I just purchased a 5 year old unstarted Andalusian/Tb gelding Very sweet, very tall 16.3 H. In the month that I owned him to not be a Bull in the China shop, taught him to lunge at the walk /Trot using a Cavesson , talked my retired Horse trainer husband to come out of retirement to help me back him. So far after 6 rides the horse is balanced both sides turning in both the walk and trot. I have been on him at the walk. The issue is we cannot get a bridle with bit on him. We have been riding with a Monty Roberts Dually Halter(similar to a side pull) In the past I have always been able to slip a bit in a young horse’s mouth let them get used to it and ride with it. With this horse we had to teach him to lower his head. He will do that to change from the halter to Cavasson to Dually. We used a carrot stick initially than applied Honey to it which he liked then used a Happy Mouth bit with the honey on it. After he throws his head and tosses it out of my hand I can get it to his lips and maybe have him open his mouth slightly. Not enough to slide it in. Also he never pulls away or tries to run away he stops and allows us to try again.
When he first came he would barely open his mouth for a treat. I started doing mouth work, massaging the corners of his mouth, rubbing his gums. He is not a fan but tolerates it. When it comes to the bit he is less tolerant. I also know when a horse is nervous he will tighten his mouth. He seems very comfortable around us and his new buddies and pasture.
Being that I was an Equine Massage therapist, I wonder if he could have some underlying TMJ/jaw issues? I am going to try peppermint on the bit. Anyone else have any suggestions. I do not want to battle with a tall horse that uses his height to avoid the bridle. I am tall but my instructor is not! My Vet is coming out in a few weeks. I will have her check his TMJ and Jaw if I have not figured this out. I am open to any suggestions and/or insights. This really is a nice horse and I was lucky to find him. He just has a few holes in his education.
huh?
thanks for fixing it!!
Has the dentist been out to do his teeth?
First things first. Has the dentist/DVM been out to do his teeth? Does he still have wolf teeth? If so, get those out of there and do the first 15 rides in the dually halter. I NEVER start mine in a bridle. Ever.
If you’re just struggling to get the bit near his mouth without him pulling away, get a cheap one you don’t mind destroying and have him eat his grain around it, throw one in his water buckets, hang them from his stall walls etc.
Have his teeth checked.
Start with a simple narrow unjointed bit. I used an overcheck bit with tiny rings.
Get some twizzlers licorice sticks. Slide them sideways into his mouth. A few days in a row.
Then wrap your bit in a piece of fruit wrap. Use a headstall you can undo one cheek piece. If the bit has tiny rings then slide it in from the side. do this a few days. Then put the bit in past his teeth. Just take your time.
I forgot to mention the dentist. His teeth were done before I purchased him and his wolf teeth are gone.
Twizzlers and a fruit wrap!!! what a great idea! I will try that and continue riding in the side pull.
Thanks!!
I start bridling with a Happy Mouth instead of a metal bit. That way if they jerk away and hit their teeth, it’s not as much of a problem. #1 on wrapping the bit in some fruit leather. It’s not as messy as honey and will last longer so the horse enjoys the bit. Mine have always preferred apricot fruit rollups over apple and other flavors I’ve tried. Pretty soon they’ll be opening wide to receive the bit.
Start with a rubber bit so there is no way to knock his teeth.
This does sound like a horse that has has had a bridle taken off incorrectly and the bit hit his teeth.
You need to get him confidence in the bit that this will never happen again.
Can you please go up and edit your opening post. It looks like half dissappeared so we are missing the 2nd half of the story.
Can you undo the cheek pieces and slide just the but by itself into his mouth and then reassemble the bridle? Or can you not get him to open his mouth at all?
I slathered molasses on the bit. Worked well.
These are cheap and much less messy than molasses. They stick to the bit nicely and take a few minutes to suck off.
I’ve always just laid the bit on top of a handful of grain. They open their mouth to eat the grain, bit goes in. Easy. But I will say the fruit rollups idea is wonderful! The other thing I would suggest is have no reins, cavesson, anything on the headstall other than the bit. Bridle him in his stall. Once he takes the bit, remove it and reward. Do this several times until he takes the bit easily. Then, leave him in his stall for a few minutes (not longer!) to get adjusted to the feeling of the bit in his mouth without any other distractions. After a few days of that, you can get back to lungeing him. I would put the headstall with bit on him, then the lungeing cavesson over that. It just takes time and patience.
I will answer everyone’s questions. I added the rest of my post. I am not sure what happened to half of it. I was having trouble posting it so fortunately copied it to the clipboard.
I am using a Happy Mouth bit without the headstall. I am holding it in my hands by the rings so I can also massage the corners of his mouth.
As far as I know he has never had a bit in his mouth. When he first came he was very tight in the mouth. It took a week of gentle mouth and lip massage to get him to chew. Once he started chewing I can now massage his gums.
I cannot get him to open his mouth for the bit and he is so tall. Unfortunately lowering his head is not an immediate response for him. After some work I can hold the bit against his teeth and maybe slide it in part way.
I think I answered the dentist question already. Was done apparently not a problem and wolf teeth are gone. Again I purchased him out of state and do not know the dentist.
Can you do a hyoid release on him to help with the tension? Can you get him to drop his poll if you apply pressure, or does he press against it?
My mare took a month to learn to bridle. It takes time for some of them. She also had some poll and jaw tension. The first time we tried she flew backward when the bit touched her tongue. I worked with her almost every day. What was key was not giving her a release when she tried to fling her head or escape. My hands did not move from her head or mouth until she made a movement towards giving: opening her lips, dropping her head, opening her teeth, licking the bit. I spent a lot of time with my arms stretched out. But, that’s okay.
At the same time, I was teaching her to take syringe medication, so every day I had to put a syringe full of molasses in her mouth. She soon learned it was no big deal to have things in her mouth. But again… time.
Undoing one of the cheekpieces and sliding the bit in is also a good way to help teach them.
Pick up a bradoon hanger so you don’t have a whole bridle to mess with. Just one simple strap to slip over his ears once he takes the bit.
You could let him hang out in his stall for a bit with one of these in his mouth; https://www.horsebitemporium.com/products/original-meroth-leather-snaffle-standard
Thanks everyone. I think Time is the major key here. He has learned a lot in the month that he has been with us and taken everything in stride. Maybe it is just time to reinforce what he knows and to continue working on his accepting the bit, having things in his mouth and lowering his head. When I lunge him he is starting to lower his head on his own.
Poor guy went from a Southern climate to Pennsylvania Summer/Fall climate!
Whaaaat…$108???
For an irish martingale that you can buy for $15-25???
http://www.hought.com/endtrf-im.html
https://www.nunnfiner.com/Nunn-Finer-Irish-Martingale-p/65ha.htm
The horse seems to have some training holes…
- Put head down cue
- Open you mouth cue
- Let me touch your mouth/gums
- Let me grab your tongue
Work on training vs equipment.
I’m having trouble envisioning some of this. Before the week of mouth massage that allowed him to chew, how was he eating his food? When you say you can slide the bit in part way, what is the block to getting it farther?
Would you have more luck with a headstall attached, or a bradoon hanger, as helpfully suggested above? With both hands on the bit you don’t have a lot of options, and a headstall would help with that.
Is he markedly different from previous greenies you’ve taught about bitting, or is this a new adventure for you both?
Congrats on finding such a lovely prospect! It sounds like you’re taking a patient approach with him that will surely be the beginnings of a happy partnership. 
I would never try to “slide” a bit into a young horses mouth in the way you’re describing. Attempting to be sneaky would just teach them to be more avoidant and lock their jaw or throw their head in the air which sounds like already started.
I would teach the horse to:
- allow me to put my hand near his head/ on his poll without a reaction.
- allow me to put my other hand on the side of his mouth without a reaction.
- allow me to put a finger in the corner of his mouth and ask him to open his mouth without a reaction.
- allow me to put the bit up to his mouth without a reaction.
- allow me to, open his mouth, put the bit in, and nicely drop it out without a reaction.
- THEN I would ask the horse to open his mouth, lift the bit in without a reaction.
If you’re trying to cram a bit into this horse’s mouth before doing the prerequisites, you’re going to cause issues. If your horse is throwing its head and acting like a defiant giraffe you’ve gone to fast and need to go back several steps.
