Having a horse that is not happy to have their bridle put on can be both time consuming and frustrating.  Fortunately this can be a relatively simple issue to solve with some time, patience and a few key ideas.  There can be a number of reasons behind a horse being difficult to bridle, so we’ll look at a few common issues and some ideas for dealing with them.

If the bridle is uncomfortable for the horse or the process of getting it on is painful, your horse is likely to want to avoid the bridle.  Check the advice page Fitting a Bridle for tips on how to make sure the bridle is adjusted to the right size for your horse.  Take care in how you put the bridle on so that the bit does not bang against your horse’s teeth and the whole process is pleasant and pain free for your horse.

Is your horse simply head shy?  He may have had a bad experience in the past and not enjoy having his head handled.  If this is the case then you need to invest time and patience.  Start by handling your horses head where he will allow (you may need to start down his neck and move gradually closer to his head).  Watch his response as you gently handle his head where he is less comfortable – move to the boundary of his comfort, push it a little further and then move back again to where he is comfortable.   Then repeat the exercise again.  Over time you will be able to handle more and more of his head until eventually he is relaxed with the whole of his head being handled.

Is your horse happy to have his head handled, but lifts his head when you go to put the bridle on?  If this is the case then you need to teach him to lower his head for you to put the bridle on.  Hold his lead in one hand without placing any pressure on the lead, place your other hand on the top of his head and press down.  Make sure it is pressure that you are able to maintain – so ‘there’ but not too hard.  Maintain consistent pressure (without needing to pull down on the lead) and wait for your horse to respond by dropping his head.  As soon as he drops his head release the pressure and encourage him.   If he is trying to avoid the pressure by moving sideways and then up, you may need to hold his head in one place with the lead.   Be patient as he tries to work out what you are asking with the pressure, some horses will take longer to catch on than others.  Keep repeating this exercise until he will drop his head for you with very light pressure.  Once he is able to do this, try putting on his bridle while his head is down.  If he lifts his head, stop and ask him to lower it again and only put his bridle on while his head is down.  Understand that it may take a while to teach this to your horse – but it is well worth doing.  Once your horse understands what you want from him, make sure you ask him to lower his head every time you bridle him and when you remove the bridle, and don’t accept him lifting his head.  While your horse is still learning about lowering his head, make the most of other opportunities to ask him to lower his head so that you reinforce this lesson.

If your horse is not head shy, doesn’t lift his head and you are confident that he is in no discomfort being bridled, then consider what you are asking him to do once he has his bridle on.  It may be that he is associating getting bridled with work that he doesn’t enjoy.  If this is the case consider what you first do with your horse after he is bridled.  Make sure the first thing he begins his work with is something that he enjoys.  You then may go on to do work with him that he finds more challenging or enjoys less.  If that is the case make sure that you also finish with something that he enjoys, so that this is what he is thinking of as he heads back to his stall or paddock.  Over time this is likely to make a big difference to your horse and will be of real benefit to both of you.