Taking the bridle off a youngster

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Bugly

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I need a bit of help guys;

My baby (just turned six.....broken last summer and is now 5 weeks back into work after 9 months off) is reluctant to open her mouth when I'm taking her bridle off.........I slide it out really slowly and try to guide it out with my hand but she ends up letting it drop; shutting her jaw so it then bangs on her front teeth. This scares her, she puts her head up and we end up in a big mess!

She's not the best at letting me put the bit in either....

Has anyone got any tips?
 
Can you undo the cheekpiece at the bit end on one side so you can take the bit out of her mouth without worrying about the rest of the bridle? That way you have two hands to control the bit, or one to open her mouth with and one to hold the bit so it doesn't bang her teeth and it's less likely to fall. You can then remove the rest of the bridle once the bit is out of the way. A bridle with buckles on the outside rather than the bent pins that I can't remember the name of would be best for this.
 
Could you put her in a rubber snaffle or a nathe so that if things do go wrong, she doesn't get something hard crashing off her teeth? Have you had her teeth checked? If it's uncomfortable for her to have the bridle on she would make a fuss, or if any part of the bridle doesn't fit very well eg the browband being too small.
 
What about trying a bridle with clips so you can unclip the bit and the just deal with that
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So you don't have to think about holding the bridle as well. Worth a try.
 
My mare used to be really funny about having her bit out - I used to put my finger in the corner of her mouth and make her open her mouth then while sliding the bit out I stuffed a piece of apple in
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Only took a few days and she was spitting the bit out at top speed waiting for her treat
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put a bridle on my youngsters yesterday and they behaved like old hands at it.have done it again this morning cos i thought it was a fluke!!and they were great.

i would go for a rubber bit that doesn`t `clang`
 
for putting it in honey
and ditto above for both undo bridle or finger
i would also rule out bad teeth
 
My Baby (22 Months) is a bit funny about his head and tends to lift it up/ pull away whn putting on / taking off the bridle so I feed him a bit of apple after putting bridle on / taking it off but i make him stretch down to knee / floor level for it to encourage him to lower his head. after just a week he is vastly improved though sometimes hangs onto the bit and sucks it. i just wait til he drops it.
 
1) Teach youngster to tie up with headcollar / halter around the neck so you have both hands free.

2) Use one hand to hold the headstall and the other to hold onto the bit and thumb to wedge open mouth. Do not allow bit to clang their teeth.
 
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