Hackamore or Bridle?

Question

I have a thoroughbred horse and she is from the track. I just turned 12 last month and it makes me nervous when she CHOMPS at the bit. She doesn't stop chomping!!!! She doesn't make me nervous except when she does that! I dont know if I should try to use a hackamore on her or just deal with the chomping! PLEASE ANSWER ONLY IF YOU HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM OR HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PROBLEM!

Answer 1

First, I would be sure the headstall is adjusted short enough...they do stretch out sometimes and it might just be that a simple shortening will stop the chomping.  Second, I love the Dr, Cook bitless bridle and once you and the horse get used to it, it might be just what you need.

My only concern with a hackamore is the vice-like action around the muzzle...some horses really freak if they've never been trained to it.

Answer 2

many thoroughbreds and other horses tend to chomp at the bit out of habit. you don't need to be nervous they don't mean anything by it. If it's a constant chomping perhaps your horses teeth need to be rasped by a dentist as they may be sore. A hackamore bridle is great for horses with teeth problems or just if you would prefer to ride with a bitless bridle. you still have the right amount of control and it can be more comfortable for some horses. If it's a young horse it may be soreness of her teeth as they may be coming through. My thoroughbred used to resist the bit and get agitated because he was teething and after changing the bit or re positioning it he was fine. after he grew up a few years he's stopped it completely. one horse has continued to chomp on the bit but he is well behaved and has no problems. you could consider a flash noseband to restrict the amount your horse can open his/her mouth. hope this helps.

Answer 3

I have had the same problem. it wasnt my horse it was my cousins. Last year i went to her grad party and i asked if he had still been doing that. She said he was but we switched him to a bitless bridle.

Thats what i use on my horse. I dont know if it will work for you to. Maybe he just doesnt like the bit. i dont have much experinces with bits because i have barly worked with them and i dont plan on it either.

best of luck. and congrates on ur horse!

Answer 4

i reckon you should get her a flash noseband, which will stop her being able to open her mouth.

Answer 5

I would first see if you need to tighten your bridle, because it could be too loose, if that's not the problem I would suggest using a bit with rollers because that will keep her mouth occupied so she won't be chomping on the bit, or I would use a little s-hack on her, it's a light hackamore with no shank (it's almost like riding in a halter).

Answer 6

Why does that make you nervous? Calm down! You being nervous only makes the horse nervous. She could be "chomping" for several reasons...insecurity/nervousness, eagerness/excitement, boredom/fixation.

What type of bit are you riding her in? I suggest a D-ring snaffle, something light, and perhaps put some rollers on it to occupy her tongue, this might stop the chomping. Also, how tight is your bridle? If it's super loose (hanging in her mouth rather than showing LIGHT pressure, one to two creases at the lip where the bit exits is about right), she could be chomping because it's uncomfortable and too loose in her mouth.

How are you handling her chomping/her in general? Has she had any retraining? If not, you shouldn't be riding her, especially if chomping gets you so freaked out. Send her to a trainer, and get her worked with on the basics for about a month, it might cost $600 or so to do it, but it'll definitely be worth it in the end when you have a much more supple horse in your hands.

If she is chomping because of excitement, don't worry about it. She's happy, and just expressing this by chomping her bit. If she's comping because she's nervous or afraid, think about what might be causing her to become this way. Is it because you've already seen something or noticed something that's making YOU nervous/afraid? If that's the case, work on calming yourself. Act like your mare is an angel and nothing phases her. When you see something she might think is scary, act like it's nothing. Pat her and tell her she's a good girl, keep your reins loose, but not so much that you don't have control in case she spooks. If she's turning away from it, turn her back around and make her face it, just have her look at it. You need to be in control, both of her, and yourself.

If it's simply a bad habbit, and the rollers aren't helping, you can try switching to a different bit (try to stick with light, easy bits and don't rely on straight pulling to slow her down, sea-saw for control) or to the hackamore. I wouldn't recommend the hackamore if you have a flighty mare however, because it allows for less control. There are bitless bridles on the market however that look and feel just like a bitted bridle, but lack the bit and use the nose band and criss-cross connection of the reins to the nose band, to control the horse. I've seen these in action on ex-racers before and they work beautifully. Of course, it depends on your specific horse. I have a gelding off the track, who had a month of retraining before he came to me. Riding him before, he was a good horse, but VERY hard on his mouth, and virtually unresponsive to any form of leg pressure/cues. After retraining, he was much more responsive and easier to work with, but still needed some time put into him, as does any horse, especially an ex-racer. He use to grind his teeth and squeak with his bit, so I moved him to one with rollers and it's for the most part, quelled the problem.

Try working with the immediate problems, and deducing why she's chomping in the first place. If riding/training tactics don't work, move to experimenting with different bits/bit styles (rollers, etc). If there is still no change, try the bitless, or hackamore and see what works best.