Horse always opens mouth...

Question

how do i keep his mouth closed! he always opens it with the bit... even a hack! helppp... :]

Answer 1

He is telling you something, and I guarantee you it isn't that he wants you to tie his mouth shut with a flash.

Without knowing what type of bit you are using, or how it is fitted, I can't say much except that you are either engaging the bit too heavily with your hands, or there is a fitting problem that could include a problem with his teeth.  I would rule out the problem with teeth, rule out the problem with fitting, and then look at the type of bit and how you are using it.

Answer 2

http://www.customrawhide.com/cgi-bin/sto...

http://www.avilaproshop.com/index.php?p=...

Steve Guitron website .... the link to his "mouth shutters"....if you ride western.....Guitron's equipment is all built by hand.

A horse will repeatedly open it's mouth when pressure is applied from the reins if its been yarded on by inexperienced hands....we always school with a "mouth shutter" to avoid the horse getting into a bad little habit just from bit contact(another resistance manuver by the horse).....putting a horse through a correct bitting procedure avoids a lot of the problem of a horse opening it's mouth.  And, as the rider you want to always been working on how to develop a better set of hands.  Everyday!!

A word to the wise...if you tighten these down to the last hole you may have a horse that will flip over backwards from the pressure over its nose..be careful when you first put it on a horse and leave a little leeway for the horse; one or two fingers width should do it....a finger or two between your noseband and his nose.  As your horse becomes accustomed to the noseband and its pressure he'll  be less likely to flip over on you.  

Check to make sure that there are no other physical problems with the horse...when were it's teeth floated last.  

Just changing to another bit won't cure your problem....the fault lies with pilot error...in the bitting process and in the cue process.  Back to square one... a snaffle bit if that is what the horse was started in.     You'll have a tougher time of it as the horse has learned that resistance through opening his mouth will lessen the "pressure" of the bit.

Remember that the hypothetical horse that I speak of is one that is being brought through a complete bitting process with the eventual goal of becoming a world class bridle horse.   These horses are not left in the pasture; they're treated like the future stars  that they are.  All of their requirements, vet care, vaccinations, proper feeding, farrier work,  proper introduction to being saddled and broken out have been handled by pros.

Answer 3

ok first of all....please do not try to force your horses mouth shut with a flash noseband!

...how long has your horse been in it's current bit?

it could be nipping or your horse may not like the bit.

get its teeth checked bad teeth can cause all sorts of discomfort.

alsoi had an ex race horse who did this as a nervous habbit, we used a milder bit and left him too it, sometimes it is just a habit but i hate to be forceful as this can panic them more.

my last horse came to me in a gag bit with a martingale and a flash- her reason for this was that he opened his mouth.

i got his teeth checked... he had loads of ulcers and very sharp teeth which required hours of work, i put him in a simple pelham took off all the gadgets and he then had the nicest lightest head carriage.

Answer 4

Tighten your noseband. If it won't go tighter, punch holes. If it's as tight as it will go and your horse still opens his mouth, try a flash noseband, like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

or switch to a figure-8, like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

Answer 5

Buffy and V P are right. So i'll just make this short. DO NOT just force a flash or a figure eight noseband on your horse without getting to the root of the issue first. They said it all, teeth, discomfort, anything could be causing your horses resistance, but don't just cover it up, do everything you can to try and fix it without any unecessary tack and gadgets first.  

Answer 6

stick some pizza in its mouth and then it will close its mouth to chew.

Answer 7

Get a properly fitted bit!

Answer 8

Maybe you are pulling to HARD on your horses mouth, he is a brat or he has cancer melanomas in his mouth check this out and ask a fellow trainer for help

Answer 9

Well - let me answer your question with another question - if you had a bit in your mouth why would you open it?  Would you feel better or worse if someone tied your jaw shut or clamped your lips together?

If a horse is comfortable with the bit he is holding and the rider's ability to communicate via use of that bit, they will nto open their mouth - they will hold the bit waiting for the next cue as to what to do that might come to their mouth.

Opening the mouth, sticking out the tongue, head high, low or behind the bit - anything other than holding the bit quietly in the mouth is resistance.

You say "even a hack" - do you mean a hackamore?  When is he opening his mouth?  When you've pulling back, sideways around a barrel, what?  An open mouth could mean a lot depending on when he's opening his mouth and what you are doing with your hands.

If you put on a cavesson or a tie down, you are simply negating his ability to tell you something is wrong - don't tie his mouth shut, figure out why he's doing what he doing.

Start at the walk - do whatever you're doing at the walk - if he doesn't open his mouth at the same moment at the walk, there's something you're doing at a higher speed requiring quicker movement that's causing him to open his mouth.

If the bit fits and he's holding it gently any other time, I would say it's your hands pulling too hard, not releasing soon enough - something that's got him in pain or confused.  If he's not holding the bit quietly and comfortably, it's the bit that's not right - causing him discomfort.  If you're riding in a bitless bridle, what kind is it?  A mechanical device line a quick stop, bicycle chain, little S - these are all mechanical devices intended to put pressure on sensitive areas of the nose - there's pain or pressure somewhere that he's not liking.  If there's pain or discomfort, he is not focusing on the task and communication at hand - even if you force his mouth closed he will focus on the pain or discomfort and avoiding it, not you and what you're trying to communicate.

You need to go back to basics and learn what you are doing or what the bit is doing that he doesn't like.

Myler makes a couple different barrel racing bits intended to be pain free, no pinch, and allow specialization of command - for example, when you pull on one rein or the other, the headstall doesn't pick up giving too many touch points to isolate the communication - the bit is 3 pieces that allow you to isolate one side or the other of the mouth to communicate with and do things like lift a shoulder or control the rate.

I hope this helps - I can't give you a one-line answer without watching what you're doing and waht he's doing but perhaps this will begin your thought processes going?

Answer 10

Put him in a figure-eight nose band. Jumpers use it to keep their horses mouth shut. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Event...

Answer 11

hey wat i would try leaving it in there for a while so he gets used to it

Answer 12

horses do that when they are uncomfterable so u need to get her bit fitted by a professional and make sure she has a friendly bit...a french link might help...she may be opening her mouth because the bars r hitting the soft pallate of her mouth so a french link prevents tht...also young horses who r just getting used to the bit will do tht so if she is very young and freshly broke then that may be why and in tht case she may just need to "break into it"

Answer 13

it come straight from the horses mouth !!!!!!!!!!