I need horse help

[Tractors4]

I June I moved into a friends house when he was activated by his National Guard unit and went to Afghanistan for 18 months. He has 4 horses I am taking care of. I can saddle the rideable horse and ride him, but I always have trouble with the bridle and I am not sure that I am getting it on correctly. Could someone please post a picture of a bridled horse for me to see? Thanks!

[JoeR]

Brent,

I will try to take a picture of my horse today. What kind of bit are you using on the horse? When I bought a new bit for my horse, I too was not sure about it. In these situations it may be best to have a neighbor or friend who is familiar with that style bit to come over an take a look. A properly seated bit is one of the most important aspects of riding safely. I am no expert, and always ask for opinions. I have owned horses for years, and I still have questions for the vet and ferrier.

On another note, I give you and your friend a great deal of respect. To your friend for serving his country and to you for looking out for his belongings while he serves. It's nice to see people still care enought to look out for one another.

Joe

[mfaley]

Brent,
There can be a number of things that may be the cause of your troubles so more of a description would help narrow it down. Does he fight it when you try to get it in or does he flip his head and chew on it once its in?

Some thoughts:
1.Check to make sure that the bit is not under his tongue.
2.Make sure that when you are putting it in that you don’t bang his teeth.
3.Make sure that the bridle is not too tight (the corners of the horse’s mouth should just barely have a smile wrinkle).
4.Check to make sure that there are no sharp parts on the bit or pokey things on the bridle.
5. Make sure you are using a comfortable chin strap that is not too tight.
6. Make sure that the bit is wide enough to comfortably fit in the horses mouth (if it is squeezing its lips in it might be the wrong bit.

Bridles vary a lot but should not cause discomfort.

Sliding single ear bridles look like this. Just make sure that the up and down is adjusted and that the ear loop is not catching any hair or pulling on the ear. http://www.customrawhide.com/headsta...erchandise.htm

Snaffle bit or brow band bridle look like this. Just make sure that they are not too tight, that the strap under the chin has an inch or so of slack and get both the straps over the head pushed all the way back behind the ears. http://www.customrawhide.com/headsta...erchandise.htm

You can also get double sliding ear bridles http://www.nrsworld.com/istar.asp?a=...%3D%26pos%3D30 which are the same as single but with two ear loops

Or you can get split ear bridles that don’t have a loop but do have sort of a big slit in the top part of the bridle that you poke the ear through. http://www.nrsworld.com/istar.asp?a=...%3D%26pos%3D60

Some horses will fight the bit based on how they have been treated in the past or how fractious they are in general. Some horses do not like stainless steel bits and most horses do well with a sweet iron bit with copper inlays but neither of these should be a problem just getting the bit in.

Its hard to get a great picture of what the right bridle looks like on but I will try to find a picture or take one tonight.

Like Joe says…..thanks for taking care of those in the military that allow me and my family to sleep at night in peace. You are to be commended for your efforts and are every bit as much of a hero as those that put themselves in harms way.

Regards,
Mark