If you’re looking for help on how to bridle a difficult horse this guide will help. How do you put a bridle on a horse?
When you spend a lot of time around horses, you will come across at least one that is problematic when it comes to putting on this bridle.
I’ve been there myself, particularly with my first pony who I couldn’t do by myself for some time. So let’s take a look at why this happens and how you can fix it!
What Makes Horses Difficult to Bridle?
First, before looking for the right solution, it’s important to have some understanding of why a horse is difficult to bridle in the first place.
There can be many reasons for this and you will need to do a little digging into your horse’s past to determine the possible ones.
Past Experience
A past bad experience is often the cause of horses that don’t like you putting the bridle on. This could have only happened once, but some horses just don’t forget and it leads to a bad habit.
When first starting out or at some point during its ridden career a poorly fitting bridle or overly harsh bit might have caused pain.
The unfortunate consequence is a horse that is head shy when it comes to putting the bridle on. Another way a horse can become difficult to bridle is if it has been handled incorrectly or roughly in the past.
Problems With Teeth
Teeth are another reason horses might not like horse bridles. A horse’s teeth continuously grow and get sharp.
If you don’t provide your horse with regular dental care it can cause pain in the mouth, especially when you put a bit in.
Also, wolf teeth in particular can cause issues and should always be removed before a horse is backed for riding.
Sensitivity
In some cases, a horse can have a great upbringing and never experience any of the reasons I’ve just covered. These horses are just very sensitive either in their mouth or around their ears.
With these horses, you will need to go slow, have patience, and work with the horse to reduce its reaction.
Check: Best Bitless Bridle for Strong Horse
3 Tips for Bridling a Difficult Horse
Hopefully, I’ve helped you think about all the ways a horse can become difficult to bridle.
Now let’s take a look at the different ways a horse is difficult and some fantastic tips I’ve discovered myself and learned from other experts.
- Horse Puts its Head Up When Trying to Bridle
One of the most common bridling issues I’ve encountered and heard about happening to other equestrians is that the horse puts its head up when you try to put the bridle on.
This bridle evasion is pretty annoying since you can’t reach it! There are a few ways you can overcome this.
The easiest, though not something that will stop your horse from putting its head up, is to stand on something.
This way you can reach and get your bridle on. Of course, this isn’t going to solve your problem long term. So, let’s take a look at how you can help your horse overcome this particular bridling problem.
If your horse is fine to put a halter on, one simple solution is to use a bridle with bit clips . These horse bridle types have become fairly popular, so there are several nice-looking styles available.
When trying this method, unclip the bit and slip the bridle on. You can then attach the bit and put it in the horse’s mouth gently.
This is a really good option for horses that are sensitive about their ears as you don’t have to pull them through the bridle.
Josephine Knowles, FBHS (Fellows), who held this highest coaching qualification from the British Horse Society gave some fantastic little tips for bridling. She said that putting the reins over the horse’s head can trigger it to react.
Since this is what people almost always do when putting the bridle on, a difficult horse will anticipate and put its head up. Instead, Knowles says to unbuckle the reins and wrap them around the neck.
I found this interesting method from a fellow expert equestrian that worked well for her how. She shows you step by step and it is worth learning as might work for your horse. Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N857D0psjW8
- Teeth Clenching
Other tactic horses use to evade the bridle is to clench their teeth together and refuse to open their mouth for the bit. I had this very problem with my own young horse when I started introducing her to the bridle.
What happened in my case is that my young horse didn’t drop the bit when taking the bridle off, even though I was as gentle as possible.
When I took the bridle over her ears she pulled back and the bit ended up banging her teeth.
This gave her quite a fright and made putting the bridle on after difficult. There are a couple of ways to solve this problem, regardless of how it started.
The way I did it is also recommended by Equine dentist, Rob Fallowes. Fallowes says that some horses don’t like how metal bits feel in their mouth or if they got a bang associate them with pain.
He recommends switching to plastic or softer textured bit. I used a soft, flexible rubber bit for my horse.
I also for a number of weeks undid one side of the bit and removed it from my horse’s before pulling the bridle off so she wouldn’t get a bang against her teeth.
With patience and doing everything slowly, this solved my horse’s teeth clenching and she’s now great about the bridle.
Another solution, which I was going to try if the first way didn’t work is to rub the bit in something appealing to the horse. Rub some molasses on the bit or hollow out a carrot and hook it on the bit.
The horse will want to interact with the bit and gets a sweet reward for taking it.
- Retraining a Horse That Lifts Its Head For The Bridle
In addition to the great ideas, I’ve already covered I want to include some out-of-the-box thinking from an expert in retraining problem horses.
Linda O’Leary, affectionately knowns as Mrs Horserproblems, is an experienced equestrian that doesn’t always follow traditional instructions.
She feels that for 80% of horses the bridling issues arise from the poor technique of the person. To stop a horse from the habit of putting its head up she suggests you use a rope halter.
For this to succeed you need to be very alert and reward the horse immediately. So let’s learn how.
- Hold the leadrope of the halter six inches below the head
- Pull down with steady, even pressure
- The second the horse moves its head downwards immediately release the pressure on the leadrope
- If the horse tries to put its head up do not release the pressure but keep the same downward pressure.
- Keep repeating the above steps until the horse not longer resists the downward pull.
- As the horse gives you less resistance, you too must pull down more lightly.
This is teaching the horse that keeping its head down or neutral is comfortable and putting it up is uncomfortable.
Warwick Schiller is a very well-known equestrian that has some really interesting and successful approaches. Here is his excellent video that helps show you another way to address bridling problems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCYdXwgZKo4
FAQs
There is no one solution to bridling a difficult horse except that you must always go slow when tacking up and be gentle. If you reach too quickly or harshly, you are only going to make the problem worse.
With that said, you might have a few more questions, so I’ve tackled a couple here.
What can you put on a bit for a difficult to bridle horse?
You can put several things on the bit to appeal to the horse, so long as they are safe. Rub some molasses or Bit Butter (a special cream for horse bits), a flavored spray for poor eaters can also work.
Can bit size cause bridling problems?
Yes, bit size can absolutely cause bridling problems! If the bit is too small it can make the horse uncomfortable causing it to develop bridle evasions.
Can you use a treat to get a horse to lower its head for the bridle?
Yes, using a treat is on way to encourage your horse to put its head down for the bit. Something like a mint or another appealing small treat can work if you do it consistently for a couple of weeks until the horse no longer associates the bridle with something bad.
Conclusion
If you are using a well-fitted and comfortable bridle with the right type of bit, your horse should not feel any pain or suffering. The majority of bridle problems are due to human error.
While you might not be responsible yourself, your horse can carry baggage from its past.
The key things to remember are patience, kindness, correct technique, tack the fits, and thinking outside the box. I hope this helps you overcome your horse’s bridle problems!
Do you have other tips on how to bridle a difficult horse? Please share with us below!
References
- 1. Horse & Hound. Solving bridling problems . Horse & Hound. 2004 . Available from: https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care/horse-care-tips/solving-bridling-problems-59627
- 2. HOW TO BRIDLE THE PROBLEM HORSE – Horseproblems Australia . . Available from: https://horseproblems.com.au/how-to-bridle-the-problem-horse/#