How To Put A Bit On A Bridle

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The bit is the office of a bridle that goes into the horse'southward mouth. It is used to command the equus caballus when you're riding it. When putting the bit in, you lot also must debate with the rest of the bridle, so you start by having the bridle ready to put on.

1. 1

   Have the bridle prepare. The determent should exist draped over your non-dominant arm, ready to be put on the horse.^[1] The bridle holds the chip in place. The bridle includes the reins, which is what you use to guide the horse, by pulling on them to motion the flake.

   • Depending on the blazon of determent yous have, you may need to unbuckle the nose strap to make information technology easier. You'll need to unbuckle English language bridles, for instance.^[2]

2. 2

   Take off the halter. The showtime part of a bridling a horse is taking its halter off. The halter is what fits over the horse'due south face so you lot can lead it around when you are non riding it. You usually take it off to ride, though some people do utilize a flake and bridle over the halter.^[3]

   • Unbuckle the strap, and pull the halter down off the horse's confront.
   • If your horse is accustomed to being bridled, you can take the halter completely off. If information technology's not, yous should buckle merely the strap around the equus caballus's cervix. That mode, you can concord on to the horse if information technology tries to movement away.

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3. 3

   Bring the horse's head downward. To put the bridle on, you'll demand to bring the horse's caput downward. To bring its head down, use your manus between its ears to guide its head lower. You also desire to move its head towards you if possible.^[iv]

   • Sometimes, the equus caballus will need some convincing or will seem nervous. Don't endeavour to shove its caput downwardly. Rather, keep gentle pressure on its head until information technology relaxes its head and moves information technology down.^[v]

4. 4

   Drape the reins over the equus caballus. Make certain the bridle is going the right direction, facing outward. When it's facing the correct way, put the reins over the horse to become them out of the way. Draping them is easier than having them drag on the footing.^[6]

5. 5

   Change hands with the determent. Now, put the bridle in your ascendant mitt. Your dominant arm should exist side by side to the horse, and you should be facing the aforementioned direction the equus caballus is, except maybe turned slightly towards the horse. The top piece (crown) should be in your dominant paw, then you can pull it over the horse's caput.^[vii]

6. 6

   Separate the adjourn chain. Every bit you pull the crown up the horse'south head, brand sure the curb chain or strap is separate from the scrap. Only certain types of bridles accept curb chains, then yours may not take one. The adjourn concatenation goes under the horse's mentum, which is why you need to divide it from the flake. Don't bang the horse'southward teeth with the curb strap.^[8]

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1. 1

   Inquire the horse to open its mouth. No, you don't ask the horse with words. You tell the horse yous desire information technology to open up its mouth past inserting your thumb into its oral cavity, behind the teeth.^[ix] The teeth sit to the front end of the horse's oral cavity, leaving a infinite backside them for the chip. Basically, you want to aim for the back edge of the rima oris, along the side of the equus caballus's caput.^[10]

   • Use your non-ascendant manus to stick a pollex in the equus caballus'southward rima oris, equally you're property the crown with your ascendant hand.
   • If the horse seems reluctant, endeavour moving your pollex around. Lightly touch the horse's gums. Doing so will tell the horse it needs to open up its mouth.

2. two

   Put the bit in. Once the equus caballus'due south mouth is open, slide the bit in. As you lot do, make sure yous guide the flake between the horse'southward teeth. Be careful of the equus caballus's teeth. Try not to touch them at all with the flake. Go along moving it gently dorsum until the flake is in the dorsum of the horse'due south mouth. At the same fourth dimension, pull the crown of the determent upward over the horse'due south head, sliding the bit into place.^[11]

   • The pressure level should come from the crown moving up, non you pushing the flake with your left hand.^[12]
   • If the bridle has a adjourn strap, be certain to guide that with your left hand, besides.
   • The bit goes over the equus caballus's natural language, non under information technology.^[13]
   • In that location should be about 2-3 wrinkles at the corners of the horse's oral fissure when the bit is sitting properly. If the equus caballus looks like it'due south grin, the fleck is besides loftier. Don't permit the bit hang too depression either. If the scrap isn't right, it could hurt the horse.^[14]

3. 3

   Pull the crown over the ears. Brand certain to move the ears frontward first. Don't boom them downwards, just use your mitt to move them one at a time. As you do, pull the crown over each side until the bridle is in place to consummate putting the bridle on.^[15]

   • Some bridles have a brow band that stays beyond the forehead. Others have loops that become over the horse's ears.^[xvi]

4. 4

   Fasten the buckles. Fasten the buckle around the neck, called the throatlatch. Brand sure you tin can put about four fingers underneath information technology. After that, buckle the chin strap, leaving two fingers worth of space underneath it. In improver, you may need to buckle the curb strap.^[17]

   • If y'all accept an English bridle, you'll need to buckle the olfactory organ piece into place.

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1. one

   Place the halter around the horse'south cervix. Once again, you lot'll use the halter to keep agree of the horse by strapping the halter around it'south neck. Correct now, it's not completely on. You lot're just using it as a manner to steady the horse every bit y'all take the bridle off.^[eighteen]

2. 2

   Unbuckle the straps. Now, do all the straps in contrary. Unbuckle the chin strap and the curb strap, if the determent has one. Unbuckle the nose piece, if the bridle has 1. Also, undo the throatlatch. In other words, make sure all the buckles are undone in apprehension of pulling the bridle off.^[nineteen]

3. iii

   Pull the determent off. Using your ascendant hand, have concur of the crown, and pull it over the horse'south ears. Try not to nail the equus caballus's ears equally you lot pull it off. The equus caballus should naturally release the chip, but as you pull the bridle off, employ your non-ascendant hand to guide the bit through the horse's teeth.^[20]

4. iv

   Put the halter on. Once you've pulled the bridle off and abroad, unbuckle the halter from the cervix. The halter goes on much like the bridle, except without the fleck. Instead, yous but accept the headstall instead of the crown and a nose band instead of a bit. Slide the headstall over the equus caballus's head equally you pull the olfactory organ ring over the horse'south nose, making certain yous don't blast the horse's ears or poke the equus caballus in the middle. Buckle or clip the throatlatch into place around the horse'southward head.^[21]

   • The lead line should exist fastened to the halter, and then you can lead the horse back to the stall or wherever you lot want information technology to become.

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1. i

   Check the horse for medical problems. If the horse doesn't want to take the bit or it seems uncomfortable with the fleck, y'all should have the horse checked by a vet. Problems with the mouth, tongue, or teeth, including ulcers, can lead to problems with the bit because they volition make the bit uncomfortable for the horse. If the vet doesn't find anything, try a horse dentist instead.^[22]

2. ii

   Train the horse to cease chewing on $.25. If your horse is always chewing on the flake, it tin cause issues with the bridle set, stretching out the leather, among other issues. I way you can assist your horse is to slowly train it to become used to the bit without chewing by letting the horse wear it for a sure period each day.^[23]

   • Start by putting the bit and determent on the horse while its in its stall, making sure you lot don't use one that tin can catch on things in the stall. Also, have off the reins and nose band before putting information technology on. Stay with the horse will it has the bridle on. Go out it on for virtually an hour. Go along doing this preparation everyday until the horse seems comfortable and doesn't chew anymore.
   • Next, attempt it on the longe line with a halter over the bridle. Work with the horse a little everyday until it seems comfortable without chewing the bit.
   • Afterward that, you can attempt riding the horse.

3. iii

   Endeavour a different fleck if your horse seems uncomfortable. Some horses don't like certain $.25, and they won't answer how you'd like to your rein movement. Bits put pressure level on the tongue, so sometimes a bit that doesn't put as much pressure on the natural language tin be helpful if your equus caballus is sensitive. For instance, some curve across the tongue instead of going straight across.^[24]

   • Come across if anyone you know has bits you can borrow to try on your horse. That style, you tin can run into which one works the all-time.
   • A different chip can also assistance retrain your horse not to put its tongue over the bit if it has picked upwardly that habit.

4. 4

   Try a tongue port for natural language problems. If your horse keeps putting its natural language over the flake and you've tried other options, you can add a tongue port. Information technology fits over the chip, and a rubber part hangs down. The prophylactic bit makes it harder for your horse to move its tongue over the bit.^[25]

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Add New Question

• Question

  Where should the bit sit in a horse's oral cavity?

  

  Alana Silverman is a Certified EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) Equine Specialist and the Assistant Manager of Paddock Riding Club, a 200-equus caballus premier equestrian facility based in Los Angeles, California. Alana has over 25 years of experience caring for and riding horses and specializes in English riding and riding instruction. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of Arizona.

  

  Certified EAGALA Equine Specialist

  Adept Answer

  When plumbing fixtures a bridle, you want the scrap to sit in the horse's oral fissure with most ii-3 wrinkles in the corners of the mouth. You don't want the horse to appear "smiling", but you lot don't want to place the fleck too low either. This can crusade the equus caballus's teeth to brand contact with the bit, causing the equus caballus to be uncomfortable and potentially hurt.

• Question

  How exactly do you put your mitt inside the horse's mouth and take it out when taking off the scrap?

  

  Equestriangoose

  Top Answerer

  Stand on the left side of the equus caballus, with the cheek pieces in your correct hand. Your left paw should be under the bit as if you were giving the horse a treat. Put the bit up to the horses lips, and while guiding it into the mouth, slip your thumb into the corner of the oral fissure and printing down on the gum. Equally soon every bit he opens his mouth, slide the bit in while taking out your thumb. Y'all won't get bitten because there is a fairly large gap in the equus caballus's teeth in that location.

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• Be gentle. Don't force your horse into the bit.

• Instruction your horse to use a chip can be an important early step in training your horse, regardless of whether you're interested in leisure riding or equus caballus racing.

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• Go along your fingers out of biting spots! If you are putting your finger in the horse's mouth to go far open up it, be conscientious to stay away from the horse's teeth.

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Commodity Summary X

To put the bit in your equus caballus's mouth, start by inserting your thumb into the expanse behind its teeth. This will tell your equus caballus to open its mouth, merely make certain to keep your fingers away from its tooth to avert getting bitten. In one case your horse's mouth is open, guide the bit between its teeth. As you lot move the bit to the back of the oral fissure, pull the crown of the determent upwards over your horse's head. Next, gently move your horse's ears out of the way equally you pull the crown over them. All that's left is to fasten the buckles around the cervix and the chin. You'll want to be able to fit iv fingers underneath the neck buckle and 2 fingers nether the neck buckle. For more assist, like how to take the bit out, read on!

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