From: Karen
Dear Jessica, I couldn't find any reference to this specific problem in your archives, so hope you have time to answer me here. I am twelve and my horse is three going on four. My horse is always testing his bit to see just how much he can get away with. Sometimes he leans on it hard, other times he'll twist his head around and make faces or hang his tongue out one side of his mouth. Sometimes he grinds his teeth on it.
I've tried at least twelve bits in the last year. I borrow them from friends and my trainer because my mother does not want to buy all of them. I have bought five bits and I don't feel that I'm any closer to solving this problem. I know my hands are probably not that wonderful but I am very careful not to pull the reins hard unless I need to tell him to turn or stop or remind him to behave.
Every time I put a new bit in his mouth, he is very respectful for the first day or two and carries himself better and seems to respect the bit. But pretty soon there he goes again, pushing and twisting and grinding. I've tried putting it up where it made three wrinkles (my English trainer's suggestion) and dropping it below his mouth corners so I could put my finger in between the bit and the corners of his mouth. My Western trainer said to do that because then he would have to carry the bit himself, and that was about the best thing so far for him keeping his mouth shut, he actually closed his mouth when I put the bit low like that. But he still flipped his head and twisted around and he got very stiff in his neck, probably because he was really angry, so I don't want to do that even though he did shut his mouth tight.
I've also tried your suggestion of putting the bit where it just touches the corners of his mouth. He was pretty good about that, he didn't get mad or make his neck stiff and he didn't open his mouth or twist, so I thought O.K. the problem is fixed, but no, he was good for about twenty minutes in the arena but after about twenty minutes he started in again, being bad about his head and neck. He started dropping his head all the way to the ground, really quickly, trying to test if I was secure in my saddle or if he could get away with pulling me out of my saddle.
K.C. is a three year old half Arabian half Quarter Horse. My vet says there is nothing wrong with him. My saddle and bridle fit just fine. Both my trainers (I ride him English and Western both) agree that he is just an ornery horses who has a problem with respecting bits. It's not like he was a yearling and didn't know what bits are for. Why does he always test the bit and is there some kind of bit I haven't tried that he wouldn't be testing all the time? My trainer says I should try a Waterford bit next. Will that make him stop testing the bit? I know you say it's not good to close a horse's mouth with a noseband, but I have to do this or else he'll just keep his mouth wide open all the time and twist his head around. It's driving me crazy, help!
Karen
First, when it comes to horses, I don't like the word "ornery" for the same reason I don't like the word "resistant". I've not yet met a horse that is just naturally "ornery" or "resistant", but I've met many hundreds of horses whose owners or trainers use those words as a way to avoid taking responsibility for the way they manage, handle, ride, and train their horses.
Every single time I've been asked to analyze or work with a horse described as "ornery" or "resistant" or "with an attitude", I've found a horse that was reacting to something that hurt it, frightened, it, or confused it. The specific problems were many and varied: injury, soreness, stiffness, teeth in need of dental care, bad tack, poorly-fitted tack, poorly-adjusted tack, bad footing, bad riding, etc. The only factor common to every situation was that the HUMAN involved was blaming the horse instead of trying to figure out what was actually wrong. Horses are reactive, and when I hear about an "ornery" horse, I know that the horse must be REACTING to something. The question then becomes, "What?" - and that's where the detective work begins.
Since he's your horse, you're around him more than anyone, and you observe him all the time, YOU get to be the detective.
And now, let's talk about horses "testing" their bits.
Horses "test" bits, yes. The problem isn't that they do this, the problem is in the way the horses' riders and trainers INTERPRET what the horses are doing. "Testing" is a misunderstood concept. What does it mean to you, when you hear someone say "We put a new bit in your horse's mouth, and now he's testing it"? If you immediately think "Oh no, the horse is trying to get away from the bit, he's trying to move the bit around so that it doesn't work, he's trying to see how much he can get away with in this bit", then you need to think again.
No horse can get away from a bit that's in its mouth, although an uncomfortable horse may curl his neck inward or hold his head at an odd angle to try to make the pressure and/or pain more bearable. A more uncomfortable horse may push against the bit in an attempt to move forward, but that's nothing more than a typical horse's normal reaction to pain and fear: running away. All of this involves moving the bit around, and all of this involves moving the horse's jaw and tongue and head and neck around. The horse is TESTING for a very good reason - and it's none of the reasons usually suggested by ignorant riders and trainers.
Here's what the term "testing the bit" SHOULD mean to you.
When a horse moves a new bit around in its mouth, fiddles with it, tastes it, and moves its tongue and jaw and head and neck around, this is NOT testing to "see what it can get away with". It's testing the bit in the same way that you would test a new pair of shoes you were trying on. When you try on new shoes, and you walk around in the shop, stop, turn, rock onto your heels and then onto your toes, wriggle your feet this way and that, spread and clench your toes, are you trying to see what you can get away with? Of course not. You're trying to find out, by moving around in the shoes, whether they're going to be comfortable for you, whether they're going to pinch your toes or rub your heels, whether the arch support is in the right place for you, whether the shoe is too tight or too loose, etc. In other words, you are TESTING the shoes.
That's what your horse is doing whenever you change its bit. The difference between you and the horse is threefold:
1. Your testing a pair of shoes is entirely acceptable to everyone, including the shoe salesman and the shop owner. In fact, testing is more than acceptable - it's expected. Your horse's testing of the bit is considered grounds for punishment. WHY?
2. As soon as you determine that the shoes don't fit, you're able to say so - and say WHY. "They're too short - my toes are hitting the end of the shoe." "They're too narrow - they're pinching my feet." "I need an arch support that's higher/lower/angled differently". The horse knows how the bit feels, but can't give you its impressions in words, so its discomfort is likely to be ignored - or labelled "testing" without any thought given to the reason for or the results of that testing. Can the horse be comfortable in this bit? It's YOUR job to find out.
3. Finally, when you've determined that the shoes you've tried on are uncomfortable and unsuitable, you can TAKE THEM OFF. Nobody says to you "You're going to wear those shoes, you'll wear them and you'll like them, I don't CARE if they hurt, just shut up about it." You can say "No, thank you". Your horse doesn't have this option - the bit is strapped into his mouth, and he has to deal with it for better or for worse.
So that's what "testing the bit" means: The horse is trying to move the bit around and figure out how it hangs and balances, and how it can carry that bit with the least amount of discomfort. Some bits, like some shoes, just don't fit and can't be made to fit. Some bits, like some shoes, can be reasonably comfortable if certain adjustments are made - with a good-quality bit that fits the horse's mouth well, this would mean adjusting the bit to hang a little bit higher or lower, and watching the horse's response.
When your horse twists around, makes faces, becomes stiff in the neck, continually opens its mouth, or clamps its mouth tight shut, it's reacting to discomfort, not trying to be difficult.
Let's return to the imaginary shoe store for a moment. This time, imagine that you are a young child, shoe-shopping with your mother, and that you are handicapped in some way. You are, in fact, unable to speak, write, or even use your hands to point at your feet. How, exactly, will you indicate to your mother that a pair of shoes is rubbing your heels or pinching your toes, or that the arch support is inadequate or in the wrong place? How, exactly, will you express the thought "I hate these shoes, get them off me RIGHT NOW!"? With no other way to communicate your opinion, you will probably make horrible faces, wave your feet around, and possibly even try to scrape off the shoes against the floor or a piece of furniture. Whether you will end up with comfortable feet or uncomfortable feet (and possibly a sore backside) may depend on whether your mother's reaction is "Oh, dear, those don't fit, do they?" or "How dare you make faces and wriggle, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" If you think it would be wrong to punish a child for expressing discomfort in the only ways it knows how, consider this: It is equally wrong to punish your horse for expressing its discomfort in the only ways it knows how.
Before we leave the shoe store, I'd like you to consider one more thing. There are some very important differences between your shoes and your horse's bit. Shoes are designed for comfort, protection and support - bits are designed for communication, and often misused for control.
Think about how horrible it is to wear shoes that hurt your feet. Now think about the fact that shoes are padded, and designed to be COMFORTABLE, PROTECTIVE, and SUPPORTIVE. Your shoes support your feet and protect your feet from too much heat (hot asphalt pavement), too much cold (ice and snow), and the injuries that hard and sharp things can cause. Shoes - except for wooden clogs - are comfortably, often quite thickly, padded, and the padding helps keep your feet comfortable whilst they are being protected and supported.
Bits are quite different. To begin with, they have no padding. Bit mouthpieces are typically made of metal or hard nylon or rubber, and some of them are not even smooth (e.g. chain-link bits, "triangle" or "knife edge" bits, twisted wire bits). Bits are placed in the horse's mouth, where they directly affect the very sensitive tissues of the tongue and bars.
Your horse's bit doesn't protect him from anything, or support any part of him - it's something hard and uncomfortable that is put into his mouth and strapped into place, and he has no way to remove it himself. He also has no clear way to indicate to you that YOU should remove it. All he can do is show, through his actions and the way he carries himself, that (a) it hurts, and (b) he is trying to find the least uncomfortable way to cope with it. It's YOUR obligation to ensure that your horse is made as comfortable as possible, and that you don't ask him to wear a bit that is unsuitable, or one that doesn't fit, or one that isn't properly adjusted.
So, with all this in mind, be more tolerant of your horse when you introduce a new bit and he tests it. Allow him the freedom to experiment with head and neck positions and ways of carrying the bit in his mouth. If the bit is suitable, this testing period will be brief. If the horse continues to wriggle and twist, unable to find a way to carry the bit quietly, you can be sure this isn't the right bit for him. If he finds a way to carry it quietly, but seems to spend most of his time overbending or twisting his neck or letting his tongue hang out, that should tell you something - NOT that he is a "bad horse", but that you need to try another bit.
Know your horse's mouth. Know bit design, construction and function. Make yourself familiar with bit materials. It's not too much for you to learn. Your horse's comfort and ability to perform depend on you.
Is it possible to put a bit into a horse's mouth and have everything be fine, with the happy comfortable horse accepting the bit easily from the first moment? Yes. I've had this happen on many occasions, because I've studied horses and bits for many years, and am often able to pick the "right" bit for a particular horse the first time. This isn't magic, though. Most of it is a simple matter of eliminating most bits from consideration, and trying only those that I can reasonably expect to be the most suitable and comfortable for an individual horse. So, first of all, I'm selecting from a small group of bits, NOT from the huge array on the "bit wall" at the tack shop. My knowledge of bit purpose, function, design, and quality will eliminate most of the bits on that wall, leaving me with a small group of "possibles", usually including one or two "probables" - those being the bits I think are MOST likely to suit that horse, based on my "reading" of the horse's mouth, tongue, overall conformation, physical development, discipline, level of training, and working conditions.
Does this work? Yes, most of the time, it works very well indeed. Does it work every time? NO.
Sometimes I try a bit that seems just about perfect to me - I know twenty reasons why this specific bit SHOULD be exactly right for that specific horse, and then the horse's reaction clearly expresses "No! Not that one!" When that happens, do I say "I'm an international teacher/trainer with thirty-plus years experience, don't you tell ME that this bit bothers you"? No. I don't. It wouldn't matter if I had SIXTY-plus years of experience, I would still have to believe that the horse knows more than I do about how this bit feels in its mouth. And at the point the horse says "Not that one!", it's my responsibility to find out exactly why this bit is wrong - and then to use that information to help me find a more suitable one.
How will I do that? First, I'll re-check the bit's smoothness and its size, and I'll check once more to be sure that both sides are the same. I'll re-check the horse's mouth and tongue, and look at how the bit sits in the horse's mouth. If I find nothing obviously wrong, I'll change the bit's adjustment - hanging it lower or higher in the horse's mouth, until I'm certain that adjustment isn't the issue. I know my own tack, but if the bridle and reins belong to someone else, I'll check them too. I'll want to be sure that the bridle isn't interfering with the bit in any way, and I'll want to be sure that the reins are neither too light (nylon) nor too heavy (some Western show reins add several pounds of weight between the rider's hand and the bit, and this can put constant pressure on the horse's bars and tongue, or cause the horse to hold himself with a fixed, uncomfortable "headset" to avoid such pressure). I may not be able to find anything, and I may not be able to figure out what's wrong, but that doesn't mean that everything is fine. I can be as scientific as I like about bit selection and fitting, but the horse KNOWS, so the horse must always have the final word.
As for the specific conditions you mentioned in your letter:
A horse that seems to be offering more obedient behaviour for the first day or two after a change of bit may be doing so for any number of reasons. Sometimes the new bit is so painful that the horse will do anything to avoid rein pressure. Sometimes, though, the reason is more subtle. The new bit may be just as uncomfortable as the old one, but in a different way.
Here's another analogy involving humans and shoes. Let's say that you've been wearing very painful, pinching, rubbing, uncomfortable shoes, and that you have sore toes and blisters on your heels. Then you get a different pair of shoes - and for the first half-hour or even the first hour, you're walking more comfortably. This COULD be because the new shoes are perfect for your feet. Or, much more likely, it could be because for the first few hours you wear them, the new shoes will feel much better than the old ones, not because they're perfectly comfortable, but because they aren't putting pressure on your sore toes, or rubbing the same blistered areas on your heels.
So far, so good - but don't sign up for a 20-mile hike just yet! The new shoes may not actually fit any better than the old ones, but they will SEEM more comfortable for the first day or so because they aren't rubbing your old sores and haven't (yet) created any new sores. As soon as the pinching across the instep becomes painful, and as soon as the heels create new blisters in the areas they're rubbing, you'll be miserable again.
Think of this when you change bits and your horse responds well for a day or two, then seems to revert to its previous behaviour. There is probably a very good reason for this, and it's nothing to do with "respect".
Let's say that Bit A puts pressure here and there, on the horse's tongue and on the bars of its mouth. Let's say that the pressure hurts, creates bruises, and then hurts more. The rider realizes that there is a problem with the bit, puts Bit A back in the box, and uses Bit B instead. Bit B puts pressure in different spots, the pressure hurts but not as much as the previous pressure on existing bruises - but in two days, there are NEW bruises in the new locations, and the horse is once again experiencing painful pressure on bruised tissues. It doesn't mean that he didn't respect the first bit, respected the second bit for a day or two, then stopped respecting it - respect doesn't come into the picture here, but pain DOES.
I'm glad you don't pull the reins hard all the time, but you shouldn't pull them hard at all, ever. Even the gentlest, smoothest, most mouth-conforming bit will cause pain and damage if the rider is pulling the reins hard. There is NEVER an appropriate time to do that, unless, perhaps, it's the very last thing you do if your horse is about to run in front of a bus or train.... the next-to-last thing to do, actually, since the last thing would be to bail out of the saddle!
If your horse's mouth is badly bruised or cut, you should probably ride without a bit for several months whilst his mouth heals. Even after his mouth heals, you might want to continue to ride him without a bit for a year or two. This will also give you a chance to become a more proficient rider - if you don't use the reins for balance or for "brakes", you're much less likely to hurt your horse.
There's quite a lot of material in the HORSE-SENSE archives about bits, bit adjustment, and bit positioning - read it before you go back to the tack store and invest more money in more bits. But in the meantime...
There's no such thing as a "wrinkle rule". Once you've found a suitable bit for a horse, adjust the bit so that it just touches the corners of the horse's mouth, then let his reaction, then and later (under saddle) tell you whether he would be happier with the bit adjusted a little higher or a little lower. "Just touching the corners" is an excellent default position, so always begin with that. Many horses won't need any changes. Some might need the bit moved a little higher or dropped a little lower, but "higher" would never involve creating multiple wrinkles, and "lower" would never involve dropping the bit so low that the horse has to hold it tightly to keep it from banging against his teeth. When you dropped the bit too low, your horse shut his mouth to hold the bit tightly, this made him tense his jaw and poll and neck, and his demeanour showed you that he was very uncomfortable with the situation.
Since your horse responded well to the bit being placed just touching the corners of his mouth, and didn't show any problems for the next twenty minutes, I have to wonder what went on during those twenty minutes. Did you ask him to hold his head and neck in one position during all that time? For a horse of his age, it would be difficult to maintain a single head and neck position for even TWO minutes at a time, never mind twenty! Dropping the head all the way to the ground is something that a horse will do frequently, and NEEDS to do, to stretch its neck, relieve discomfort in its neck and back, or clear its respiratory system. Good trainers and considerate riders invite the horse to stretch every few minutes, and never try to force the horse to "hold a pose" with its head and neck for more than a few minutes at a time. After twenty minutes in one position, your horse was probably desperate to stretch its neck and get its circulation working properly - and it may have been finding breathing increasingly difficult.
This is something else you'll need to consider: Even if you use no bit at all, you can cause your horse discomfort and cramped neck muscles if you insist that he put his head and neck into one position or "shape" and keep them there for long periods. You can test this by riding him without a bit - not with a mechanical hackamore, but with a plain hackamore noseband or a Bitless Bridle. If he still twists his neck, makes faces, and drops his nose to the ground whenever possible, you'll know that there's more going on than just mouth pain, and you'll need to talk with your vet about bringing in someone to help your horse with massage.
I can't think of a single reason to try a Waterford on this horse. Some eventers like Waterford bits for horses that get too strong going crosscountry, but there is no reason for your horse to be going crosscountry at all - he should just be starting light work under saddle, and shouldn't be started over fences for another two years. After all, he is only THREE - an immature, half-grown youngster just learning to carry himself, let alone himself with a rider. He's also just learning to carry/wear a bit, and he's in the beginner stage of learning what the movements of the bit are supposed to tell him. Furthermore, at his age, he is almost certain to be teething. Not even the best, most costly, custom-designed, perfectly-made bit will be comfortable if a young horse is teething - even if the rider is highly proficient and extremely soft. Your horse is young enough to have a retained cap, and old enough to have wolf teeth coming in, so ask your vet or your equine dentist to take a close look at your horse's teeth.
It sounds to me as though this horse has some issues, but I don't think that the bit is the main issue here. Training and riding are more likely to be causing the problems. Everyone is assuming that the horse understands the use of the bit, but where, exactly, would he have learned this, and who would have taught him?
It sounds to me as though he is doing his best to understand, but really has very little idea about what's wanted. It also sounds as though you and your horse are not an ideal combination right now - both of you need more education and training. You need to learn the correct use of the reins, and the rein aids, and you need to achieve a balanced seat so that you will be ABLE to use the reins correctly, which is to say very lightly, very consistently, and as little as possible. Your horse needs to grow up more, and he needs to learn the language of the aids including what the rein aids mean. You can't use ANY bit to communicate with a horse if he has no idea what the bit is for (other than a source of pain). An untrained young horse cannot be taught rein aids by a young rider who doesn't know them herself - it simply isn't going to happen.
If you can turn your horse over to a kind, competent professional trainer for a few months, and take lessons from the same trainer on an experienced schoolhorse for a few months, and only THEN ask the trainer to put your horse and you back together and work with both of you at once, you'll have a much better chance of enjoying your horse, and your horse will HAVE a chance to understand and enjoy the whole process of being ridden. If things go on as they are, you aren't going to have much fun, and your horse will be miserable all the time.
Even a few months of good training for each of you, then a few more months of good training for both of you together, could make all the difference in the world. It won't be cheap, but it will be worth it - it's an investment in both your futures, in your partnership, in his soundness, and in your safety. Also, it will save you a fortune in bits, auxiliary reins, nosebands, and all the other gadgetry that too many riders try to use as substitutes for skill. Horsemanship involves making the horse as comfortable as possible in all situations, so that no matter what you are doing, it always involves two-way, calm communication between horse and rider. Learning to identify and use suitable training techniques and suitable equipment shouldn't be an onerous task - it's all part of your responsibility as a horseman.
Jessica
Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org
Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.