Horse won't lead from bridle

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Dodiee

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I've had my horse just over 2 weeks and she can be lead fine in a headcollar, but refuses to walk more than a slow step at a time in her bridle. She goes a little better if the reins are over her head, and being lead from her neck rather than her mouth. (If that makes sense!) She doesn't have a noseband at the moment as Australian nut is an impossible colour to find, so I can't try leading her from that.
Anyone have an suggestions?

(She's had her teeth done last week and we had a 5 stage vetting when we bought her, so unlikely to be pain related.)
 
If she goes better from the neck, I suspect there is a problem with her mouth. If she leads fine from a headcollar, definitely suggests to me That the problem is in her mouth.
And please, when you get a noseband, don't lead from that, dangerous!
 
1) Ask previous owners what they did
2) lead her round in her headcollar, then stick the bridle on over the top of the head collar, don't touch the reins, lead her round by headcollar leadrope. As she gets more used to you take the reins and the leadrope together. Gently get her used to your way of doing things.
 
What kind of bit does she wear.

It is very possible that the bit is uncomfortable when the reins are held by some-one on the ground. The most obvious example of this is he single-jointed snaffle, when it is held by some-one on the ground, the join pokes the horse in the soft pallet.
 
You could experiment with this, I picked this up at a clinic last week and it was interesting. Put a curb strap (or just a piece of string) on the bit. Get someone to hold the bridle up for you, sit on a chair and take your boots off - put your foot between the bridle and the curb. (That's what the curb is for, to hold the bridle in place). Then pick up your reins and have a play with how things feel. Put the reins down and get your assistant to simulate the feel of leading from the bit.
A lot of very good horsemen never, ever, lead from the reins, so if you have to find an alternative I don't see that as a huge problem. Certainly not a training issue if the horse is good to lead in other ways.
 
It is uncomfortable for a horse to be led like that. Even with a straight bar you would be pulling against the teeth. I train youngsters to lead by carrying a short whip and using that to drive them on, rather than dragging them along. I much prefer a forward horse than one who drags :(
 
I'm failing to understand why anyone is pulling their horse rather than leading it! Don't people teach their horses to lead without having to be dragged about any longer?
 
jemima*askin said:
I'm failing to understand why anyone is pulling their horse rather than leading it! Don't people teach their horses to lead without having to be dragged about any longer?
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It's surprising the number of horses not taught to lead 'correctly'. Every one I have ever had has needed to be taught to lead nicely
 
Pearlsasinger said:
What kind of bit does she wear.

It is very possible that the bit is uncomfortable when the reins are held by some-one on the ground. The most obvious example of this is he single-jointed snaffle, when it is held by some-one on the ground, the join pokes the horse in the soft pallet.
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This ^^^^^^

Don't try to tow her along by the reins.

Leave your headcollar on and put the bridle on over the top. Attach a lead rope and start some training work. You also need a long schooling (dressage) whip.

Lead her to a fence line, you will work along this to keep her straight and beside you.

Stand at the shoulder holding the lead rope and ask her to "WALK ON" - a little push under the jaw can help her to start as you move off. Walk a few strides and ask "AND WOAH", halt and repeat the exercise until she starts to move off and halt when you ask with your voice.

Do this for several days with the pressure just being on the lead rope.

Then repeat the whole exercise with reins over the head and held loosely with the Lead rope.

At all times the Walk must be forward and active. This is where the long whip comes in handy. To use ensure that you can reach behind you without twisting your body - use your arm and the length of the whip - make sure that you have sufficient lead between both your hands so that when you reach around with the whip it doesn't pull on the horses mouth. Tap smartly where your legs are normally used.

Once she is walking well with reins and rope gradually lengthen the rope until you are having more control with the reins. Remember at no time pull the horse along with the reins as the bit rotates in the mouth and digs into the roof.

Next comes trotting - Using the same technique as in the Walk - encourage the horse into trot with more rope in the hand than rein, back up with whip and use a smart "TROT ON" that is encouraging to her to go faster.

Persevere - and you will have a horse that leads beautifully in trot alongside you.
 
Tinypony said:
.
A lot of very good horsemen never, ever, lead from the reins.
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How do they lead their horse from the stable to where they wish to mount - or to the arena or back to the truck - All horses that asre ridden in a bridle will need to lead from a bridle every time they are ridden!

Fides said:
It is uncomfortable for a horse to be led like that. Even with a straight bar you would be pulling against the teeth. I train youngsters to lead by carrying a short whip and using that to drive them on, rather than dragging them along. I much prefer a forward horse than one who drags :(
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Even with a bit in, especially a straight bar there is no contact with the teeth at any time - you'd either have to have the bit extremely high and be pulling upwards for it to hit the molar teeth, and fitted far too low and pulling forward to hit the front teeth!

All my youngsters are shown in hand with a straight bit and I don't have any problems with bits hitting teeth and there have been the odd moments when excitement gets the better of them and they play up.
 
The guy who trained my young mare always puts a headcollar under the bridle in case they won't lead from a bridle, so you always have some way of leading. Mine all lead well from their bridles so I no longer do that, but maybe you could just keep a headcollar on. If you don't like the bulk, consider buying an underhalter, flat headcollars used by driving horses and usually always worn, under the bridle of course. Having a noseband I can't see how it would help, I never use them anyhow!
 
Erm, correct me if I am wrong (and I'm sure some of you will lol) but when you lead with a bridle the pressure is on the poll via the headpiece, not the bit. Teach them to yield to pressure and there you have it - simples.
 
JillA said:
Erm, correct me if I am wrong (and I'm sure some of you will lol) but when you lead with a bridle the pressure is on the poll via the headpiece, not the bit. Teach them to yield to pressure and there you have it - simples.
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You are partly right! There will be some pressure on the poll but it will also be on the mouth - think the mechanics - to achieve the poll pressure you would have to pull down on the bit, as the mouthpiece is at an angle to the ring the line of the bit will change and the mouthpiece rotated upward. This is the reason inhand bits are unjointed to prevent the joint digging into the roof of the mouth.
 
Unless mine is pratting about, he doesn't have any pressure anywhere when I'm leading him - he starts when I start and stops when I stop, going off my body language and verbal commands, mostly. Doing some ground work so she gets better at moving with you rather than needing to be moved via pressure of the leadrope or reins might help?

Also worth thinking about whether she does it in certain circumstances - is she always reluctant in a bridle because you're always leading her towards the school, for example ...?
 
I can lead the RDA ponies on a loose rein if I'm leading them from a bridle, I ask them to walk on and follow me. If they don't want to do that, I give them a tap from the rear end but its rarely needed.
 
Theocat said:
Unless mine is pratting about, he doesn't have any pressure anywhere when I'm leading him - he starts when I start and stops when I stop, going off my body language and verbal commands, mostly. Doing some ground work so she gets better at moving with you rather than needing to be moved via pressure of the leadrope or reins might help?
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Wiz201 said:
I can lead the RDA ponies on a loose rein if I'm leading them from a bridle, I ask them to walk on and follow me. If they don't want to do that, I give them a tap from the rear end but its rarely needed.
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Thats what it should be like in walk and trot - and if you are an Endurance rider or a Mounted Games Rider should be like that in Canter too.
 
Tnavas said:
You are partly right! There will be some pressure on the poll but it will also be on the mouth - think the mechanics - to achieve the poll pressure you would have to pull down on the bit, as the mouthpiece is at an angle to the ring the line of the bit will change and the mouthpiece rotated upward. This is the reason inhand bits are unjointed to prevent the joint digging into the roof of the mouth.
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If the (slight) pressure on the reins is slightly down and forward (as it would most likely be, or at least, is when I lead mine) any joint in a snaffle would rotate backwards along the tongue, not upward, that comes when the reins are pulled up and back. Try it - hold a bridle in your hands and ask someone else to draw the reins forward and slightly down, an exact juxtaposition of the action of the reins from the saddle. There would be no pressure on the bars, or nutcracker action, just poll pressure, and in any event, a horse who is trained to respond to pressure would release that pressure himself by following the lead. We don't pull our horses along, we train them to follow where we lead them, and personally, I train by release of pressure as a reward.
 
JillA said:
If the (slight) pressure on the reins is slightly down and forward (as it would most likely be, or at least, is when I lead mine) any joint in a snaffle would rotate backwards along the tongue, not upward, that comes when the reins are pulled up and back. Try it - hold a bridle in your hands and ask someone else to draw the reins forward and slightly down, an exact juxtaposition of the action of the reins from the saddle. There would be no pressure on the bars, or nutcracker action, just poll pressure, and in any event, a horse who is trained to respond to pressure would release that pressure himself by following the lead. We don't pull our horses along, we train them to follow where we lead them, and personally, I train by release of pressure as a reward.
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Rarely does anyone pull upwards and back when they are leading! Their hand is always lower than the horses mouth -Unless you are leading a mini then the action is the same as if you were riding.

Leading
If you pull down and forward you will definitely rotate the bit joint upward. By pulling down (you create poll pressure) and forwards (rein close to the joint rotates it upwards

Riding
Rein moves back and up (line of hand to bit is downwards) when used, pressure is relieved from the cheek pieces, bit joint drops down in the mouth.
 
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