Getting your horse to take the bit

 

When I started my first horse from a youngster, I made the mistake of shoving the bit against his teeth to get him to open his mouth.  This was, of course, not the correct way, and only resulted in him having issues with bridling for many years.  So, here is the correct way to go about this task!

Position yourself on the left side, next to the horse's head, facing the same way the horse is. With your right hand holding the bridle, slide the bridle over his face so that you can put your hand over the poll and sort of between his ears. DON'T PUT THE BIT IN YET. Wait until your horse is calm and not tossing his head. You can put pressure on the poll with your right hand (or arm), asking him to lower his head if he raises it too high. Use your left hand to put slight pressure over his nose, about halfway between the eyes and the nostrils (where the bone and cartilage meet). The bit should be below his jaw at this point, and out of the way. Now, just wait.

Once your horse begins to relax and lower his head, position your left hand on the bit, to guide it into his mouth. You do not want the bit to clank or smack against his teeth, so go slow and take your time. You can reach into the horse's mouth and "tickle" his tongue, bars, or the roof of his mouth, until he opens his mouth for you. There are no teeth in this part of the horse's mouth, so you won't be risking any fingers. I often switch my right hand to under the horse's neck and holding the bridle by the cheek straps above his nose while I guide the bit. If your horse is not tossing his head, this position is more comfortable.

Once the bit is in, check to make sure the tongue is under the bit, and that the bit is adjusted and positioned correctly. Most horse's that toss their head have learned to avoid the pain they associate with the bit in any way they can, so check everything you can think of. The general rule of thumb is that an english bit should be adjusted to have 2-3 wrinkles, and a western bit should be adjusted to have one wrinkle in the corner's of the horse's mouth. Also, the cheek straps should not rub too close to the horse's eyes. If so, your browband may be too small. You might also want someone to help you check your horse's teeth to see if there might be any other reason the bit is bothering him.

Spend some time every time you tack up doing this ... repeatedly. Bring your horse in, put the bridle on and off a few times, then give him a treat and put him away. You can also try coating the bit with molasses and/or sugar, once you are able to get him to keep his head low for you. Often, this will help a horse associate pleasant things with the bit in his mouth, instead of pain.

Take extra care when removing the bit NOT to hit his teeth. Let the horse spit it out. He'll appreciate it, and you won't have to deal with a horse that's difficult to bridle.

Once you can get the bit in once, practice slipping it part way out of his mouth then back in repeatedly.  While doing this, the horse should keep his head down in an accessible position.

Jump Panel and Décor Ideas

 So I am always looking for novel ideas to make new horse jumps, or to dress up plain old logs in the woods.  Here are a few that I have made, as well as ideas I have for others.

Ideas for jump panels:

These PVC or vinyl panels are available at places such as Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes.  They came up in a search for "decor screen", so hard to say how sturdy they are, but they look like they would be super easy to attach to a long board plank to act as a wider plank or a filler:

They also come in a couple different colors, although generally that is limited to shades of brown, black, and white.

Along those lines, another search for "decorative panel" came up with these that look a bit sturdier (or at least I am more confident they would stand up to outdoor use:

*Other ideas:  Woven willow / branch filler

Faux ivy / hedge fence panels

Becoming a Bombproof Rider

 I recently started reading a book about bombproofing your horse, and as I was reminded of the psychology of it, I had an epiphany; I could apply the same ideas to make myself a braver rider.

Basically, in working on de-spooking or bomb proofing your horse, you are gradually making them confront a scary thing, first from a safe distance, then gradually increasing the pressure until it's no big deal.

So it occurred to me, if I am worried about my horse spooking, or even trying to turn and bolt on me, I need to set up a situation where my horse is nervous, but I can handle it and bring him back under control.