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  Discussion on First Bit for Nine Year Old
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Posted on Monday, Jan 8, 2001 - 6:51 pm:

I've owned my Arab mare for about six months, but have known her over three years as her previous owner is my pasture partner. Some background: I imagine you could label Missy as a rescued horse. She's a registered Arabian, an expensive horse purchased too young and too green for a nine year old girl who could not handle her. The parents gave up, corraled her in a small paddock next to their garage and basically ignored her nearly a year. They finally sold her to my friend. With alot of love, patience and gentle handling, she turned into a really nice horse who was ridden in parades and used for the junior rodeo. Now that she's mine, I basically just trail and arena ride for pleasure and enjoy her companionship and beauty. There's no showing or competitions in my community other than the local rodeos. When my friend first got her and tried to put a bit in her mouth, Missy threw up her head and resisted strongly. We assumed somewhere in the past she had a bad experience, an injured mouth, whatever. My friend didn't investigate the reasons, didn't have a dental float, and just put her in a mechanical hackamore. She did barrels and poles in the jr. rodeo in a hackamore. I've continued riding her in the hackamore and she neck reins nicely, responds to leg cues nicely and so on. However, I don't get good lateral flexion with her, can't make tight circles, and on the trail don't have the option of one rein stops. When she speeds up on the trail and I try to slow her down, she fights the hackamore and even tries to grab the long shanks in her mouth. One of my goals with her in the New Year is to get her into a bit. Of course, first I'll have a dental float and exam. I've ordered some mild snaffle bits (one full cheek and one eggbutt)and an Arab size training halter. Where I'd really appreciate some guidance is on how to introduce her to the bit with the least stress and resistance. And I wonder if I'm going "backwards" with a horse that can neck rein back to direct reining. I've been riding her just in a rope halter in the arena to introduce her to the idea of direct reining. I've been thinking of just putting something sweet on the bit by itself and just letting her lick it for awhile! Your suggestions and opinions will be greatly appreciated!

Posted on Monday, Jan 8, 2001 - 8:58 pm:

Linda,
when reading your story it was dejavu, your horse right down to the name (our is misty) is such a simalar situation to our own little arab, who was also a rescue horse. We had the same trouble with the bit also. The first thing we did was take her to the vet for a teeth float and he put a bit port in her mouth for us. I felt as you that we were regressing instead of progressing with introducing her to a bit, but because she is used by my 10 year old daughter in 4H events and the fact that she is 9 years old herself we not only had to introduce her to a bit but to a strait bit at that. Because of her age she couldnt compete in western pleasure or any of the events in a broken bit of any kind, nor could she compete with a hackamore. What worked well with us is the sweet that you are talking about, we used just plain karo syrup. First I had to get her to keep her head down for us, we accomplished that with slight pressure and alot of "good girls" which she responds to well. Then we started introducing the bit, she is such a nibler anyhow that it didnt take long for her to accually take the bit, but I waited till she would hold the bit in her mouth before pulling the rest over her head. Arabians are such smart animals it really didnt take her long to adjust to it. I can't say that she really likes it, but she doesnt fight it anymore. she still prefers and does very well with just a halter, or hackamore. In fact my daughter can get on her with nothing and just use leg commands and she does well. But because of what she has to do with her, we still use the bit at least once a week to keep her used to it for next year and 4H events. The one constant thing that i have found that makes bitting my horses easier is keeping their head down, if you can get her to do that the rest will follow with time and patients.

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2002 - 1:42 pm:

Hi Linda...I have just finished reading a very interesting article in the February issue of Equus, entitled "Learning to Learn and to Trust". It explains how "Clicker" training was used to teach a horse to accept the bridling process. According to the article, the horse after being taught to "Target", now puts its head down and picks up the bit by himself. I know there are books on this method of training.

Good Luck
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