By Ashley Forlie

I can learn more about your level of horsemanship in the few seconds it takes you to bridle your horse, than I can observing you do almost anything else with them. Putting a bridle on a horse is not always an easy task, especially if you haven’t trained your horse to lower its head and open its mouth. If you’re a beginner yourself, it’s even harder. There are a lot of pieces to organize, and if everything isn’t just right the bit isn’t going to go into the horse’s mouth and the bridle isn’t going to go on.

I teach over 60 students a week, and I see some great examples of bridling, and sadly I also see some not so great examples of bridling: bits getting pushed against the horse’s teeth in an effort to get the horse to open its mouth, metal clanking on the horse’s teeth as the bit goes in and when the bridle is taken off, ears getting folded and squished as the bridle goes over them, and horses that raise and toss their heads around in an effort to avoid the bridle (which is no wonder considering all of the above).

I’m going to give you some tips that will help you to avoid these bridling mistakes, help you to bridle your horse with excellence, and to have a horse that not only takes the bit with obedience, but exuberance!

1)      Teach your horse to lower its head by putting your hand on its poll.

Apply light downward pressure with your thumb and fingers on either side of your horse’s poll. If your horse doesn’t understand this type of pressure, you can add a downward feel on the lead rope. If your horse raises their head instead of lowering it, don’t increase the pressure as that could cause them to panic. Being a prey animal, your horse is programmed to avoid traps, and the pressure of your hand and lead rope can feel like a trap. Instead, keep the pressure light and consistent until your horse tries to lower their head, even if it is only a centimeter. The moment they try it’s important to release all pressure so they learn what the appropriate response to that pressure is. You will need to be patient with your horse and teach this over a few sessions. The end goal is that you can lightly put your hand on top of your horse’s poll and they willingly lower their head as low as you need them to.

2)      Make sure you can handle your horse’s muzzle area.

If you are going to be putting a bit in your horse’s mouth it’s important to make sure your horse trusts you to handle their muzzle and mouth. Teach your horse to relax when you rub their muzzle and stick your fingers in their mouth by asking them to lower their head while you do it. You can use a light downward feel on the lead rope with the hand that’s not rubbing their muzzle or mouth (make sure you’ve done tip #1). When they lower their head and relax, stop touching their muzzle or mouth. They will soon learn to lower their head and relax as soon as you begin handling their muzzle and mouth.

3)      Make sure you can rub the bridle all over your horse’s head and neck area.

Some horses are fine with a human hand touching their muzzle, but are adverse to the bridle coming anywhere near their head. I’ve seen horses walk away the second the bridle comes out. You can teach your horse to relax when the bridle is near them by using the bridle in a similar way you would a soft brush. Use your bridle to scratch their itchy spots and create a positive association with the bridle. Doing this will also ensure that your horse is not fearful of the bridle near their face.

4)      Teach your horse to open its mouth by putting your thumb or finger in the corner of their mouth and pressing down on their tongue.

An important part of bridling a horse is that they open their mouth to accept the bit. I’ve seen people try to get the horse to open its mouth and take the bit by pushing the metal into the horse’s teeth. This causes quite a bit of discomfort for the horse, and usually the horse will clamp its mouth tighter and raise its head. You can teach your horse to open its mouth by sticking your thumb in the corner of the horse’s mouth and pressing down on their tongue. When they open their mouth, take your thumb off of their tongue and let them close their mouth. You can repeat this as a training exercise until you and your horse can easily do it, and then you’ll want to use it during the bridling process.

5)      Hold the bridle and bit in an efficient and effective way.

Standing on the left side of your horse, with the bridle in your left hand, put your right arm on your horse’s neck and your right hand on your horse’s poll, lowering their head. Use your left hand to place the crown-piece, or top of the bridle, into your right hand, which should be between your horse’s ears. With your left hand free you can place it on the underside of the hanging bit, splaying it open.

6)      Open the horse’s mouth first and then pull the bit up into the horse’s OPEN mouth.

While doing Tip #5, slip your left thumb into the corner of your horse’s mouth and press down on their tongue so they open their mouth (as you taught them in Tip # 4). While their mouth is open, pull your right hand (which is holding the top of the bridle) upwards, which will pull the bit into your horse’s open mouth.

7)      Carefully place the bridle over your horse’s ears.

Keeping the upwards pressure from Tip #6, switch the crown-piece to your left hand, freeing up your right hand to gently cup the base of the horse’s far ear. Push the ear forward and lift the bridle over the ear. Repeat with the near ear. Once the bridle is over both ears you can take your hands off of it and begin adjusting any buckles.

8)      Put something yummy on the bit so your horse looks forward to it.

I want my horses to look forward to being bridled and taking the bit. It’s important to train all of the little pieces you’ll need to have a willing horse, but adding a little molasses to the bit or a horse cookie behind the bit will really cause your horse to bridle with exuberance. Instead of walking away, raising their head, or just plain tolerating the bridle, your horse will begin to reach for the bit and take it into their mouth themselves. When this happens, bridling with excellence is easy!

Think about which of these tips you and your horse already do well, and which ones you need to work on. Commit to improving this area of your horsemanship, and you’ll notice a difference in the relationship you have with your horse!