Education to the Bit

Part 1: Self-Bridling

I do not bridle my horses; my horses bridle themselves. This isn’t just some party trick I teach them for show– my process and practice of teaching horses to self-bridle is part of education to the bit, as well as a means of checking in to see how they’re feeling and asking permission to work off of the bridle in hand and/or under saddle.

Manchego putting his bridle on. Photo credit to Anna Arunski

The work I do with horses is consent based– I am not interested in simply doing things to the horse, or getting them to do things for me, but rather I promote authentic dialogue and participation in our activities together. I’ll guide them a little, and they’ll guide me a lot. This is what positive leadership in partnership looks like.

The practice of asking horses permission and allowing them to bridle themselves also serves as a barometer of how they’re feeling about the work we do together. Once I’ve consistently rewarded the process of the horse taking the bit and lowering their head into the bridle, they get excited to see the bridle and look forward to putting it on. If I do something with the bridle on them, and the next time they don’t want to put it on, the horse may have perceived what we did in the bridle negatively. It may have been uncomfortable, confusing, or stressful in some other way. It’s important for me to know that so that I can restructure and accommodate the horse to set them up for relaxation, willingness, and softness.

I want to know if they have reservations, questions, or concerns so that I know how to help them learn and develop.

A horse that suddenly stops putting their bridle on may also be communicating pain. This was one of the earliest signs of EOTRH in my heart horse, Sage. Or maybe the horse just isn’t feeling up to working with you on a particular day– maybe they’re tired or anxious about things in the environment. Whatever it is, I want to open myself up to the horse’s communication of their emotions and needs. It’s not all about me– what is the point in convincing a horse to do something they haven’t said yes to if it’s not necessary for their safety or well-being?

What value does yes have if no is not an option?
- Leslie Desmond

The Process

Setup:

I put the reins over the horse’ head and stand in front of the horse ( or remove the reins and have the horse totally naked if the environment is safe to do so). I face them, holding the bridle out. You can do this process while standing beside the horse, as you would to bridle in a conventional way, but being in front allows you to observe their body language more clearly, and ensure that the horse is approaching the bridle and bit, instead of you approaching them. It also enables you to keep the horse straighter– habitually having the horse turn to the left and yield the jaw to take the bit promotes asymmetry, just like so many other unilateral activities we do with the horses. Another reason I prefer to stand facing the horse is that if a horse has had previous stress or trauma surrounding the bridle or bit, standing beside them in this way may be triggering. Most horses have not been presented with a bridle in front of them before, so it can make for a fresher start to form new associations and neural pathways as you train or retrain.

It helps to remove the noseband so it’s not in the way or getting chewed up as they’re learning the process (and while you’re at it, you could just keep it off to allow for unrestricted licking, chewing, swallowing, and yawning). I hold the bridle so that the bit is hanging level and spread out wide, in front of and below where the horse is holding their head. I do not bring the bridle to the horse; I just present it and the horse can make a choice to either interact with the bridle or not.

Step 1:

When the horse touches any part of the bridle on their own (with any part of their face), even if it was a total accident, I mark the behavior and treat. Marking the behavior could be clicking, or using some type of bridge word so the horse knows the exact behavior they’re getting the treat for. I like to say “good” when the horse is on the right track and “yes!” when they get the exact behavior I’m looking for at that given stage. It’s almost like a game of hot cold– as the horse gets closer to the desired behavior, you let them know they’re getting warmer, but the horse is still in control of their own behavior and takes the initiative. The process really promotes explorative learning where the horse offers creative behaviors and gauges your response.

Step 2:

Touching the bit with the muzzle. Many horses move to step 2 very quickly. For horses that do not find the bit quickly, your bridle might get chewed and slobbered on, so it’s a good idea to begin self-bridling with a bridle that you aren’t terribly attached to. If you’re getting upset by the horse putting teeth marks in your bridle while they’re trying to figure out and accommodate the behavior you’re looking for, you’ll spoil the fun and discourage them from exploring for the right answer. Set yourself up to really give them options, and then reward steps towards the behavior you want. This exercise should be set up to where you don’t ever need to say “no”, only “almost” and “yes”! If all of your horsemanship can follow this principle, you’ll find you avoid creating problems and having to solve them.

It involves thoughtful setup, mindful handling, the relinquishing of expectations, and well timed reinforcement to shape behavior from what the horse already presents you.

So, if you have a horse who hasn’t learned treat manners, I suggest you actually start there– teach them to relax and turn their head straight ahead or away from you to receive a treat. Education of a “relaxed neutral” is essential so when they get lost, excited, frustrated, etc., there’s always something easy and calm they can return to to regroup.

Step 3:

Once the horse is consistently bringing their nose down and touching the bit with their muzzle, there will be a point when they accidentally lick it, or touch it with their teeth, or put their lips around it. Some horses skip to biting the bit early on. Whichever escalation they give you, make a huge deal out of this! Lots of treats and praise.

Please note that this whole process rarely happens in one day. Assess where your horse is mentally, emotionally, and physically. Some horses are on steps 1 and 2 for several sessions, usually because they have been previously taught that bits and bridles mean hard, uncomfortable work in which they are not seen or heard. In those cases, the horse has to both unlearn these previous associations, and learn your new process. It takes the time it takes. You always want to stop with the horse wanting more, as opposed to working on it until the horse loses interest or gets frustrated. When in doubt, praise and pick up where you left off the next day!

Step 4:

Once the horse is consistently mouthing the bit in some form, you can shape that into them lowering their head down onto it, so you would say “good” for mouthing it, but “yes” for lowering their head down and opening their mouth down around the bit. Some horses grab the bit, which you can praise, but just be careful that you don’t train horses to grab the bit and pull their head up with it, because that won’t ultimately serve you.

Step 5:

Once they are consistently taking the bit and lowering the head, you can put the crown piece over one ear, treat and remove.

Step 6:

Then the other ear.

Step 7:

If the horse doesn’t have any reservations with 1 ear you can then put the crown piece behind both ears, treat, and remove.

Notice how far we are down in the process before the thought of actually putting the bridle on is introduced.

If you go through this process thinking you want the horse to put the bridle on, you will not have much success. Your expectations are felt as tension and lack of presence from the horse’s perspectives.

Horses do not understand our human goal and future oriented nature, but rather live fully in each moment they’re in. When we can meet them there, in the present moment, we can best connect and communicate with them, and in that space, they’ll offer us more.

This whole process is centered on praising what they’re offering you, as opposed to you asking the horse to do something. Karen Rohlf calls her version of this self-bridling process “the permission game”, which I feel captures the ideal attitude about it perfectly. We are asking the horses for permission to put equipment on, and they have a choice to say yes, no, or maybe. And it’s a GAME! Have fun, laugh, play!

This process can be done with any other headgear too, such as a halter, cavesson, grazing muzzle, or bitless bridle. It’s all about the horse consenting and participating in the process of putting on the gear we work with them in, and giving them the opportunity to say no, and listening if/when they do so we can best meet their needs.

Once the horse has learned to self bridle, it’s time for (re)-education to the bit. With lots of patience and clever hands, we can use the bit to help the horse release their jaw and tongue, find lateral and rotational mobility in the neck, balance through the shoulders, engage the thoracic sling, and so much more! Stay tuned for part 2 to learn all about how I teach horses the language of the bit!