Favorite Tricks to Improve Bridling

[CWNSF]

I’m looking to improve my horse’s willingness when it comes to putting on her bridle.

She likes to raise her head high (she’s 18hh so very high! lol) when putting the halter or bridle on but always stands still. I’ve been working on her giving to poll pressure (pull down on the halter, release when she drops her head) and using the western method of putting her bridle with some success but not as much as I would like.

I would love to get her to drop her head and reach for the bit when bridling. Any tried and true methods out there for achieving this?

[fordtraktor]

I always give them a cookie when the bit goes in. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and all my horses open wide for the bit. I just got a new one who wasn’t super willing to be bridled – but after a couple of weeks, problem solved and she is eager as anyone to be bridled.

[Buddy0227]

I keep a tube of mint toothpaste in my tack box and put a dab on the bit before bridling…works like a charm and is cheap.

[Belowthesalt]

My guy was started by a cowgirl, and she first rode him in a rope halter, then a d-ring snaffle with a western type headstall, a one ear, so nothing across his forehead. The first time I bridled him at home, he tried to flip from the sudden pressure across his face… After that, he “became 18 hands” (He’s 16.2) every time. Sigh. So, I let the cheekpieces out so I could lift it over his ears without causing any pressure around them and his forehead, then shortened them up once it was on. I rewarded with a cookie or peppermint every time. Now, he tries to grab the bit the minute he sees the bridle near his face.

[Xanthoria]

I clicker trained it and my 17.1 guy now grabs the bit as fast as he can!

[Guilherme]

This is how Xenophon would do it:

[I]In order to insert the bit correctly the groom should, in the first place, approach on the near side of the horse, and then throwing the reins over his head, let them drop loosely on the withers; raise the headstall in his right hand, and with his left present the bit. If the horse will take the bit, it is a simple business to adjust the strap of the headstall; but if he refuses to open his mouth, the groom must hold the bit against the teeth and at the same time insert the thumb of his left hand inside the horse’s jaws. Most horses will open their mouths to that operation. But if he still refuses, then the groom must press the lip against the tush (canine tooth); very few horses will refuse the bit, when that is done to them.

The groom can hardly be too much alive to the following points * * * if any work is to be done: in fact, so important is it that the horse should readily take his bit, that, to put it tersely, a horse that will not take it is good for nothing. Now, if the horse be bitted not only when he has work to do, but also when he is being taken to his food and when he is being led home from a ride, it would be no great marvel if he learnt to take the bit of his own accord, when first presented to him.[/I]

Of course FIRST the horse has to lower his head. I’ve found the easiest way was to cross tie them (loose enough so that they CAN lower their head) and then gently touch them on the poll and talk nicely to them until you get a small drop. Then generously reward them and do it again. For a horse who does not resist, just doean’t know what you want, this takes less than half an hour. Sometimes a LOT less. If the horse resists, particularly with a heads up move, then it will take longer. I’m not against using a treat to get the process started but if if you don’t need one then don’t use one. Save the treat for when you really DO need it!

Begin by having the horse lower his head and follow Xenophon’s advice. Form your right hand into a backwards “c” and hang the headstall from your thumb. If you have a problem and your hand is open then you won’t be tempted to grab the headstall or get hung up in headstall. You pull your hand back and it will just fall off. If no problem then as Xenophon notes the job will be quickly done.

If you’ve never read Xenophon’s seminal work On Equitation then Google it and read it. It’s free from many sources. Then read his companion work, The Cavalry General. Most of the stuff published on most places is a rehash of what he wrote 2300 years ago!!!

Good luck in your project.

G.

[CWNSF]

Thanks for the ideas everybody! I think the treats might be a good way to go as she knows how to lower her head, but needs a reason to keep her head lowered while putting on the bridle

[mvp]

I’m 5’1" and bridle tall horses. I teach kids who have even worse person/giraffe ratios! So I teach horses to reliably lower the head and keep it there, independent of bridling.

That is to say, asking a horse to give to poll pressure… with the crown piece of a halter (at first), your fingers pinching the bridle path (second) and the flat of your hand or your arm (third and forth) are steps to teach before you bridle.

I break it down into these steps, each of which must be reliable and “for as long as I want”/“until the horse is relaxed” before I go to the next.

1. Lower your head such that I can hold the top of the bridle in my hand, over your poll with my arm resting between your ears.

The key here, is that my arm is a proxy for the harder signals… pinching with my fingers or the crown of a rope halter. If my arm resting there isn’t enough signal to keep the horse’s head low and relaxed, I’ll let him earn a harder one. That’s his call; I’ll do whatever he wants.

2. I should be able to slide the cheek pieces of the bridle over the sides of his face without that changing anything. He should not move his head anywhere as I do this.

3. When I have steps 1 and 2 established and easy, I’ll present the bit… not quite up to his teeth, but using my thumb in the gap between the incisors and pre-molars as Xenophone and Guilherme describe. I move my thumb, not the bit until the horse chooses to open his mouth.

Again, it’s all about the horse choosing to avoid a harder, inescapable signal that comes if he doesn’t correctly answer the softest one.

Oh, and I do this from both sides.

Really, if you break down the problem into it’s components and teach the tall horse to reliably drop his head and be relaxed doing it, you shouldn’t have problems bridling. But! Never sacrifice the low head just to get the bit in his mouth and the job done. If you skip this step, your horse will, too, because you taught him to, and that roughness follows… so he has little reason to stop and always offer that vulnerable low head. OTOH, a horse who knows how to lower his head has a good skill installed… good for clipping or treating any problem up there… good for being able to put a horse in a relaxed, focused-on-you posture so that his mind can follow. Really, it’s a distinct skill worth slowing down to teach.

Hope this helps.

[Abbie.S]

Every horse I have to teach to bridle I teach to fetch first. They learn to love fetching and the bit becomes just another object to fetch.

[luvmyhackney]

I just wrap the bit with a piece fruit roll up. Or put some peppermint essential oil on it, just a drop so it smells good, then immediately give a peppermint.
I have a pony now, so it doesn’t really matter to lower his head, but I used to bridle 16-17 hand saddlebreds that had necks that could reach the hayloft.
I started with a step stool and once they figured out the bit was tasty, the almost bridled themselves.

[walktrot]

I learned how to bridle when we did our Girl Scout badge in 1959, and went back to that method when I started riding again in 2000. Just as mvp described, work on the “head down” with poll pressure and the lead rope. It’s a good skill to have.

I think it’s way easier than what I see now, which is gathering the bridle in your right hand and holding it over the face. They put the bit in and pull the bridle up and over the ears. It may or may not work depending on the combination of heights of horse and rider and willingness of the horse to accept the bit.

The best tip I saw was from Bill Dorrance in True Horsemanship Through Feel. Put the offside ear in first, then the near side. It’s much easier for me and more comfortable for the horse.

[Brown_Derby]

@mvp

I’m 5’1" and bridle tall horses. I teach kids who have even worse person/giraffe ratios! So I teach horses to reliably lower the head and keep it there, independent of bridling.

That is to say, asking a horse to give to poll pressure… with the crown piece of a halter (at first), your fingers pinching the bridle path (second) and the flat of your hand or your arm (third and forth) are steps to teach before you bridle.

I break it down into these steps, each of which must be reliable and “for as long as I want”/“until the horse is relaxed” before I go to the next.

1. Lower your head such that I can hold the top of the bridle in my hand, over your poll with my arm resting between your ears.

The key here, is that my arm is a proxy for the harder signals… pinching with my fingers or the crown of a rope halter. If my arm resting there isn’t enough signal to keep the horse’s head low and relaxed, I’ll let him earn a harder one. That’s his call; I’ll do whatever he wants.

2. I should be able to slide the cheek pieces of the bridle over the sides of his face without that changing anything. He should not move his head anywhere as I do this.

3. When I have steps 1 and 2 established and easy, I’ll present the bit… not quite up to his teeth, but using my thumb in the gap between the incisors and pre-molars as Xenophone and Guilherme describe. I move my thumb, not the bit until the horse chooses to open his mouth.

Again, it’s all about the horse choosing to avoid a harder, inescapable signal that comes if he doesn’t correctly answer the softest one.

[I]Oh, and I do this from both sides.

Really, if you break down the problem into it’s components and teach the tall horse to reliably drop his head and be relaxed doing it, you shouldn’t have problems bridling. But! Never sacrifice the low head just to get the bit in his mouth and the job done. If you skip this step, your horse will, too, because you taught him to, and that roughness follows… so he has little reason to stop and always offer that vulnerable low head. OTOH, a horse who knows how to lower his head has a good skill installed… good for clipping or treating any problem up there… good for being able to put a horse in a relaxed, focused-on-you posture so that his mind can follow. Really, it’s a distinct skill worth slowing down to teach.

Hope this helps.[/I]

YES! Op, keep working on it a few min every day. It may take a it of pressure at first, but once you get the timing of the release, it will take only a brush of your fingertips. Once that’s firm, you can work on the actual bitting. You will be glad you did if your horse ever gets loose with her lead rope attached, or if you want her to reliably tie. I’m petite and find it handy for blanketing by having them lower their head into the blanket neck, rather than throwing it over their backs.

I always test whether a new horse will tie by putting a lead rope on its poll and pulling down. If he freaks out, well, he’s got some holes there and probably elsewhere.

A feed bag is a self-rewarding way to help them connect having their heads down when pressure is applied (and addresses other issues, such as fussing when their ears are touched).

[betsyk]

All of this, plus - ask the horse to curl his head just a little toward you. With head and neck flexed a little to the side, it’s much harder to turn into a giraffe. Then they can perfect the rest of the steps as described above.

[sherian]

one young mare I had was a pita to bridle but fine to ride, I changed her bit and suddenly fine to bridle - why she objected to the bridling but was fine to ride I don’t know, but it was the instant cure for the bridling issues.

[WhereDidMySeatGo]

I am going to write a bit of a novel on this. I have taught plenty of horses to be reasonable about taking the bit, but when I first bitted my young mare as a two year old (a couple of weeks after her wolf teeth were pulled) she was a complete PIA. One of the best compliments I have ever had was when I was in a huge rush to tack up at an offsite clinic this fall and someone asked me how I had trained her to bridle herself. If I back another horse I am going to do all of this in order:

1. Teach the horse to drop his or her head with light poll pressure. You might have to stand on a stool to do this if you are short or if the horse is tall.
2. Teach the horse to drop his or head using the lead rope right over the poll.
3. Fully desensitize the horse to you sticking your fingers in his or her mouth. (Be smart about this - don’t lose a finger - only put your fingers where the bit would go.)
4. Teach the horse to put on his or her own halter. Lead rope around the neck. Always move slowly. Ask the horse to drop his or her head and hold the halter in open just below the nose. Make it is easy for the horse to succeed. Praise the smallest attempt (but praise softly with a withers scratch or a treat and a “good girl/boy”, but don’t get too excited). I did this every time before I went to put my mare into the pasture. I would not take her outside until she least try to lower her hear or put her nose into the halter even if it was a half hour wait.
   5 Desensitize more to stuff in the mouth. Put a nathe in or use a cotton rope across the tongue until the horse stops fussing.
5. Make sure the horse is very good about his or her ears being handled.
6. Put some honey or a fruit roll up on the bit. Reins over the head close to the poll (so you can use them to control a horse that decided to go flying backward, or so you can ask a horse that raises his or her head to lower it, or so you have some control if the horse decides to rear or bolt). Palm a sugar cube and in the same hand hold the bit perfectly placed between the front teeth. Use the same aids you have to put the halter on to bridle the horse. Use a stool if you need it. Don’t change the aids from how you ask with the halter. Use your finger against the side of the mouth or if that doesn’t work press up into the top of the mouth. As soon as the horse takes the bit simultaneously pop the treat in and slip the bridle over one ear. Repeat until this is easy. Place the nose band of the halter farther away from the horse. Give the aid to drop the head less often.
7. With a young horse slip the halter over the bridle and don’t use the bit to do anything. Put them in a stall if you don’t think they are going to freak out. If they have that look in their eye go lunge in a halter. Practice lunging with the halter over the bridle (and the line attached to the halter) and then grain with the bit in for as long as it takes for them to stop hating the bit. After they don’t hate the bit introduce basic flexion and show them the bit is just another artificial aid instead of the end of the world.
8. Slowly stop using the honey or fruit roll up.
9. Slowly give the horse more opportunities to succeed and fail just like with the halter.
10. Once the horse is good about taking the bit slowly wean them from the sugar cube. (This is the step I am just starting.)

With an older horse you might be able to just fill in the gaps in the training or you might have to start from scratch.

[Foxtrot_s]

Don’t give up and grab the bit and put the bit in the mouth anyway when the head goes up after you have persuaded it to go down. Patiently wait and put the head down again, and again, until it stays there quietly while you insert the bit quietly. They are just learning to throw their heads up again if they are allowed to do it every time. I’m all for rewards which the horse can be weaned away from later on when it is perfect. Be careful not to bang the teeth or lips.

[tbchick84]

Wow a lot of people seem to be using bribery over training. Sorry but screw that. Horse needs to learn this is not acceptable. This one’s not hard. Stand at the horse’s shoulder facing the same way she is. Hold the bridle about halfway down about 3" above the bit.

Hold both the bridle and your horse’s nose with your right hand with the bit resting at her mouth, but with contact so she can feel it, but no pressure to open it. Keep a firm grip on her nose so she can’t flip it up away from you. If she’s much taller than your arm can reach, use a mounting block or something to give yourself more leverage.

Use you left hand to encourage her to open her mouth to accept the bit by massaging her gums back behind where there are teeth. Once she opens, bring the bridle up with the right hand and complete the process and tell her she’s a good girl.

[RaeHughes]

Mollases on the bit generally works - for haltering (and I do have one of these) , rope around the neck, halter over the nose and a carrot below their mouths - once the halter strap is over the head, another carrot and a further (3rd) carrot when the head collar is completely buckled.

[RaeHughes]

@tbchick84

Wow a lot of people seem to be using bribery over training. Sorry but screw that. Horse needs to learn this is not acceptable. This one’s not hard. Stand at the horse’s shoulder facing the same way she is. Hold the bridle about halfway down about 3" above the bit.

Hold both the bridle and your horse’s nose with your right hand with the bit resting at her mouth, but with contact so she can feel it, but no pressure to open it. Keep a firm grip on her nose so she can’t flip it up away from you. If she’s much taller than your arm can reach, use a mounting block or something to give yourself more leverage.

Use you left hand to encourage her to open her mouth to accept the bit by massaging her gums back behind where there are teeth. Once she opens, bring the bridle up with the right hand and complete the process and tell her she’s a good girl.

tbchick84 - not quite as easy when your new (used) horse has been screwed over and ridden in a too tight, too small bridle. It has only taken me about 5 days to have a horse that drops her nose willingly into the halter or bridle. I am now getting into reducing the # of treats until I wont need them at all - and then the provision of treats will be random.

As I use treats in my dog training, I have only transferred the same logic over to re-training a horse to accept a halter and a bridle :). It isn’t bribery - or, if you think it is, you are doing it incorrectly. It is using a tool to assist in reaching a goal. You then work to extend the response for the tool until it becomes second nature.

As a matter of rule, I walk with my very obedient dogs with treats in my pockets. Randomly, I dish food treats out or “free pats” (they haven’t done anything to expect them) or throws of sticks or balls or … With my horses, I often just walk into the paddocks and do random things with them and reward with carrots. EG - my now broodmare was learning to do “obedience” work - she was not rideable but loved working - so, do a recall and reward her. (Yes, my Ubby can do close heel walk, right, left and about turns, recall, a-recall, stay, back-up/come-forward from a distance.)

[tbchick84]

@RaeHughes

tbchick84 - not quite as easy when your new (used) horse has been screwed over and ridden in a too tight, too small bridle. It has only taken me about 5 days to have a horse that drops her nose willingly into the halter or bridle. I am now getting into reducing the # of treats until I wont need them at all - and then the provision of treats will be random.

The OP does not mention anything about past abuse. The title asks for “favorite tricks”, no mention of proper training. While I agree that treats can be incorporated into training, proper methods and training come first. I can almost guarantee this poster’s next post will be asking for tricks to get the horse on the trailer since the grain in a bucket thing stopped working. Sorry, just not a fan of shortcuts where 1,000lb animals are concerned.