My horse chomps at the bit almost constantly. how can i make him stop?

i do western pleasure with my quarter horse. i use a simple 3 inch shank bit that has barely a bend in it, and he usually does pretty well. recently he's been chomping at the bit a lot, especially when i wiggle the reins to get his head down. he will chomp the bit and put his head down way too much, like he's trying to eat grass, and it will mess up his pace and usually mess up my position as well. and it looks so unprofessional and ugly, at least to me. the vet was up recently to get him his shots, and he said my horse didn't need his teeth floated, so i dont know what im doing wrong. please help?

My horse chomps at the bit almost constantly. how can i make him stop?
My gelding does the same thing when he is bored and has decided to go deaf when I am working him. You might try this. Don't "wiggle" the reins. If the head is up. Then lift your hand straight up and ask him to tuck his nose while you are driving him forward with your leg. It sounds like he is not breaking over correctly at the poll and is dropping the shoulder a bit. You need to go back and do a little tune up on collection. Also, horses get bored just doing one thing over and over. Try changing up hs routine. Work some trail obstacles, jog over poles, etc. Please do not change to a different bit, snaffle, or bosal. Work your horse in what you show in. I saw you got griped out for the "wiggling the rein" comment". This I am assuming is a series of small bumps to lower the head. And is done by a lot of the top trainers. It always amazes me that people think you can think a horse into doing something and never touch a rein or anything else to cue them. And in regards to the comment about an unatural head position. That was really uncalled for. You may not agree with the way a pelasure horse travels, but have you ever stopped to think that there is really nothing that a person can teach a horse that is "natural" to them. That is why it is called "training" in the first place. Good Luck with your horse


PS A bit is onyl as harsh as the hands holding it. AND you cannot show an aged horse in a snaffle. So before you knock the bit, know the rules.
Reply:He probably doesnt like the bit nemore, maybe it bothers him. You should try riding him with a snaffle.
Reply:Check his teeth. Maybe thats bothering him. My horse does it because he just DOES! I get him to stop by applying pressure with my heels to keep him going, but I take ONE of the reins and give it a frim (not jerk) tug. He usually stops.
Reply:Well my first thought was that he was learning something from you. Usually when you're teaching your horse something new, it chomps and licks it's mouth in understanding. Funny isn't it? But i don't think that's it if he's chomping constantly. It could probably be just a phase. My horse Chip chomped for the longest time and then just stopped. No bit change, no nothin'. Then he started up again so we switched his bit from a small port to a tom-thumb, now he's fine. Just wait it out a little. If he persists, then just fiddle around a bit and see if it's the bit.
Reply:Stop wiggling your hands to get his head down as you are probably annoying him or causing the bit to bother him. Get him to put his head down by adding leg and riding him forward in to a steady hand with which you apply half halts. (Sort of like squeezing a soft rubber ball) Be sure you ride him into the half-halt through your seat and leg. When he drops his head reward him by giving a little with the hand that asked for the half-halt while keeping light contact with the opposite hand. This will actually cause him to seek the bit and lower his head even more but it MUST be supported with your seat and leg
Reply:One of mine did that, I got tired of hearing it to! So I use a hackamore on him, but he's broke.........
Reply:My riding instructor's horse does that too. He's a really high energy horse. She now uses a bit with a roller on it, it seems to work pretty good.
Reply:It reads like he is uncomfortable, or has found a way of getting out of what you are asking him to do, but first make sure the placement of the bit is correct and its not hanging to low in his mouth and hitting his teeth when he drops is head,also some horses like the taste of certain bits, and some horses just like to " chomp on them" out of boredom or to play with the thing in their mouth. He might be just getting out of the work you are asking him,horses are very good at it! You also might be really annoying him with that " wiggling of the reins" generally your hands should be as still as possible.
Reply:Low-Med port roller bit. Or a Bosal.
Reply:I'd try a different bit even though he usually likes that one, and get a second opinion on his teeth cuz thats usually the problem when a horse does that...i'd have an actual horse dentist look at it
Reply:First off- a shank bit is a very harsh bit. "Wiggling the reins" to get your horse in to a false headset (to get his head down, like you said) is not the right way to do it.





Put your horse into a snaffle. To get the horse to lower their head, they must have the right muscle tone, not just have you saw on their mouth in a harsh bit. Without that, they cannot carry their body the way you need for western pleasure- no matter WHAT the bit is. They need muscle to balance their body and they need muscle through balanced riding - in a snaffle they will work their bodies more the correct way and worry less about "if I move this way, that bit is goona hurt my mouth!" and evade the bit.





Doing some training in a snaffle bit and learning to ride your horse forward through your seat is the answer here.





Regardless of your discipline, finding a harsher bit is not the answer.





The bit you currently use could also be too low in the mouth.(Sometimes leather stretches, even if the bit is on the same bridle-hole as always) so if you refuse to switch to a snaffle, even though that is best, try to bring the bit up in the mouth just a tiny bit. See if this helps.





Also you will need to learn to not saw on the reins, regardless of what bit you use. This is a very bad habit and VERY annoying to the horse and it makes the horse dead in the mouth.





Believe it or not, dressage training works WONDERS on western horses. Try to find a dressage trainer in your area who would be willing to help you learn to ride from your seat more and your hands/bit much less.
Reply:My suggestion is this... I show Western Pleasure and train Western Pleasure horses (mostly Arabians), and when I'm schooling, I always put a cavasson on the horse...this keeps thier mouth closed and doesn't allow them to learn to chew or "take hold" of the bit. In addition to this, possibly you are using a little too much hand and not enough leg. Try squeezing as us "wiggle" your hands, and if he takes hold of the bit give him a nice "bump" to let him know that is not what you want him to do, then do it over again. Make sure that for the most part you are allowing him a fairly loose rien and are just using the "bump" to remind him of his headset. When going in and out of gait, squeeze first and take hold of his head with a light but steady pressure and allow him to collect first and then give him his head back.
Reply:my friends horse, vegas, does this too. he doesn't do it with me but he does it with her because she is a weak rider and she doesn't know how to get him to stop. he chomps the bit to set it in his teeth where it won't hurt him and then he puts his weight into his neck and jerks down and yanks the reins through her hands and leaves leather burns on her hands. when he goes to try and set the bit i tug back on the reins and make it o he can't set it and he stops. he does it because he is trying to be a bully because he knows with her he can get away with it. your horse migth not be doing that yet but he migth start so keep an eye on him.





also check the bit to see if it is rusting and there is anything unusual on it. he migth be sick of that particular bit and needs a new one. try him with a few different snaffles and a western curb and see how he does.


you can also test out a nose band if your not already that will restrict him from opening his mouth far enough to chomp but it won't be too uncomfortable.


i would recomend a snaffle because they give easier and that helps with a horse that dislikes a non jointed bit like a western.


check the corners of his mouth to see if the bit has given him a soft mouth and he is trying to let the bit stay forward in his mouth and not touch the sore spots he will have.


you could also try bridoon bits they are similar to snaffles.
Reply:if he chomps constanly i would try and tighen the bridel. usually they do that to hold the bit in their mouth.

asp