Bridling Battles!!

trefnantblackknight

trefnantblackknight

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Hi i have a 8 year old welsh sec d when i bought him at 3 years old he had been very badly treated and was so headshy you could get a headcolar on him. i did some parrelli with and it did work but just recently hes started acting headshy again and i have a lot of trouble bridling him. I was wondering if any one knows why hes gone back to being headshy after i fixed the problem 4 years ago.

Thankyou
 
Get him checked out by a physio or similar, my boy suddenly became a massive pain to clip around the ears, when he's stood like a donkey all other times, turned out his poll was very sore. Also get his teeth checked, the bit might be hurting him.

My mare is still a little headshy. I started teaching her to lower her head off pressure, and made sure she lowered her head and kept it there every time I put her headcollar on/off. Then I re-introduced the bridle. I now just pop a treat in with the bit every time I bridle her and she's great.

Do not fight with him/shout at him, you'll frighten him.

When you say he's acting headshy again, what is he doing and what's changed?
 
Well i got him so when i went to put the bridle on he would lower his head and open his mouth by himself so i could just slide it on and place his ears through. and he would get a small treat like an apple or polo.

He is due for his teeth to be done but i am worried the dentist wont be able to get the clamp thingy in because he just freaks out as soon as i go near his ears with a bridle.

It started with him raising his head when i put the reins over his head and he would refuse to lower it and would just get too upset and now its so bad i can't touch his ears at all with the bridle. but i can with a head collar or anything else its just the bridle. Normally when he gets upset i just talk to him and he calms down and it works in every other situation but not with the bridle.

I have tried doing parrelli again but it hasnt helped even a little bit with the bridling issue.

i am now riding him in a rope hackamore until i can sort him out. so showing and dressage have been put on hold until i can sort my boy out.

Thankyou holly
 
Get him checked physically then start from scratch with some sugar water or honey and your bit. Add bits of bridle gradually, as he gets eager to take his bit.
While you're at it, hold the bit low, so he learns to take his head down when he sees a bridle.
 
Tinypony said:
Get him checked physically then start from scratch with some sugar water or honey and your bit. Add bits of bridle gradually, as he gets eager to take his bit.
While you're at it, hold the bit low, so he learns to take his head down when he sees a bridle.
Click to expand...

sounds like a great plan :cool:

as to why now ..... if all the physical checks of teeth, jaw, face, ears and poll etc do not find a physical issue maybe its reaction to experience..eg could someone have hurt him with the bridle accidentally ? ...... or he got a fright while being bridled and moved and some part of it hurt him.

it might be something that maybe even gone / going now ....... mouth ulcer or something else in his mouth.


one of the horses on my yard has gone back a little to being ear shy recently after having been perfectly fine after she had CT to get her happy with ears being touched...... she had had loads biting flies in them this last week and it set her back just cos they are sore / itchy

.
 
He hasn't had a bad experience with a bridle to my knowlege as i am the only person who has ever ridden him. but thinking about it he has got a large lump above his one eye which the vet passed as fine as long as it doesnt get any bigger but i will get a vet out soon to give him a once over.

Someone may have messed with him in his field as i had a falling out with a girl whos horse died on our field and has recently moved back into the area but i thought i was being paranoid but his bridling issues started as soon as she returned to the area.

Will try vet first and put up some dummy cameras

Thankyou
 
So he suffers from sweet itch and does the flymask have ear covers, as my mare has a bad time with the black flies and yes they do exist and they zone in on their ears, if your boys ears are going bald inside thats black flies and yes he would have trouble having his bridle put on.
 
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