Quarter Horse Mare Not Taking Bit

Ok so I have a 6 year old Amish broke American quarter horse who absolutely refused to take the bit. She see's the bridle and completely flips out, throwing her head and yanking against the rope, all the while sticking her head straight up in the air with her mouth clamped shut. Today I was thinking if a hackamore would be better because she is sensitive to neck reining and does just fine with a halter with a lead ripe as reins. Any suggestions??? :)

Come on people I need some suggestions!!!!

I need suggestions!!!!

She needs more ground work. She sounds very disrespectful.

Maybe she was abused? Maybe there was some sort of trauma and she associates the trauma with a bridle?
I don't have any suggestions :/ maybe try putting the bridle on her without a bit in it? Or buy a halterbridle? If she takes to the halter okay.. Maybe you can get her used to the bit that way? With lots of praise. Maybe rubbing the bridle over her body like you would with a whip or anything to desensitize her?
Sorry I'm not much help
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What kind of bit is it? Have her teeth been checked out? Or have you felt around the inside of her mouth to see the shape of her mouth? My mare has a very low palette, so even a simple snaffle is painful to her. She reacts the same way if she sees a bit, so she gets ridden in a sidepull.

Ok thanks. Umm I don't think there's anything wrong with her mouth. I have a friend that's a horse dentist and he said that her mouth was fine. And to 2 comments above I think :) I've also thought she was abused, but she was used to pull a cart so I can see why she's saddle shy. And I have tried rubbing it all over her and she did fine. But I think her beig worked so much has had a effect on her. Anyway thanks guys!:):):)

You need to teach her to lower her head for you. When she learns that, then start using that cue, to teach her to keep her head lowered for bridling.

I teach to lower the head by putting light pressure on the poll, and releasing, as soon as the horse even lowers his head just a tiny bit. He will give you more and more as he understands what the pressure means...never release until she lowers her head. Practice several times each day. The more short sessions you can have the quicker she will get the concept.

Since she seems to be fearful of the bridle as well, I would do alot of desensitisation around her face. Rub her with your hands all over her head, rub her with the bridle, etc. She needs to get really quiet before you really attempt to actually bridle her again...and she also needs to know how to lower her head.

Alright I'll try that. And what do you think of just using a hackamore instead. She behaves great when I ride her bareback with a halter and lead

She may still have an aversion to you slipping the bridle over her head, regardless of the 'mouthpeice/nosepeice'...so I still advise you to work with getting her desensitized and retrained to you sliding a bridle over her head, no matter what you decide to use later on.

Some horses don't like the leverage of a traditional hackemore, so you will want to work with her on the ground first, before getting on her and riding with it...you wouldn't want her to flip out or anything.