The bitting problem: He's clearly had past bad bit issues, so you're going to retrain him to accept, even like that bit.

A Bit About Teeth - http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthBitAboutTeeth.shtml - Which teeth erupt at what ages? When do permanent teeth begin to erupt? Read about the aging process of teeth from birth up.

Equine Dental Exams - http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthDentalExams.shtml - What does the exam consist of? How much does it cost? Where can I find a dental technician in my area?

Equine Dental Problems - http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthDentalProblems.shtml - It is very important to be aware of possible dental problems in horses. By the time you recognize any signs of dental pain, the horse has probably been miserable for some time.

http://www.equinedentistry.info/ - Comprehensive information about equine dentistry and the effects of oral problems on performance, safety and economy.

I always like to suggest (and I know you've already done this, but am passing it along to others here) first having the vet or equine dentist perform a thorough dental exam to check the horse's mouth/teeth. Have his wolf teeth been removed? To check that, run your finger along the soft part of the upper palate of the horse's mouth, on the side you're standing on. If you feel a very small molar just in front of the start of the first molars, then your horse has a wolf tooth which is causing the bit discomfort when a bit is placed there; then check the other side, same way. If you find wolf teeth there, you'll want to have them removed by a good equine dentist or vet. Incidentally, even unerupted wolf teeth can be a problem there, so have that checked, as well. Another good mouth discomfort test is to try to find the upper molars on both sides of his upper jaw and press the skin into the upper molars, and if the horse resists/reacts there, he probably has very sharp points that need to be floated (filed down) by an equine dentist, usually done under sedation to keep the horse most comfortable and the least traumatized.

All horses should have their teeth checked and floated at least once a year.

Whenever a horse has a problem accepting the bridle/bit, sometimes it is a problem with the ears, a vision problem, or problems with the mouth (sores in the cheeks perhaps even) and/or teeth. So, since it's always best to rule out the physical issues first, therefore I always advise a thorough check of your horse's ears, eyes, mouth and body. Via ruling out physical problems first, you can then work on training issues, in that order, and you won't be as concerned that there might be something physically wrong. Just the best order to proceed in always.

After that, check tack fit. The only bit I personally recommend using is a snaffle, either:

Full cheek snaffle (1st choice):

Or D-ring snaffle (2nd choice):

And John Lyons sells full cheek snaffles here: CLICK HERE

If you would like to buy a complete headstall/bridle set, including the bit I prefer, etc., I recommend:

 

John Lyons Headstall: CLICK HERE

 

I myself would approach the problem by getting down into his foundation the deeper bonding and head yielding steps which you can learn about in my DVD set, the Whispering Way 12-Step Total Training System, because then we'd have a deep bond in place for the bitting lesson and a nurturing place to come back to as we went along there, as well as a "lower the head" cue well in place to work next on the bit problem.

 

Here's a link on my site that teaches some of these bonding techniques as well:

Horse Whispering "Tricks of the Trade" - To relax horse, build trust & bond them to us

After I have applied the bonding and lowering head techniques (how I would approach it myself were I called in as trainer to help there), then I would tackle the bitting problem, in that order, and here's how I would do that: I would use a full cheek snaffle bit (good for you, by the way for vetting him first to see if there was pain issue! That is indeed where I would have started as well). And I would spread molasses across the bit (you can buy molasses at any grocery store on the syrup aisle...only use molasses for this, nothing else; horses absolutely love molasses).

I would then bring the bit-with-molasses/bridle over to the horse, encourage him to drop the head (which he would already have been taught to do first). I would stand on the left of the horse and hold the bridle over his head with my right arm. There I would allow him to sniff the molasses bit with head down low (lowered head is a relaxed horse). Chances are he's going to lick it. The minute he gets a whiff or lick, I retreat -- retreat the bridle and turn my back. Let him think. You've got to give horses the pause to allow them time to think. Via thinking they learn.

And don't be too goal focused there in this exercise. In natural horsemanship we focus only on forward progression, not end goal and we retreat at every positive step forward. Retreat (release the pressure) for the smallest try, the slightest change in the right direction. All horses learn from the release of  pressure what it is you want, not the pressure itself. So...the retreat at every incremental right-direction/right answer baby step lets the horse know he did the right thing there. Even (especially!) baby steps forward are rewarded with the retreat/release. Don't jump "A to N" there, pushing too far forward, but instead, reward for every "letter step" in between, incrementally, with the release/retreat.

I do that a few times until the horse is perfectly relaxed with this simple stage. If he hasn't licked the bit yet, I'll take some on my finger and stick it in the corner of his mouth onto his tongue. This hooks them immediately. Then show him again where the molasses really is: on the bit. Yum! ;-) As we do repetitions of bridle over lowered head and he starts reaching for the bit to lick, I try to time my retreats for when he's wanting more. Leaving a horse wanting more is a very powerful tool to use in training because then the horse starts filing in his head that it's all his idea wanting that bit!

When all is cool there and horse is continuously wanting more, at one point (gut instinct there, but don't rush it!) I will go ahead and urge that bit into the mouth. However, just as quickly, I will ease it back out (don't bump the teeth as you remove it; let the horse spit it out!) and then retreat again. I'll often stop at this point to apply more molasses (do that as often as you need it to keep it yummy). I do multiple repetitions of this (resist the urge there to go for the whole goal! In NH we say, "The long way is the short way!"). Doing repetitions of bit in/out, retreat/release, reapplying molasses as often as needed, is going to go a long way for reprogramming him forever.

There will be a point there where he's reaching for the bit eagerly, taking it inside the mouth well, progressing nicely there, and that's when I'll put the bridle over one ear, pause a sec, then remove everything, retreat. Pause. Stroke/reward. Repeat. Several times. Then 2 ears into bridle. Retreat/remove. Pause. Stroke reward. Reapplying molasses where I see it needs it. Soon the entire process is no big deal. THEN, when the horse can do this repeatedly, happily, willingly, I end the lesson right there. Walk away, put the horse up. And don't work with them again that day. If/when you end a lesson on a high positive like that, ideally with the horse wanting more, this goes a long, long way for the next lesson. Generally a horse will remember most what happened last in a lesson. And if you time your exit on a high positive, it gives them time to think about what happened and by the time you go back next day for a lesson, they are actually often farther along than where you left them last. That's because synapses are firing off & new dendrites are now growing in the learning center of their brain for the new behavior and those keep growing even after you walked away. To understand that further:

Ever spend a day in the water at the ocean, or....spend a day snow skiing (especially first ski day of the season), or something uniquely physical like that? And when you go to bed that night, ever still feel like you're still in the ocean, or still snow skiing--still feeling those "sensations?" Well, those are synapses firing off in your brain to create new dendrites (which look like tree branches) in your brain's learning areas, but real high speed like, and that's exactly what happens in a horse, too. To learn more about this phenomenon & how horses learn, and more details on why "leave it while it's working" functions that way in horses, click here:

Horse Brains - Why "leave it while it's working"/walking away on a positive works!

So...if you know (or learn the instincts there) when to walk away on a high positive, with the horse really getting it, or even semi-getting it at first, this will go a very long way for them learning the new expected behavior more quickly and more positively for good. Long way is the short way! The time you take to slowly, compassionately, positively, fix a behavior problem like that, the more it sticks for the forever long run.

Try that and you should meet with success there. Second and subsequent times you want to go put the bit in the mouth, use molasses on it for a while. Before long you won't need that and the horse will have easily learned the new behavior even without the molasses. For good. I've never seen that route not work. But again, I do plant the bonding steps into their foundation first so that all the ducks are in a row for them to completely trust me, be willing to try "following the leader" there. Helps a lot!

I'd like to add one more point here regarding bits in general and their usage for riding/directing the horse. Yielding the head (or the opposite: the horse not yielding the head) has very little to do with the bit at all. If the horse doesn't yield the head easily with bridle bit, that simply means he's still got holes in his foundation and he doesn't understand how. In such cases, you need to back up and reteach him yielding the head on the ground first, with just the lead rope attached to the natural horsemanship halter, using pressure/release. Taught right, taught step by step from the ground up, one small baby step try at a time, "it could all be accomplished with just a string." That's one of my favorite quotes from Tom Dorrance's direction, the grandfather of the natural horsemanship movement, and how right he is!

 

So stay away from harsh bits. Please. They often do more damage than good and are simply not necessary for the majority of horses, if taught right from the ground up. Using a harsh bit, as I see it with most horses, is a "human problem," not a "horse problem." The human simply forgot (or didn't know how) to teach the horse to yield softly, compliantly when asked with "soft feel." I myself ride my own horse much of the time with just the natural horsemanship halter/lead rope tied into reins, no bridle/bit at all. Don't go to harsher equipment when you have a problem. Back up, get the help of a natural horsemanship trainer, if needed, or learn yourself how we fix such problems, the natural horsemanship "gentle" way. Stay a sponge, keep learning. NH is a lifelong learning endeavor. And learn from as many NH directions as you can and you'll soon find: the journey is the reward.

I hope all this helps, and let me know if I can be of any further help to you there. Keep me posted how it goes. Good luck to ya! And thanks for writing.

 

 

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