Getting a mouth on a young horse?

[ShadowFlame]

Opinions, please? By getting a mouth on, I mean the idea of leaving them in a stable with a bit in for a couple of hours at a time, along with side reins and a roller? Right? Wrong? Better / worse ways to do it?

Just interested to hear views on the subject.

 

[teddyt]

Totally unnecessary imo. The way i bit a young horse is to make sure they have their teeth checked then choose a bit suitable for the individual mouth conformation. Little and often get them to wear the bit then gradually increase length of time and progress to working the horse. I HATE those nylon straight in hand bits that lots of people use- soooo uncomfortable! Usually use a double jointed loose ring. Let the horse play and fiddle as much as they want and definitely no flash- if they open their mouths they are doing so for a reason.

 

[Welshie Squisher]

As above, what teddyt says. This is also how I am doing it.
No way I'd leave her in her stable for 2 hours with side reins on, she's young, prone to daft behaviour so I'd be worried about injury.

 

[Bikerchickone]

Agree with the first answer. My youngster was bitted in exactly that way with gradual time increases and worked slowly to get used to it. She never stood for a long time stuck with a bit in her mouth and is now working really well. I would never leave a horse bridled to get used to a bit, they're more likely to resent it than learn anything.

 

[Jesstickle]

Start just putting it in the mouth and letting them play, then I usually start introducing a bit of pressure by using a three way couple to lead in once their happy with it.

Once that is sorted it's time for long reigning. Although as puppy will testify, I am rubbish at it!

 

[JanetGeorge]

Totally unnecessary imo. The way i bit a young horse is to make sure they have their teeth checked then choose a bit suitable for the individual mouth conformation. Little and often get them to wear the bit then gradually increase length of time and progress to working the horse. I HATE those nylon straight in hand bits that lots of people use- soooo uncomfortable! Usually use a double jointed loose ring. Let the horse play and fiddle as much as they want and definitely no flash- if they open their mouths they are doing so for a reason.

Ditto! Then start doing some in-hand work with the bit - just in walk to start with - to introduce steering and stopping (the stopping should include use of consistent voice command.) When you start lunging, once youngster is happy and obedient on lunge we use long side reins - so horse has full freedom of head and neck but will eventually be 'teased down' by the weight of the rein and learn to stretch.

Once we start riding, we use a lunge cavesson, with reins on the side rings - PLUS reins on the bit - with the bit rein being held loser. This avoids the need to PULL in an emergency but again gradually gets the horse used to the bit and rein aids.

 

[shadowboy]

That's such an archaic method! The first time I bitted my boys I warmed the bit up and put some honey on it. Then over the next few month built.up the time the horses were bitted.