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  Discussion on Creating a soft mouth in the young horse
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Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2000 - 8:00 am:

My young Foxtrotter is coming along beautifully and a joy to ride. My ultimate goal for him is to be so responsive that he responds to the lightest touch on the reins. Does anyone have suggestions for exercises and activities that we can do together to develop his mouth?

Posted on Friday, Oct 13, 2000 - 4:46 pm:

Hello Wendy,
I have found that being consistent and patient have paid off with my horses. Basically, your horse already does have a soft mouth; it is up to you to train him to respond to your aids so that he can keep that soft mouth. One of the most important things in all aspects of training is to give him an immediate reward/release when he makes even a small effort. If you are slowing him at a trot or canter and give a light pull on the bit, the instant he slows even slightly, release the pressure on the bit. If you want him to slow more yet, give him another pull, and immediately release when he responds. It will be more effective to pull and release than to constantly keep pressure on the bit. If you keep constant pressure on the bit, he will become desensitized to it, and you will in fact be teaching him that bit pressure is normal and should be ignored. Practice speed changes, asking him to go from 5 mph to 10mph, down to 7 mph, then back up to 12mph, and so on. This helps him to listen to you and wait for your signals. Also, give him a "pre-signal" before you pull on the bit to slow his speed. Something like a softly spoken "easy." In time he will come to associate the word with the pull on the bit that follows it, and will respond to the word before you even have to pick up on the reins. My spirited Arabian mare now is willing to go on a loose rein at all three gaits when we trail ride, which is something I didn't know if we would ever be able to do. When I do pick up on the reins, just a very light pull is all I ever need. Good luck!
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