Help - Bridling problems

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FlashHarry

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I posted a few weeks about my new horse being v headshy & having difficulties bridling him & grooming his face. I've been catching him every day & rubbing his face with a cactus mitt & things have been really improving on that front. I can even now catch him by putting the headcollar on normally (so my arm gently touches his ears as I pass the headstrap over). However, I am still assembling the bridle on him. Yesterday we had a total disaster. He had had his teeth done on monday & didnt like the vet (he is nervous of new people) & of course wasnt keen on the gag. However, he wasnt bad & didnt need sedating, but has been a bit worse to handle since monday. Anyway, yesterday I groomed him & put his saddle on. He was shut in a double field shelter. To put his bridle on I sliiped the headcollar off & did it up round his neck & put the rope over his neck (obviously not tied in case of accidents). Then I put his nose in the bridle noseband & passed the headpiece over his ears. Browband was attached one side. Reins & bit & cheekpieces were not attached (I put them on in one go after - he is fine with the bit). Anyway once noseband is on & headpiece is passed over, I qietly go to his nearside, slip the headpiece thru the browband & do up the throatlash. However, he shook his head, all the straps slapped him round the face so he shot back, shook his head & ran off. Bridle on floor, pony trotting round shelter. He worked out I was unable to hold him with headcollar round his neck. Every time I approached him in a corner he turned his bum to me. If I moved to one side, he moved his bum so it was nearest thinmg to me. I think he would have kicked if I had put him under pressure. Eventually got tack off (I couldnt get headcollar on him now at all) so went home for tea & chocolate & cry. Left him in shelter. 2 hours later just pretended nothing had happened & put headcollar on normally, but think I can only put bridle on by assembling it over headcollar as I dont trust him not to run away when I take headcollar off. Sorry this is long. Any tips?
 
Random question but he doesn't have any under lying issues causing this behaviour does he?

My old boy would act identical to this if you touched his ears, or made a movement where he thought you'd be touching his ears...due to the fact he had 'cauliflower' ears [or plaques for their correct name lol...the white 'warts' in side their ears]. His ears,though not painful to touch now, got very bad when he was younger so tacking up and putting head collars on were extremely painful and this pain-association stuck with him his whole life pretty much, I had to put the bridle on very veyr carefully in parts like that also! No amount of desensitiation or handling could ever correct or get rid of this...but over the years with the bridle put on his this manner he eventually tolerated it and realised no pain came out of it. Still could never put the bridle on normally or do anything that involved moving or folding his ears in anyway though, and if one day I automatically put it on normally I'd sure know about it as I'd suddenly not have a pony there lol!

Only a thought though sorry if no help.
 
mine has cow warts in ears too - vet said just leave them - i cannot clean her ears and they are filthy - i can brush them and touch outside whilst eating - she can be funny when tacking up and headcollar - and is worse in summer because of midges annoying ears and has to permantly have fly ears on. Its just takes time - i have had her 3.5 yrs and she still can be funny some days - (just throwing head in air so i cant reach and pulling back)
 
Time and patience worked for me 18 months ago putting the bridle on involved marching backwards round the stable and head up to the sky (17hh worth) then it migrated to turning head away and looking at tail and now...

I pop the reins over his head present the bit and he pops his head down to let me put it on. Just did lots of head rubbing the NO word and confidence building.
 
I had a headshy horse like this once and found those bridles with clips to attach the bit really useful - this gives you more time (and less to do up ) and then you can just clip the bit on quickly and easily last .
 
My daughters pony is like this, due to ear twitching.
He does not like anything going over his head, he thinks you are going for his ears.
We assemble on his head.
Our biggest problem was the brow band so we had one made with stud fastenings.
We put nose band on first, undo nearside cheek piece, pop head piece over, tuck throat latch into nose band, put bit in, do up nearside cheek piece, do up throat latch, put browband on, lastly reins, we use buckle ones.
Our pony like yours does not like bits of the bridle flapping about, this method stops that happening.
The reins can be taken over his head once bridled although he is not over keen.
It did take some time to work out and overcome his bridling problems, but it only takes a few minutes now.
The main thing is that he is calm about it now, rather than a complete stress head.

Good Luck with your pony.
 
Thanks everyone. Sometimes it just helps to know you're not the only one with this problem.
Learningcurve - I would love to know the details of how your browband attaches. Do you have a picture?
 
http://www.spaceangelspet.co.uk/zilco-deluxe-endurance-bridle---halter--bridle-5612-p.asp
Haven't got a picture of my bridle at the moment but Zilco make a similar one now, mine just doesn't have slots for head collar.
A saddler in malmesbury, wilts made mine, cost £20, best £20 I have ever spent.
It is nice to know you are not alone in a situation like this, I just happened to meet a chap who had similar problems, and showed me his bridle.
 
My old loan pony was just like this after being hit over the head with a crowbar by some thugs.

We used to keep the headcollar on and just unbuckle the noseband.

I used to unbuckle everything and we had a piece of leather that wrapped around the cheek pieces and noseband rather than using a browband.

I would undo everything on one side and put the headpiece over the neck slowly inching it up until it was just behind her ears, then do the noseband and throatlash up and rebuckle the reins to the bit, lastly it put the bit in and do the cheekpieces up.

This worked for us and I got it down to a fine art this avoided touching her ears at all. Eventually I was able to put the bridle on normally.
 
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