]

Yep, I'm a briber - I don't like that word though. It's training with a positive reward. Training is always about matching the method that works best with the result you want - treats are simply one method.

Molasses\apple sauce\honey on the bit (not on your hand unless you are trying to teach the horse to lick your hand). Don't use any pressure - don't go too fast . Allow the horse to lick the treat off the bit. Then move move the bit away\down so that the horse learns to stretch for the bit. Then using your hands to open the leather work - work towards having the horse open its mouth accept the bit. Carry on with incremental improvements until the horse puts the bridle on by itself. Drop the molasses on the bit gradually (one day with, one day without) and replace by giving a treat after you have done up the buckles.

If you do this with patience you will have a horse that can't wait to put the bridle on - I have to make mine WAIT till I've sorted myself out or he'll be so busy trying to put it on that he'll have slobbered half the bridle! I hold the bridle about 6 inches away and he comes and puts in on. About every 3rd or 5th time I give him a treat now - the unreliability of the treat now makes him more eager to get it perfect and work out what the secret combination of things are that he must do in order to get one.

[Vik2]

Great, thanks, will give the honey on the bit a go!
Thanks.
Vicki.

[StephA]

Yep...I had this with Harry...he was a complete b*****d with it. He would squeal and jump about aswell like I was trying to kill him or something.

I just had to work with him and be patient (although I wasnt very patient atall and actually gave up a few times).

Try putting your reins over (I have to undo and put them round his neck as he doesnt like stuff going over his face) then holding the bridle above the nose piece with your right hand and sliding it up his nose...that way if he tries to throw his head you can push back down with your right hand whilst guiding with the bit with your left...if they feel your hand over their nose alot of the time they wont throw up their head.

I used to put the bridle on different (holding at the top) but have found it alot better this way as you have more control over their head.

Just a suggestion and you could always do it like this already!! good luck and keep calm...so hard but really works!!

x

[Loopslou]

Amber came back from the training yard like this because she was in pain. Once I got her mouth sorted, I put minty toothpaste on her bit. She also hates pressure on her nose, so the toothpaste worked a treat. Now everyone on the yard laughs at us because as soon as I put the reins over her head she stands with her mouth open waiting for the bit!

[Jinxsea]

Well, at the barn I ride at I see alot of horses doing that. Sometimes they just like to be trouble and make a game out of it. What I sujest is a chair thing to stand on, or maybe tempt her with a peice of an apple or something.