TRAINERS: How do you rehab a hard mouth?

Question

TRAINERS: How do you rehab a hard mouth?

Answer 1

Start at square one, and retrain everything from the ground forward...when a bit is reintroduced (if that is the goal), be sure the horse's body is trained to respond to legs and seat to perform all movements.....then use a full cheek snaffle (my preference) to balance him out for finishing.

Answer 2

Start over with soft hands.  Plan ahead, don't make everything that happens between you and your horse relative to the bit in his mouth.  Think ahead, if you are coming up to a solid fence, say whoa and very lightly, pick up on the reins...this is an exaggeration, but I am trying to get a point across...the bit, how gentle or severe, is NEVER the answer...it's the line of communication that you establish between you and your horse.  One thing I have learned in the over 50 years of dealing with horses, in one aspect or the other...the more subtle the aid, the more subtle your horse will respond...so you will need to supplement the aids with a second and maybe a third type of aid, all supplementing one command.  It's just like trying to get your children's attention...yell and you get none, whisper, and they all shut up and listen...remember that when you are attempting to teach your horse.

Answer 3

Start with a soft loose ring snaffle bit. Use voice aids as well as physical aids when asking for changes in gate.  If he resists, don't fight back, he will only pull harder. Release until there is no resistance then ask again. Repeat until you get the desired response. Once you get the desired response, praise! Take a break! Let him know that when he listens to your light aid that he gets rewarded. Over time you won't need the voice aid and you will have a horse very in tune to your body. Be consistent and he will respond to your lighter aids. It can take awhile.

I had a horse run into a wall because he wouldn't listen to my walk aid. With time he came around to the point that only I could ride him since everyone elses aids were too strong for him. He was awesome when I was finished with him! beautiful dressage horse! But he was work to get there!

Good Luck!! :)

***Um Barefoot.... There is such a thing as a "hard mouth". Its caused through heavy handed riders. A horse becomes tuned to the riders aids, heavy hands equal tough mouth to the next rider who has light hand aids. Also, if the mouth becomes damaged through abuse of barbed wire bits or rough pulling, scar tissue can be the result. That will cause a mouth to become desensitized to the bit causing a "hard mouth". I've seen blood from abuse pour out of a horses mouth, beleave me, there mouths are never the same after that. People create hard mouthed horses, horses don't start out that way.

Answer 4

You have to go all the way back to ground work. i.e. Working on turns and backing from the ground with the reins, long lining, driving, etc....  If I have to go back and fix someone else's mess in that area, I usually switch the horse over to a bosal, or a hackmore.

Answer 5

I agree with Dallas 28 that there are hard mouthed horses.  I also agree with Barefoot that some horse seem like they are hard mouthed, but their issue is lack of trust.  That being said the solution depends on the reason for the hard mouth symptom.

I have found going back to basics with these kinds of horses helps.  You need to find out what is missing in their training.  Where was the trust and partnership severed.

I would do some mental exercises on a lunge line, build a verbal command language.  Once you have achieved it on the lunge line without the bridle.  Bit and lunge the horse with rubber tubed side reins.  Start very loose then slowly shorten.  The inside rein should be slightly shorter than the outside rein.  I would do this for a while.  Until he softens to the side reins himself.  Use a thick rubber snaffle -- with cavason (slightly loose at first, then you can tighten it, just so it is snug).  You always want to keep the horse moving --  as soon as you are done unhook the side reins. Make sure you praise him when he gives into the bridle.

We must change the horses muscle memory.  We need to show him how easy it is to give into the bridle.  And that in the end it helps him balance and move more efficiently.  

Then once you feel he is ready.  saddle him as well -- lunge him until he softens -- untack him --  rub him down  -- repeat until you feel him engaging in the activity with you -- Then bit and lunge in full tack -- warm him up good -- wait until he softens going both directions  --   then mount  -- ride in the same area that you lunged him -- going the direction he likes the best first --  only until he softens -- dismount -- untack -- rub down .

I know you see the pattern.  It is also a good idea to continue to warm him up by bit and lunging him.  It will prepare him for the task at hand.  

It is very important not to rush -- listen carefully to the horse, he will show you when he is ready --  If you do it right --  when you are through you will not only have a soft mouth horse physically -- you will have one mentally as well.

Good luck

Answer 6

i would ride in a loose ring french link snaffle with a snaffle, flash, or figure 8 bridle. The figure 8, is a comfortable way to keep the horse from opening his mouth and avoiding the bit. The flash puts too much pressure on the bridge of their nose, to comfortably keep them from opening their mouth. Get him/her listening to you, get your horse to flex down and bend in their neck. You should see a small part of the cheekpiece of their bridle, but not their eye, thats to much. They should be flexing down, using their whole body. I would be very light in your hand aids, and use more leg aids. maybe use a mylar bit level 1 or a Dynamic RS HS Sprenger bit (loose ring or D- ring snaffle), they are quite expensive though ($100+). Maybe ride in some draw reins some time and see what they do. Experiment with your horse. Slightly massage the bit in your horse's mouth when riding. Go back to flatwork and get him working of your aids, flexing down, bending around your leg. Cut back on the tight reins and hand aids. Regulate your leg and hand aids.

Answer 7

well, to put it simply,

put the horse in a french link snaffle ( D ring or full cheek) and use all the aids except hand, so voice, seat, legs (in that order)

you CAN ride a horse without reins, and without contact.. so you just have to do that.  Eventually you will be able to go back for asking for contact.. but only after you do everything else sans reins.

but this is really vague, since we would need to see your horse to tell you exactly..

but, you really need a trainer to see your horse and assess better, we can't tell you what each specific horse needs through a computer, and someone actually seeing you and the horse work will make it more clear what plan of action to take.

Answer 8

I go back to a gentle snaffle and sometimes ride with very long reins.  I use my upper arm to ask the horse to stop, and if he doesn't I use a one rein stop.  With some horses (this isn't a good idea for all of them) I make them go really fast when they won't slow down, so that they decide that they want to go slow and stop pulling (It's sort of reverse training, but it works).  You should also do more ground work with the horse so that he understands how to be respectful.

Answer 9

The other answers sound good.  Just realize that there is 'no such thing as a hard mouth".  this is a horse that has been abused and/or improperly treated and trained.  You have to help him get over it and through it and past it.  Be patient and give him a lot of time.  He has been reacting with fear and pain for a long time to get to this place and he will need to learn that he will be treated better now and has nothing to fear.   It will take time for him to learn to trust you.  good luck.