Putting a bridle on nervous, headshy pony - advice pls

ru-fi-do

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We have had our project pony since December, when he came is was very nervous, slightly poor and unsure of anything you did with him. He has come on leaps and bounds, although he does have his off days, we are starting him again and have been lunging and doing in hand work with him for the past 4 weeks ( in a headcollar). I put a bridle on him last week and he was fine to put the bit in and put the bridle over his left ear but was quite funny about it going over his right ear, I did manage to slip it on and he was fine with it on, getting it off was a little bit of a struggle but we managed to coax him and he was ok. I tried withe bridle again the other day and he was just having none of it, he was fine until i tried to get it over his right ear. He has always been funny on his right side of his face, I think he must've really had a beating/accident at some point. The vet has checked his eyesight etc and their is nothing that concerns her. I'm going to try taking the bridle to pieces and doing it bit by bit, but i wondered wether anyone had dealt with a problem similar to this and could tell me how you went about it. He lunges fine and his happy with a roller on and when i did have the bridle on he had loose side reins on too. He is fine with his headcollar on as long as you do it slowly. Everything we do with him we do as quiet as possible and calmly.
Thank you for reading!
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teddyt

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You could get some bit attachments. They are little straps with buckles on that go on the headcollar to hold a bit, that way you dont have to put a bridle on over the ears. They cost about £6.
 

tabithakat64

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MY old loan pony had been hit over the head with a crowbar by some youths and was terribly headshy, we had a bridle without a browband or noseband and used to undo it and put it on like a headcollar, moving it slowly up her neck rather than taking it on and off over her ears. It took several years before she was confident enough around her head to have the bridle put on normally.
 

milliepops

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Agree that I would try right ear first. I have a livery like this - you get one chance with the right ear, so I do that first. Then I can fiddle about and do the left ear, sort out forelock etc. She's much better about it now.

If I mess up, I undo the noseband and cheekpiece on the left side, hook the headpiece/browband over both ears in one smooth movement, then put bit in and buckle up cheeks/noseband. It's not too much hassle, and you can do it pretty much without needing to touch the dodgy ear.

The key with mine is not to dither, but just to get on with it in quick, smooth steps.

Good luck!
 

Cyberchick

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Definitly pop it on like a headcollar. I had a horse that had a horrible accident and he was terribly headshy afterwards and there was no way on earth you could get a bridle on unless you popped it on like a headcollar.
 
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