Tales from the Horse's Mouth: Part Two - Page 2
© Sally White
The best time to start is after your horse's feed, when he is generally contented and calm, and there is little else going on in the yard to distract him. He can be loose in a stable - my preferred option, as then you don't have to worry about the halter getting in the way - or you can tie him up outside and slip the halter off and around his neck.
I begin by rubbing the horse all over his head, and particularly over the poll area behind his ears. He should be used to you handling him around his head in any case through earlier training, so this should cause no problems and should also put him in a soppy mood!
Gently and slowly, lift the bridle and slip the headpiece over his head. Praise him for standing quietly. If he should show signs of alarm, stop, take the bridle away, wait until he has calmed down and try again. Keep trying patiently until he gets more used to it and accepts it, praising him every time he stays still and never losing your temper.
I find it helps, in getting the bit into the horse's mouth, to stand facing the same way as the horse and gently hold his head, about halfway down, with my right hand and forearm hooked over his nose. This holds his head in place and ensures he cannot jerk upwards and hurt his mouth.
Now for the fiddly bit. With the fingers of your left hand, get hold of the mouthpiece of the bit loosely and bring it in front of his mouth. With your hand cupped under his chin, insert your left thumb into his mouth gently at the corner, as you would to put a bridle on any adult horse. Move it around gently in the natural gap between his teeth, and eventually he will open his mouth. Quickly but smoothly, slip the bit in and move it up so that the left ring now rests at the corner of his mouth, in the normal position. Then you can fasten the other cheekpiece back on.
If you find this difficult to do first time, don't worry - just try again. So long as you keep your own patience, stay calm and do things slowly, your horse will wait for you.
You'll need to check the cheekpiece fittings again: if they're too long or too short, simply take the bridle off again and adjust. It will not do the horse any harm to "practice" having the bridle and bit put on a few times, although don't overdo it or you may find your horse getting irritated.
