Retraining bridling in horse with baggage

[Baysn_Blondes]

My new little mare has been doing great with everything, but in the process of restarting her I’ve run into some major baggage about bridling. From her reactions I have strong reason to suspect she had her head tied around hard and often. When I did manage to get her bridled one time I sent her out to trot around the round pen and she immediately stuck her nose on the saddle flap and spun in circles. I thought she’d gotten the bit hung up, but it wasn’t. I switched tactics and led her around, then lunged her, then let her loose and she did calm down about the bridle that day. Some days ending on a good note means just getting her to stay relaxed while the bridle touches her face.

The vets who looked at her for her coggins did not think she was due for a float, it’s possible there’s something we can’t see and I will have my vet out to look at her, but given that she starts getting tense and avoidant from just seeing the bridle on my arm, I’m leaning towards the behavior being fear based, not pain based.

My game plan right now is to start her in a hackamore while reintroducing bridling in groundwork sessions, then add lunging in a bit, then long reining, then riding with a sort of two rein setup. What I’m looking for is suggestions on how to make introducing a bit more fun for her. Like, can I wrap the bit in a fruit roll up if she’ll eat them? Treats for touching the bit? Non-metallic bits (although at the moment I’m afraid she might chomp through one, she does a lot of nervous chewing when she actually gets a bit in her mouth)?

Tl;dr: what are some ways I can make bridling/carrying a bit more “fun” or engaging for an anxious horse.

[LilDunFilly]

I introduced my mare to bridling using treats. I wrapped a piece of fruit roll around a Mullen mouth bit and rewarded her with another treat every time I put it on. I wanted her to be a horse who’d grab the bit herself. If using something sweet/sticky on the bit make sure to clean it after so it doesn’t get gross. Not sure if your mare is afraid of bits or the bridle itself.

If your first goal is just to get her relaxed wearing a bridle, I’d suggest a simple western headstall (no noseband or throatlatch) that you can just slip on for her to wear while doing things completely unrelated. I let my horse wear hers in her stall with food and water so she would get used to ignoring it on her own; she figured out very quickly that she could still eat and drink perfectly fine, so wearing it became nbd, like wearing boots.

[Scribbler]

For some reason the idea of a horse being so mistreated that she spins in circles with the bridle at liberty makes me want to cry a little. The poor thing.

Keep in mind going forward that she has been taught to understand the bit as inexplicable punishment not communication. Her past training has backfired to the extent she doesn’t even think of the bit as communication. You are going to have to move very slowly and methodically. If this happened with a bit, I’d even suggest that you restart her bit less in a side pull. She needs a new context to learn that the bridle can be quiet signals and not just punishment. I would want to separate learning rein aids from overcoming her learned experience of the bridle bit as punishment. Also never use an emergency stop rein on her.

I think you need to restart her bit less, and then when everything is going smoothly in 6 months, you can start putting a bit in her mouth and maybe ride with 2 sets of reins to transition over.

[luvmyhackney]

I’d probably wrap the bit in a fruit roll up and tie it on her halter and let her wear it during dinner time to get some positive experiences with it, then hand walk her with it. Then go back to where you started at.

I’d make wearing a bit/bridle the most positive thing for her and all the good things happen when she wears it.

I wouldn’t send her free in the round pen and just bypass that step. It just reinforces the negative behavior.

[endlessclimb]

They make super cheap rubber bits that you won’t cry if she chomps through. I’d put one on her for day-to-day life, a few hours a day.

Just like you would a baby horse. Start over.

https://www.sstack.com/jp-korsteel-solid-rubber-mouth-loose-ring-snaffle/p/42928/?variant=true

[pluvinel]

@Baysn_Blondes

what are some ways I can make bridling/carrying a bit more “fun” or engaging for an anxious horse.

I would start with haltering. Does the horse politely put its head down and inserts nose into halter. Do not pass go, do not try anything else until horse politely puts its head down when asked and puts nose into halter.

Then, try a simple bridoon hanger with a piece of fruit roll in place of bit. Again, ask for head down and let her open mouth to accept “bit”…eg. fruit roll.

Then introduce the skinniest bradoon, snaffle you can find hung on bridoon hanger. Offer treat to accept the bridle, then feed a small amount of sweet feed.

Eventually transition to regular snaffle, still hung on bradoon hanger. Always ask for horse to put its head down. The horse will learn to look for the bit if you offer treats after it takes the bit. You can add a throat latch and continue using this as your bridle.

Always end the “work” (bridling) with a pleasant activity to the horse…eg., turnout or eating. Do NOT ride or put any mental pressure on the horse after bridling exercise. End on a positive note.

[Simkie]

Poor thing

I really wouldn’t just turn her loose and have her wear a bit for hours. That seems excessively unkind for a horse that has such a negative association with the bit, and who is really trying hard to offer what she thinks is what you want. At best, I think you’d find that she (may) learn to chill on her own, but this would pop right back up if you’re involved.

Getting her going in something bitless sounds great. Teach her what you DO want to see instead, using a tool that’s novel to her. I’d avoid introducing the bit at all until she’s very comfortable going without one, doing everything you want. Once she’s there, I’d find something VERY unlike whatever bit has been used before–maybe leather?–and introduce toward the end of a good, positive working session. Have her wear it and don’t touch it. See if she can do one thing from your working session. Gradually work up from there.

If she still spins, it might be worth really teaching her a specific behavior you want instead. Maybe something like reaching forward to touch her nose to a cone? Something to get her straight.

These things are just the toughest, and they seem to pop back up whenever the horse is anxious or confused. It’s their “OMG I don’t know what you want so I’ll do this” thing. This one especially sucks–I bet she’s so good at spinning in a circle that a one rein stop is pretty useless…

[Scribbler]

This is the cute teenage pony mare that was a broodmare? So I think we can deduce that someone messed up her basic training so badly that she was retired to broodmares. There are going to be other holes and other panic buttons. Proceed very carefully and observantly. You also know now that she can learn and she will offer behavior that’s been asked of her in the past. Also she might be generally claustrophobic about having her head controlled so be careful about tying her up and make sure you don’t create any panic pull back situations.

It sounds like she is basically a sweetie that fell into bad hands.

A horse like this can really benefit from clicker training and gentle groundwork to create an entirely new context for interacting with people.

[NancyM]

Step number one IMO would be to get another veterinarian opinion about her the condition her teeth are in. Since this horse has not been in work before you purchased her, it is likely that her teeth DO need floating, and there may be ALL SORTS of issues going on in there, that a bit may well cause discomfort with. I’d “start” there. Not all veterinarians are equal in dentistry skills.
After that is done, I’d look around for a few bits to try. Plastic mouthpieces, mullen mouth straight bars, or long low ported straight bar snaffles, correctly fitted, would be the place to start. You may have to try a few before you find the right one for her. When you find it, she’ll tell you.
If you can get the bridle on, and she seems OK with that, it’s not illegal to give her something “nice”, a treat, that is supplied as soon as the bit is in place and the bridle is on. A cookie, that becomes associated with “bridling”. She may not be able to actually shift that treat into position to eat it right away, but it will take her attention away from the act of bridling, and replace it with “something nice”. Soon, she WILL be able to move that treat back to the molars, and eat it, as a reward for accepting the bridle. I do this regularly with all my horses in training, and they will “search” for the bit when I hold the bridle up in position. Makes it all pretty easy.
Practically all “fear” responses are “pain” based, IMO. Find the source of the pain, fix that, and the fear goes away.
Good luck!

[trubandloki]

@NancyM

Step number one IMO would be to get another veterinarian opinion about her the condition her teeth are in. Since this horse has not been in work before you purchased her, it is likely that her teeth DO need floating, and there may be ALL SORTS of issues going on in there, that a bit may well cause discomfort with. I’d “start” there.

This was my thought too. A good exam with sedation to make sure everything is great in there.

[OnAMission]

Another positive aspect of this approach is that it’s calming for a horse to lower its head; you can teach that in a halter as well. When she starts to feel tight just ask her to lower her head for a second, teach it as a calming aid.

[BeeHoney]

Agree with getting a good dental exam from a vet that is comfortable with equine dentistry. Some vets are unconfident / avoidant about equine dental stuff. You have to rule out the pain issue.

Once you’re sure that’s not an issue, I agree with using a soft rubber bit or wrapping a metal bit with Seal-tex. The fruit roll up method is great, but some horses are sensitive about / distracted by unfamiliar tastes.

When I’m starting young horses I tack them up and then give them some grain in the stall. I think that eating with a bridle on is the best way for a horse to relax and get comfortable with the feeling of a bit/bridle. I’ll leave them with the bridle (eggbutt snaffle, no reins or noseband) on for an hour while I’m doing something else. Caveat–make absolutely sure there is nothing in the stall or round pen that the bridle/bit can get caught on. The other caveat is that if a horse is distressed, you have to make a careful decision if it’s better to give the horse a chance to think it through and settle or whether it’s just too stressful. Might be better to put the bridle on, feed the horse some lunch, and then take the bridle off, keeping it short and sweet.

Also–with a horse that is sensitive about bridling, I also recommend using feed/treats to remove the bridle. Some horses can get confused/dramatic or toss their heads when the bit comes out of their mouth.

I also think it is a good idea to continue moving forward with training using a hackamore. That will address working on a trusting working relationship with the horse while you keep working on the bridle issue on the side.

[trubandloki]

I would assume that if you (general) are going to add a fruit roll-up to a bit as a positive experience for the horse that you (general) would first make sure your horse likes fruit roll ups.

[tabula_rashah]

I like to put molasses in a condiment bottle (like the kind with a pointy top you put ketchup or mustard in) and keep it in my grooming kit so that when I’m tacking up a young horse or horse that’s learning that a bit is all good, gets a line squirted on the bit before asking them to accept it.

as a side note, like someone else said, I feel so much for this mare when you said that she’s spins herself when bridled. I can’t imagine what how traumatized she must have been

[Baysn_Blondes]

@Scribbler, this is the teenage broodmare pony. It hurts my heart to think of any horse treated this way, but especially one as willing and sweet as her.

I think clicker training would be great for her. She’s very curious and wants to investigate by touching things with her nose.

I like the idea of the fruit roll bit on a bradoon hanger. She is great about haltering, walks up to me and drops her head when she sees the halter, hard ties like a champ, and has no reaction if you put reins on the halter, so I suspect the negative association with the bridle is triggered by the metal bit.

@tabula_rashah the molasses squirt bottle is brilliant! She loves her grain so I know she likes that, and way less messy than a fruit roll up to clean up!

[candyappy]

@Baysn_Blondes

Tl;dr: what are some ways I can make bridling/carrying a bit more “fun” or engaging for an anxious horse.

It doesn’t need to be fun or enjoyable but she just needs to learn that having a bridle on and bit in her mouth will no longer hurt her.

I would just bridle her with a bit , take off the reins and let her wear it for a while in her stall or round pen, ect… where it is safe for her to do so and just chill out.

[Scribbler]

The fruit roll ups are brilliant because they stick to.the bit, take a while to suck off, and don’t get everywhere if bridling is difficult. They are quite affordable but molasses is of course way cheaper.

[tabula_rashah]

I live where it’s really humid and if they sit around in the barn, even packaged, they just tend to get super gooey. Not that molasses can’t get messy too lol but I’ve got a system down. Either way, I’m all for anything that helps a horse be more comfortable with the bit

[skydy]

I feel so sorry for this mare. I’ve never had to retrain a horse that hates or is afraid the bit, I’ve only trained them properly from the beginning.

Definitely see a vet with dental experience first, especially before you try feeding her while she is wearing a bit. If she has dental issues it may cause more pain when she chews with a bit in her mouth. The molassas or fruit wrap would be better to start with.

After the vet; how is she hand walking in a halter? Does she enjoy human company/attention? If so, could you put the treated snaffle on a bridoon hanger under a halter and take her for a pleasant walk?

Does she enjoy being groomed? Leave the bit on while grooming. Let her associate wearing the bit with good times for her.

Does she have to be longed? I would avoid longeing her but that’s just me.

I assume that in the future when the mare wears a bit there will be a human involved so I would want to be around her while she learns not to fear it. I’d want her to associate bit- human-nothing to fear.

Good luck!

Poor little mare.

[eightpondfarm]

with the mustangs, almost all of which are adverse to most any kind of tack at all, i decouple the idea of a bridle into parts. Bit is separate from headstall/bridle. I have a few bitless bridles to introduce reins and what they mean. But for the bit… the bit itself i introduce it all by itself. I am careful to keep it from banging into teeth and slip it in verbal praise, quickly remove, treat. Double treat! and a couple more times. They do not wear a bit (on western headstall) until they willingly take the solo bit (mullen) into their mouth voluntarily. The bit, alone, is it’s very own teaching object. And, it can be anywhere from three days of praise/treat to two weeks depending on the horse. Bitting is one of those things i don’t rush. Oh, and ‘head down’ is a wholely separate exercise. I Textgently tap them on their poll with a finger and say: Head down and verbal (at least, sometimes treat) every single time they comply. I am genuinely proud of them when they do it…and as with all animals, sincerity is crucial. If i don’t feel it, i don’t say it.