Regardless of whether you’re coaching a horse for equestrian sport or merely relaxed pony riding, there’s just no escaping the proven fact that you have to be able to put on her bridle and bit correctly. But beyond that, you must also train your pony to accept the bridle, the bit, and the necessity to wear it. Horses have three real reasons why they might be averse to bridling:
1. The horse wasn’t taught the proper process,
2. She’s been hurt once before when she was being bridled, and
3. She simply decides not to be bridled.
You can address all of these issues in the same way by teaching your horse where her head should be when being bridled, by know when to release the lead rope’s pressure, and by teach your mare to open her mouth for the bit.
The initial step is easy enough; simply make your mare become used to her head being lowered next to your belly. Apply downward force on the lead rope,release the pressure as quickly as she moves in the right way. Praise the horse for every proper response. Do this until she consistently responds correctly. Next, repeat these steps with your hand on her poll. Your aim here is to eventually train her to do this movement when you place your hand on her poll. Once your horse response correctly; you then take your other hand and apply pressure to the other side of her face by her nose so she moves her head toward you. Same concept: pressure, release, praise. Keep going with these movements till she knows what position her head should be in.
The following few steps comprise handling your mare’s mouth. You will be answerable for the security of your fingers. Proceed by making her open her mouth by parting her lips. If you know she won’t be ok with this, then don’t immediately do it. Rub your free hand against her lips until she’s happy with it and finally push her upper lip open. Your objective is to touch and rub on her bars. You’d actually desire your pony to spit your finger out, so if she doesn’t mind one finger, increase the quantity of fingers rubbing her bars so she’d want to spit them out. When she opens her mouth to spit your fingers out, remove them lest you lose a few, and praise her. Continue with this till she understands you just need her to open her mouth when you touch her bars. Your end goal is for your pony to open her mouth without moving her head, you may need to bring her head back with the prior motions if she moves away.
Now comes the bit. Place the bit in the palm of your left hand whilst holding the bridle in your right hand above her pole, rub on her bars so she would open her mouth and slip the bit in, pulling the bridle up over her pole and into place. If she moves, bring her back to the proper position first before trying to put in the bit again. It might be damaging to the exercise if you were going to chase her with the bit.
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