My horse won't take the bit!?

My horse refuses to take the bit and it's getting very frustrating. Is there any other tricks i can use besides coating it w/ food and using my finger in the corner of her mouth? She was okay w/ taking the bit and then she slowely has gotten worse. She started with gritting her teeth and tightening her lips and now she shakes her head up and down. It can take me as long as a half hour to get the bit in and i don't know what to do. Once i get it in i give her a treat and then she's the fine w/ it the whole time i'm riding her. Any suggestions?

My horse won't take the bit!?
I would definetly get her teeth checked, that could cause alot of problems. I would do that first, and if nothing is wrong then maybe you are hitting her teeth by accident while putting the bit in, just be very careful and try to see what is bothering her about it most is it when you touch her ears, or when the bit touches her teeth?...anoher ting could be is, do you live in a colder place?...maybe you need to warm the bit up before you put it in her mouth that culd definelty be what it is make sure you warm the bit up if it is cold by rubing the bit in your hands.








I sure do hope that helped, I know that this can be very frustrating.
Reply:Focus on getting her to lower her head for starters :)





How you can do this:





1. Take your hand and put it on top of her head, between the ears on what is called "the pole".


2. Apply a small amount of pressure here


3. If she doesnt give in, apply a little more and a little more, until she puts her head down. She may not leave it down, but the first step is just understanding the right amount of pressure to get her to do this and then going from there.


Remember that every time she puts her head down and gives into the pressure, give her a rub on her nose and tell her she is good. She must know that what your teaching her, and her responding that way is good. Always use positive reinforcement. Once she gives in here and there, work on making her keep her head there by making her put her head down as LOW as she can put it, keeping it there, and end the lesson by putting her head back into a neutral position and then praising. YOU always want to be the one who ends the lesson.





Once youve got this down, start playing with her mouth. Rubbing her nose, putting your fingers into the sides of her mouth until youve literally bored her with it and she stands there.





Once youve got these two down, start working on putting the bit in. She should be 1. comfortable with you touching her in her mouth and 2. she now knows how to put her head down so its just a matter of applying these and slipping the bit in and out. Do it a few times, before you get on with your ride/lesson.





Also, I might point out that if she hasnt had her teeth done recently, make sure its not painful for her. It may very well be as simple also as having her teeth floated!





Good Luck and I hope this helped!





Its worked wonders with my 3yo :)





**EDIT**


If she is good with everything as far as her head and her mouth being played with, definatley get her teeth checked! You're doin the right thing. If only they could just speak to us huh? hahaha


Good Luck! :) You're definatley doing the right thing by having the vet out to check out her teeth! :)
Reply:Is there a broken tooth or mouth sore?


Is the bit clean and free of any bacteria buildup?


There may be pain associated with taking the bit in the past and that causes refusal now.
Reply:she probably dose need her teeth floated but if that dose not work, try using a bit warmer first before you try to get the bit in he mouth, a cold bit is really painful to them and can make them bit shy, also try instead of food, try a little honey, i used to work at a ranch and one of the horses just would not take the bit for anything, then one day I had the idea to put honey on it and it worked. now he gladly accepts the bit, even though the honey may make them play/ lick the bit while ridding, that is a good thing.
Reply:Well considering you wrote besides coating it with food, I don't have anything much, but I do have a few sugestions (one does have to do with coating it with food...kind of)


1. Dip it in Apple juice or wipe an apple around it and let your horse smell it first


2. take your pointer finger and thumb and GENTLY squeeze her mouth


3. DO NOT force her mouth open


hope i helped!!
Reply:DALLAS had a wonderful answer, which I only have one thing to add to it: You may be pulling on her mouth while you ride her.Be softer with your hands when riding. If she needs her teeth floated you can check by watching her eat. If she drops a lot of food, and eats very slowly, she needs her teeth floated. If not, it's just you. If she can't eat it's her teeth, if you're pulling, it's her mouth-corners and tongue.
Reply:you could be clicking her teeth when you put it in so when the bit comes she won't open her mouth. Work with her mouth by rubbing her gums (not all horses like it but many do) on the front of her teeth and bars. And make sure you don't click her teeth with the bit!