I have a mare who tosses her head and chews the bit excessively. I’ve tried a few bits and have her in a soft Happy Mouth. I also had her teeth done. She is new to me so I don’t know much about her history. Any suggestions on how to solve this? She’s a good horse with no other vices.
The bit could be too small/narrow (pinching) or too wide (sliding back and forth). Or it may be on the bridle too high on the cheeks (or too low) and thus uncomfortable. Could also be she has a bruise or something on her bar on one side or the other and the bit is putting pressure on that and it hurts.
Does she do this when you have contact with her mouth only (as in, you’re in the saddle riding her) or does it start on the ground leading her with her bridle on?
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Hi,
Thanks for your response. It starts when I bridle her, but she accepts the bit until I pick up the contact. She’ll chew on the bit but not throw her head until I pick up the contact. I checked the width of the bit today and it’s probably too wide, but by 1/2 inch, not by a huge amount.
I worked on the bridle fit today before riding and I’m happy with that aspect.
The bit sounds too big and may not be adjusted with the check pieces properly. I’d go down a size on the bit and make sure the bit is where its supposed to be. First, if possible, I’d contact the former owner/trainer and find out the exact bit and size of that bit they used successfully (and then I’d buy that exact bit). Some horses are just adverse to changes of the bit in their mouth.
Back in the day (45 years ago), we were taught the “two wrinkle” rule. Not sure if this is still how riders are taught (maybe not) about proper placement of the bit. Anyway, at the joint where the bit comes out of their moth, there should be no more than 2 wrinkles/folds at the corner of their mouth (some horses do better with just one). No wrinkles is too loose, three or more wrinkles is too high up in their mouth. Its much easier to demonstrate in person than typing it out, so this may not make sense.
Regardless, I think she’s telling you the bits’ size and/or placement is not optimum for her.
Have her teeth been floated recently?
How big is her mouth, how low is her palate, how thick is her tongue? If she has a smaller mouth or a lower palate, she might feel that the mouthpiece of the bit is too thick - also, the Happy Mouth has a softer “consistency” that sometimes causes horses to want to chew on it.
IF she has a smaller mouth, you might want to experiment with thinner mouthpieces or a more “shaped” or double-jointed bit that will lie over the tongue and fit into the mouth better.
OP said her teeth were done recently, though was a bit seat done too? Does she have wolf teeth?
Did she do this during her trial ride? What kind of bit did she used to be ridden in?
If you have ruled out pain or discomfort in her mouth, it may be back/neck
She’s probably going to toss her head because this is an ingrained habit now.
If she does toss her head you when you pick up the reins:
Ask her to go forward with your leg.
If she doesn’t move off, reinforce the leg aid with a whip if she will tolerate it.
The horse will usually lower the head momentarily when taking a step.
Resist the urge to shorten the reins.
Just get her moving forward and then gradually shorten the reins.
You can also do some leg yield or turn on the forehand if she knows how to do them;
Lateral work softens and supples and will help loosen her neck and back.
Try not to pull or jerk on the reins.
Give her some time to adjust.
Also seek help from a trainer or instructor.
You may want to have someone check her neck/back.
Good luck.
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What does your instructor say?
My first horse had a 5" mouth. He did not fling his head around and was good on contact. I was using a single jointed snaffle then.
One day I put a 5 1/2" bit, with a three piece mouthpiece, in his mouth. When I took contact he immediately started flinging his head around, refused proper contact, and he was very, very, very unhappy with me.
When I went back to a 5" bit the head tossing disappeared, never to return except once or twice when he thought my contact was too hard, and when I loosened my contact to normal he settled down. Of course I made good and sure that the rest of the bits I tried out on him were 5".
Mine flings his head when he doesn’t like his saddle fit. So he can be lunged however, bridled however, and it wont occur until I sit in the saddle and ask him to organize himself and go to work. The first time he did this I went thru dental work, looked at feet issues ( he was barefoot, tried different shoeing options, now back to bare), and then finally realized it was saddle. As he has gotten further trained, he will now do it if he doesn’t like the way I am sitting in a particular instance or movement, best seat trainer I have ever had! :lol:
Can you describe “how” your horse tosses her head? Because there is a syndrome (for lack of a better word) that causes idiopathic head shaking in horses. It’s a condition where the trigeminal nerve (which runs down the face) is over-reactive and they will shake their head similar to a human that has a facial tic. And the headshaking can be triggered by exercise (or sunlight, or wind—the triggers vary by horse). Does she have any other habits with her head like trying to rub her muzzle on her legs frequently?
The reason I ask this is because you mentioned she is new to you . . . . many times people who have unknowingly purchased a headshaker ask this type of question because they have never seen the behavior before, and think it’s related to a bit, or bridle, or riding issue. Any chance you have a video of her tossing her head?
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I have seen this related to saddle fit
My young horse was having tossing/flipping issues especially at the canter. I had his teeth done, and got a Comfitec bridle. There was a huge difference, the flipping was gone, then he broke the bridle. I went back to the flash bridle I was using (adjusted correctly, not tight at all) and the flipping was back. Got the Comfitec fixed and back on, and the flipping was gone.
I’ve always been a skeptic of the ergonomic bridles, but not anymore! Maybe see if a friend has an ergobridle you could try?
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My daughter’s horse used to rub his nose on his leg, but no head shaking; got him when he was five. Now that we’ve had him almost 15+ years, the vet concluded last year that he’s a head shaker. He was sneezing a lot at the time also. Put him on Zytec with no results. Bought a 90+ UV filter fly mask and the problem has gone away. Maybe the issue was always there to a very small extent. I don’t know why it would suddenly worsen when he was 22 years old. Good post!
Does the head shaking continue on the longe?
If it is a learned behavior, you need to have the skill and tools to work though the problem. If you have a trainer, how does the horse go with them?
If the mare has head shaking syndrome you have another whole issue to deal with. and it turns into a vet issue
If it is a discomfort issue, the problem could be in the mouth, the bridle the saddle or back and joint issues. Some mares have buried tushes ( canine teeth) which can cause them to be extra sensitive in the bars
you need to dig in to her history, where and how did you get her. why was she for sale. did you do a trial ride? what equipment did they use?
Nose net. Even if the horse doesn’t seem to have a problem with bugs. Or I think some will stop with some petroleum jelly wiped in the nostril.
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