From: Amanda Lindstrom
Jessica, I have this horse, Flintstone. He is a TB, and he grinds his teeth when accepting the contact. I know this is a good thing, but I don't want him grinding his teeth in the middle of a test at a show! We are currently training for show. And his progress is great. Just that teeth thing. What can I do?
Amanda
Dental problems: you didn't mention your horse's age, but retained caps, wolf teeth, and sharp edges can all contribute to a horse's feeling uncomfortable with a bit in his mouth. The first thing for you to do, IMO, is to have your vet look at Flintstone and check for caps and wolf teeth, and then to float Flintstone's teeth if they need floating. Wolf teeth make it VERY painful for a horse to carry a bit -- any bit.
Bit problems: bits can cause discomfort in several ways. If a bit is too wide or too narrow for the horse's face, it will hurt him. If the bit is too thin, it will cause pain; if it is too thick, the horse may have difficulty closing his mouth around it. Many horses have thick tongues, low palates, or both -- these horses can be made very uncomfortable by a simple jointed snaffle, because when the rider holds both reins, the bit bends at that joint, the sides of the bit pinch the horse's tongue (the "nutcracker effect") and the point digs in to the roof of the horse's mouth. A horse that anticipates pain may begin grinding his teeth anxiously as soon as the rider picks up any contact with his mouth. There are legal bits that won't cause this problem: a mullen-mouth snaffle, a French-link snaffle, and the KK snaffle. For starting a horse and doing very basic work, the mullen-mouth snaffle is a good choice. For more sophisticated work, when you need to be able to move only ONE side of the bit at a time, the French-link and KK snaffles are better.
Another related problem is that of a snaffle that is adjusted TOO HIGH in the horse's mouth. The bit should lie comfortably against the corners of the horse's mouth -- don't try to create one, two, or ANY wrinkles!
Take a good look at your horse's mouth and tongue -- and talk to the vet when he comes out to check Flintstone's teeth. For a horse with a cut or bruised mouth, ANY bit can be painful.
Tack problems: sometimes a horse will become tense and upset, and grind his teeth because something hurts elsewhere! One of the most common causes is a too-tight noseband. Check yours -- you should be able to slide two fingers between Flintstone's noseband and his face. A tight noseband makes a horse tense in the jaw, which contradicts one of the fundamental aims of dressage -- a horse with a relaxed jaw! Without a relaxed jaw, a horse can hold the bit in his mouth, or push against it, but he can't truly "accept" it. And "acceptance of the bit" is one of the earliest requirements in dressage competition.
Training problems: sometimes riders and trainers who don't truly understand what "on the bit" means will try to force the horse's head and neck into a position that they think is attractive. This hurts the horse and makes him worry about the bit, about contact, and about riding in general.
A horse that grinds his teeth is almost always reacting to a too-heavy hand and a too-strong contact. If Flintstone's teeth and mouth are in good shape and his bit fits him well, ride him with a LONGER rein and a SOFTER, more yielding, hand and arm.
Rider nerves: this is the same problem as above, but on show-day! If your horse goes well at home, but grinds his teeth at competitions, and you are using the same bridle and bit, ask yourself whether you might have inadvertently shortened your reins too much, or whether you might be holding them too tightly, with a stiff arm and back.
Good luck!
Jessica
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