If you’ve been around horses long enough, you’ve likely come across at least one who actively tries to evade being bridled. Perhaps this horse tries backing away, raising his head far out of reach to avoid the bridle, or clamps his mouth closed, refusing to take the bit.
Regardless of the evasion, horses who are difficult to bridle can make the process of tacking up an exercise in frustration. Brittany Malinoski of Brittany Lee Performance Horses in Lebanon, Tenn., offers this advice on how to correct these issues.
How Horses Become Evasive of the Bridle
Horses can develop these evasive tactics for any number of reasons.
“It could be that they never truly learned how to bridle correctly,” says Malinoski. “Or, it could be that they have had previous dental problems that caused them to lose trust in the bit or the hands of the rider. Finally, it could be the process of how the bridle is removed.”
Malinoski says that lesson horses, due to inexperienced handlers, are often prone to having their bridles removed too quickly.
“The students don’t slowly drop the bit down out of the horse’s mouth,” she says. “Instead, they may pull the bridle over the horse’s head and the bit gets caught on his teeth. The horse can panic or get scared, losing trust when the bridle is lowered.”
To help prevent issues with bridling from developing, Malinoski advises correctly training the process from the beginning, promptly addressing any dental troubles, and taking the time to make sure that the process of putting on and taking off the bridle is done slowly and correctly to avoid banging the horse in the mouth.
But prevention aside, what can you do if the problem with bridling is already well established?
Selecting a Location
Before beginning, Malinoski advises choosing an environment where you are setting up the training session for success. But the perfect location can vary, depending upon the method the horse uses to evade the bridle.
For example, she says that an arena can be ideal for a horse who actively backs away, while other issues, such as a horse who raises his head too high or one that refuses to accept the bit, may be better addressed in a more enclosed area, such as a grooming stall. As for equipment, Malinoski says that a simple rope halter and your horse’s bridle are all you need.
Steps to Lower the Head
For milder cases where the horse may simply be raising his head out of reach or refusing to take the bit, Malinoski begins the retraining process in a grooming stall with the horse wearing nothing more than a rope halter. She then introduces the idea to the horse to lower his head on command.
“This is accomplished by placing your hand on the horse’s head and applying pressure to his poll,” she says. She describes the process of holding the lead rope in your left hand and standing near and to the left of the horse’s head, then placing your right hand on the horse’s poll.
“When the horse lowers his head, you release the pressure,” says Malinoski. She elaborates that after getting the horse comfortable with his face and ears being touched, this process can also be useful when working with horses who are head or ear-shy. Malinoski does not introduce the bridle until the horse has become confirmed in this skill. Depending upon your horse, this may be in the first or later sessions.
Moving on to the Bridle
When the horse is ready, Malinoski explains that she repeats the process, this time using the bridle.
TIP: She says that while it is not necessary to have a certain bit for the retraining process, she advises having a bit that fits the horse properly. However, she says that practicing with a smaller bit, like a snaffle, can help regain trust.
After giving the command for the horse to lower his head from the direction of the poll, use your right hand to gently guide the bridle up into position while using your left hand to position the bit into place.
While she generally waits for the horse to open his mouth for the bit, if necessary, this can be encouraged by placing your thumb and middle finger on the bars on each side of the horse’s mouth and softly applying pressure.
TIP: Malinoski acknowledges that while some trainers use gimmicks such as applying products to the bit to make it taste good or holding a treat for the horse in the same hand as the bit, she is not a fan of these methods. This is mainly because these items may not be accessible when you are at a show or on a trail ride, and you can easily get into trouble if your horse won’t bridle without them.
With the bit in, the bridle can then be softly pulled up and into place. Once on, she lowers it back off, taking care not to bang the horse’s teeth with the bit in the process. She tries to do this a few times before ending the session.
Due to the extra space, Malinoski prefers the arena for working with horses who back away from the bridle. While she will still start the retraining process by teaching the command to lower the head when it comes time to put on the bridle, she then moves to the arena.
If the horse attempts to back away, she simply walks back with him until he stops and lowers his head.
“When that happens, I release the pressure,” she says.
Length of Retraining
Malinoski says that while the retraining process can take time, with patience and understanding, progress can happen in a relatively short span.
“If you work steadily at it, you should be able to make progress in about a week,” she says.
When the bridle goes on smoothly, release the pressure, and the horse has the reward of you taking it off. Malinoski explains that session lengths will vary by horse.
This article about bridling a horse that evades the bridle appeared in the May 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
