Teaching a horse to lower its head for head collar/bridle

Ben2684

Ben2684

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My new horse is 17.2 ish.. not properly measured but he's pretty big. I am 6ft 3 so don't have any isue tacking him Up but if away/on holiday etc then my yard manager sometimes catches/lunges/rides for me however she is rather small and struggles as he is so tall. He cannot have ANY treats whatsoever as he becomes bolshy and rude (literally mugs you for treats every 2 seconds as he's such a foodie) he also has not been ideally treated/ridden at some point (white hairs around nose where nose band sits) and is somewhat reluctant to lower his head. Is there anything I can do to encourage and eventually teach him to lower his head when putting on/taking off bride/head collar? Would just make it easier for others when they are handling him Really as if he's nervous he will raise his head making it impossible to do a thing if under 6 foot!!!

Thank you :)

Ben
 
Well she could use a box, but I think it is best you train him to lower head, very day you must make it a non dramatic experience, never ever rush.
You stand facing the sharp end, do not look him in the eye , stand level with his shoulder so you can easily slip the bit in to his mouth, after you have a light contact with his nose with the palm of your right hand, which is holding the bridle half way up the cheek pieces. The bit has a tiny bit of honey it.
Do this every day, never hurry and never ever ever be rough when removing the bridle.
You don;t say if he reacts when it is removed, if for example is running back when it is removed or throwing head up, you will have to break the bridle to allow the bit to fall out rather than risking panic.
You might get him trained to allow you to use a step when bridling, this would help any small person, but you need to ask him to bring his head down, when you are bridling him.
Another routine I would try is daily carrot stretches , one half carrot between front legs no other carrot in pocket. He is not stupid but has to learn that one half carrot per day is all he gets, and he does the stretch on your command, maybe tapping his chest with the carrot.
You fit this in to his routine, and then stick the headcollar on at the same time. Then you can often manage to get the bridle on, it can go on top if the bridle is let out 2 inches. It all takes time, so never ever rush when bridling or turning out in a headcollar.
If he is willing, it may be possible to lunge in a headcollar, but obviously not unless he is amenable.
 
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Ditto exploding chestnuts, I'm dealing with exactly this with my new horse at the moment 5'3" vs [cough not going to admit how many extra inches my supposed 16hh purchase has!]

In the space of a week of determined effort of bridling 2-3 times each morning and night things are rapidly improving to the extent I no longer need to use a step and she's starting to lower her head rather than resist too. I do use two carrots - strictly no more and she now understands that is her lot and yes she's very food orientated too. I'm intending to do without the treats next week.
 
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You could put pressure with your hand on the top of his neck where the crownpiece of the bridle lies. Just use light pressure and wait for him to lower his head, then remove the pressure. Give him a few minutes to figure it out the first few times you do it.

You can help this along by asking him to lower his head by putting downward pressure on his leadrope. This will teach him to lower his head.
Molasses on his bit will also help with bridling.
 
I have this problem as my new mare is 16.1 and high head carriage, I am 5ft8 and when her head is up when bridling or head collar ts like reaching for the stars
 
Thanks all, will see what I can do... he has carrots for his carrot stretches and knows he only get this after he has been ridden so I will see what I can come up with. Not overly an issue for me but when someone is helping me out want to make it as easy as possible for them!! :)
 
My boy was very head-shy when I had him, he's 15.1hh and whilst nowhere near the height of OP's horse it still isn't funny when you're not able to get near their head to do anything.

Mine had/has sweet itch, and had been in a trekking centre to boot where perhaps they'd just slapped the bridle on, plus lotions & potions, without perhaps treating his head with a great deal of respect.

I also had his teeth checked. It might be worth doing this OP, you've probably already done that, but if you haven't, it could be that your boy is a tad sensitive and/or sore somewhere?
 
He's not head shy in any way, is happy to have the bit in his mouth bridle done up, I just need him to lower his head a tad. He is a little nervy about his head/face being touched. Will tolerate it a little but I am working on this and will incorporate some of the exercises mentioned above. Will report back later!!! :)
 
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