Putting on bridle?

Mr Ed

Active Member
Mar 1, 2009
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Hi, as many of you know, I'm a new owner (novice/mature rider)

New boy, Ed doesnt care how I put on his tack, particularly if he has a hay net nearby. I could put it on backwards, forwards, upside down and he would just munch.......bless.

However, I would like to start smartening up my act! I have the saddle, pad, saddle and girth all sorted. I'm now pretty good with head collar, slip nots and headcollar over bridle etc.

My most difficult moment is putting on the bridle (largely becuase by this point he is extremely engrossed in his hay net, as the rest of the stuff takes me so long!). When I put it on, I tend to put my right arm under his chin and wrap my arm up around his head and use my left hand to guide the bit to his mouth. It is by no means slick, but inbetween a bites of hay and me messing around he always accepts it.

The question is should I be wrapping my right hand around his head in that way, or should I just hold it above his face, without going under the chin???

I do realise that I probably need to remove the hay net..... :)
 
thats how i have allways been taught to do it :)

i will never have a haynet nearby when im tacking up, i think its bad manners for them to be eating. it also gets all stuck round the bit.

sounds like you are doing good so far :D
 
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beki, I know you are are right about the hay net. But new boy lives by his tum and it takes me a while to pick his feet, groom him, detangle his gorgeously thick welshy tail and main. Finally, I do the bridle.

Maybe I am a bit 'soft', but I would feel mean tying him up for 20/25 minutes while I mess about ( and it makes me feel more relaxed that he his happy).

The other day, I tried undoing the hay net and throwing it six foot away before putting the bridle on - then giving it back to him when fully tacked up (as I tend to tie him up while await wait for friends)..

Good news, that wrapping my right hand around his head sounds right. I try to avoid any horsey experts form seeing this bit! Same as I avoid them watching me clambering on (if mounting block isnt free) :)
 
I've never wrapped my right arm around the head.:) I hold the bridle above the noseband in my right hand and keep it down low. I stick my left thumb in horsie's mouth where there aren't any teeth, and use the fingers of my left hand to guide the bit in.

My suggestion is to get rid of the haynet.:) I've always been taught never to let a horse eat with a bit in his mouth. Not good manners. And really, I think it's good for a horse to learn to stand tied patiently (without having a haynet). 20-25 minutes isn't really much time at all. It's not uncommon for working ranch horses to stand tied for hours at a time. I don't deliberately do that to my horses, but I do expect them to learn to stand patiently while being groomed and tacked.
 
Sounds like you're doing just fine to me, but you could always let your boy have his net while you're grooming him but remove it before you tack up if you're worried about him eating with his bit in?
 
I do the bridle Peace's way and agree about the haynet. I have a very greedy Haflinger, who is only 4. She has learned to stand still while I mess about - it's very easy to teach. Every time they move just one little step forward, you quietly put them back to where they were. Again. And again, and again. She has now learned to stand where I put her and everything is so much easier.
 
Hi all. Doesnt sound like I'm doing too badly on the bridle front, but think I definitely need to get rid of the hay net. I'm sure he's fine without one, it's probably just been comforting for me, as I know he is happy/occuppied while I take ages......doing everything!

Next time, I will take it away before tack-up....

I do need to have more confidence admitted. But overall its all working out well and I am loving having him..
 
I have a similarly food-obsessed horse, and will often have a haynet there if I am giving him a long groom. It just means he is relaxed. But after the saddle goes on, I undo the leadrope, turn him away from the haynet, and then put on the bridle. If he is waiting a while before we set off riding, I tend to leave him in his headcollar, eating, and just put on the bridle at the last minute. I do agree with the others though, that it is a good idea to sometimes make them stand without the food, so that they learn to do so calmly.
 
i always put my arm round the head and do it that way. i was always taught that you have (marginally) more control if any did happen.
agree with the rest though, i'd remove haynet before putting his bridle on as hay could get wrapped round his bit and then he'd be uncomfortable. also i do think its good manners. i think every horse should stand tied up without a haynet for as long as you want them to (i'm not a heartless c*w who leaves them for 6 hours!!!) and 25 mins is no time at all. Its probably better for him not to be exercised with a belly full of hay! Just think, when we take hunters hunting, they can be without hay for hours. not ideal, but they really will survive!
 
I have a similarly food-obsessed horse, and will often have a haynet there if I am giving him a long groom. It just means he is relaxed. But after the saddle goes on, I undo the leadrope, turn him away from the haynet, and then put on the bridle. If he is waiting a while before we set off riding, I tend to leave him in his headcollar, eating, and just put on the bridle at the last minute. I do agree with the others though, that it is a good idea to sometimes make them stand without the food, so that they learn to do so calmly.

What she ^ says! You sound like you're doing it proper job!
 
I've found that Peppermint wipes can be very helpful. You wipe them on the bit and a little while they are really happy to have that bit. Also, a lump of sugar, right before you do the bridle. It can be great for that and they seem to get into foaming at the bit and being happy faster!:cool:
 
Hi,
There really is no "proper" way to do it. But in pony club there is a specific way that they would like us to do it. What they want is for us to hold the crown peice in our right
hand and put that hand on their poll, in between their ears and guide the bit with our left hand. That way the horse cant put his/her head up high. I find it works on absolutely any horse I have ever tacked up and thats a lot. But if how your doing it works keep it up cause like I said there really is no proper way.
 
Hi,
There really is no "proper" way to do it. But in pony club there is a specific way that they would like us to do it. What they want is for us to hold the crown peice in our right
hand and put that hand on their poll, in between their ears and guide the bit with our left hand. That way the horse cant put his/her head up high. I find it works on absolutely any horse I have ever tacked up and thats a lot. But if how your doing it works keep it up cause like I said there really is no proper way.

Glad to hear that, I was beginning to think I was the only one who did it like this. The hand under the chin method seems more difficult to me because a) you've got a hand full of straps and b) what do you do next? don't you still have to bring your hand back under the chin to get the top of the bridle and lift it over their ears? (this is where it would all fall apart for me! :))
 
^ I do it this way too :)

And I always tack up Ben while he has a full haynet :D

Never had any problems about him moving about!

He comes away from the hay when asked, I suppose at 18 years old thats
the way is going to stay;
He is such a good boy that today he snuck out of his paddock as I was putting the other two in, He was loose on 4 acres of lush grass :eek: but I walked up to him and he just let me put his headcollar back on, bless him.
 
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