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Problems with accepting the bit

1K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Smilie 
#1 ·
Basically, she's been mounted already and she knows how to do it, she's just stubborn and doesn't want to do it (even when I put my finger in her mouth). I've heard the bit itself might be the problem, the taste or the temperature, that one can put some honey on it or warm it up in hands.
What are your opinions? Any other methods to make the bit something she'll like to accept or maybe to reteach her accept it?
 
#2 ·
How old is your horse? How long have you had her? What breed?

Is she fully trained? Green broke? More details would be nice.

Has she been examined by an equine dentist? If a horse has a dental issue, they can be very reluctant to take the bit if it is causing them pain.

Does the bit fit her mouth correctly? While most horses are fine, you do want to make sure the bit isn't too wide or too narrow, or that she doesn't have a low palette or something like that.

When you remove her bridle, are you accidentally (without knowing) banging the bit on her teeth? If that is happening, that also can make the horse not want to take the bit.
 
#6 ·
How old is your horse? How long have you had her? What breed?

Is she fully trained? Green broke? More details would be nice.

Has she been examined by an equine dentist? If a horse has a dental issue, they can be very reluctant to take the bit if it is causing them pain.

Does the bit fit her mouth correctly? While most horses are fine, you do want to make sure the bit isn't too wide or too narrow, or that she doesn't have a low palette or something like that.

When you remove her bridle, are you accidentally (without knowing) banging the bit on her teeth? If that is happening, that also can make the horse not want to take the bit.
Sorry, that was a fast written post on the phone, here are the details: she's a 15 y.o (at least on papers) Hispanoarabian, I've had her for three weeks so far. She's perfectly trained, what's more, she also shows signs of having been trained for dressage in the past.


I haven't had her examined by an equine dentist, good point. If she still continues to refuse the bit, I'll definitely call.


The bit is perfect for her, not too narrow or wide, about that I have no doubts.


As to the last one, I don't think so, I've never felt that I did nor have I heard any teeth hitting bit sound...
 
#7 ·
I think I do it like almost everybody does... I ask her gently to open and if she doesn't I put one finger in.
It's an eggbutt saffle bit. I have never left her with the bit in her mouth while she ate or drank...
 
#9 ·
Well, she is a trained horse, apparently, so I don't think she needs that colt bit intro of having a bit left in her mouth to eat
Some horses get bad about being bridled, simply because someone has allowed them to, thus you go back and work on basics, such as having the ability to ask er to lower her head, versus raising it, when go go to bridle her.
The finger is good, but then wait for the horse to open her mouth herself to accept the bit, while she continues to give her head.
If instead you allow her to raise her head, clamp her jaw, even that finger is not going to do much.
Once she accpects the bit, then gently place the headstall, over her ears.
When you take the bridle off, do it in reverse,. Ask her to lower her head, slip brow band form behind ears, and hold it, waiting for her to drop that bit, versus pulling it out
How is she once bridled? Happy, no fussing with that bit, of mouthing it , chomping on it, getting tongue over it, ect? If she does the latter, then she does need to learn to carry a bit. I like to do it while lunging a green horse, just tying those reins back loosely and lunging off of the halter under the bridle
I used to let them carry it and eat with it, but now no longer do so. Eventually, I want the horse to work with that bit, and not eat with it, having a quiet and relaxed mouth.
 
#12 ·
How is she once bridled? Happy, no fussing with that bit, of mouthing it , chomping on it, getting tongue over it, ect? If she does the latter, then she does need to learn to carry a bit.

Basically, she's never done anything mean being bridled, I mean, she just stood still, the times I managed to get her bridled, she was fine after putting the bit in.

My horse once decided that she was going to clamp her teeth and not accept the bit. She is the kind who tries things on periodically just to check to see whether the rules have changed in her favor. Finger in mouth -- nope. Even pinched her lip a little. Nope. So I just stood there holding the bit against her front teeth. For about five minutes, seemed longer. But I was ready to wait a much longer time, actually I was ready to wait as long as it took. Then she opened her mouth and everything was regular again. She tried it the next day but only for half a minute, and then, never again so far.
She once tried to do that, I was going to get a treat to give her to make her open her mouth and as a reward for opening it, but then she just opened it, so it wasn't necessary.
Maybe if I wait longer for her to open her mouth, even if it takes much longer, maybe then it'll work...
 
#10 ·
My horse once decided that she was going to clamp her teeth and not accept the bit. She is the kind who tries things on periodically just to check to see whether the rules have changed in her favor. Finger in mouth -- nope. Even pinched her lip a little. Nope. So I just stood there holding the bit against her front teeth. For about five minutes, seemed longer. But I was ready to wait a much longer time, actually I was ready to wait as long as it took. Then she opened her mouth and everything was regular again. She tried it the next day but only for half a minute, and then, never again so far.
 
#11 ·
my friend's QH got so he'd refuse the bit. He never liked a bit, rode mostly in a hackamore, but he accepted the bit put into his mouth without sass. then, over time, he got worse and worse, throwing his head way up out of your reach to avoid the bit, and since I was the one riding him in a bit, while the owner used a hackamore, she started to wonder if my bridling technique wasn't the cause of the problem.
turned out he had very bad hooks in his mouth and other dental issues making wearing a bit, and a noseband very uncomfortable. after dental work, he settled back into accepting the bit. dental problems are often the cause of many problems , bit avoidance and others.
 
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