How do you get the horse to stop pulling on the bit?

Horses that pull on the bit or through the bit haven’t been taught how to accept bit pressure and what to do with contact. There is also a good chance that their neck is being held uncomfortable tight. 

Believe it or not the instinctive response for the horse to give to bit pressure in their mouth is to pull against it, not follow it or give to it.

Have a feel of it yourself. The pulling of the bit on the head and mouth puts them off balance so instinctively they want to pull against it. That’s why when breaking, we want to move quickly from using the reins to control the horse to using the reins to communicate with the horse. When our reins are used to control the horse it becomes an argument of who is stronger. This is an argument a horse will win every time on the ground let alone in the saddle. I prefer not to get into this argument in the first place.

The first thing horses need to learn is how to accept pressure and look for the release of pressure.

That allows us to set our horse up for seeking the right answer and not just doing as their told. This allows us to start working with cue training. The horse learns that if 2 reins contact is applied to their mouth, if they stop and stand still that pressure goes away. If 1 rein is applied and they follow the rein it goes away. 

It is when the horse is either not taught this or the rider does not ride this way that the horse will start trying to grab the bit and drag the rider around to the things he wants to do. Once the horse knows he can get out of work doing this, it becomes very tricky to fix. You basically have to ride without rein contact and show them they don’t get out of work that way. 

The other time horses can start grabbing and pulling the bit is if you are hold their neck too short.

We want a short body and a long neck. We want to encourage our horses to reach their noses out and find contact. A short neck jams up their movement and gets them feeling uncomfortable.

Exercises to improve grabbing the bit:

• Correct use of pressure & release to show the horse how to respond to bit pressure correctly;

• Riding without contact and on a long rein;

• Transitions;

• Flexion at the poll;

• Rein back over a pole.

You can learn how to apply correct bit pressure and acceptance of the bit, while developing your horses musculoskeletal frame in a way that supports longevity and success, Equestrian Movement is in the process of finalising the Green to Self Carriage Course. Sign up to learn up it’s release here!