From: Lorna
Hello, Thank you very much for your splendid service! I am considering buying a gelding which is apparently about 9 years old. He has a very placid temprament and is fairly comfortable to ride. When I tried him out I discovered apart from being very one sided, quite unfit, and down in the forehand, he is absolutely dead in the mouth! It goes way beyond hard mouthed - I had to haul his head around to change direction and again to halt. (I was using leg and body aids but he clearly doesn't know them) I don't think I have ever ridden a horse quite so unresponsive in his mouth. I rode him in a jointed snaffle, provided by the owner. He is unlikely to ever bolt (though one can never say that for sure!) but if he did, I can't see that he would be stoppable.
His history is that he has been ridden by all and sundry! Due to his nice temperament anyone who has nervous or who has never ridden before is put onto his back. I suspect he has developed this dead mouth from having the reins used as a lifeline to keep people on his back!
My questions are firstly, do you think that with schooling, exersise, and training, this horse's mouth could be made to be softer. Or should I say, responsive to the reins? (Can a very hard mouthed horse ever become a reasonably soft mouthed horse?) Secondly, can you suggest anything to retrain this horses mouth? (A different bit? No bit? Special "mouth" excersises?) I'm not hard on horses mouths, normally riding English style with light pressure and occasionally going onto the buckle to let the horse stretch his neck and relax. I tried neck reining this horse and he was very slightly better like that, but not much.
Obviously I realise the entire horse needs to be trained and I think he may be worth the work, but I am concerned that he will stay hard-mouthed forever, regardless of all other improvements.
Thank you for your advice, (in anticipation!) Regards Lorna
All of the problems you've described - one-sided, unfit, heavy on the forehand, and "dead-mouthed" - fit neatly under the single heading "untrained". Horses are naturally one-sided and heavy on the forehand - that's why two of the main goals of training are to straighten and strengthen the horse, and to develop its ability to work in balance, carrying more of its weight behind. Horses are also naturally "dead-mouthed", in the sense that without an education in the language of the aids INCLUDING THE REIN AIDS, they simply don't understand what all the pulling is about. This doesn't mean that they don't feel the pulling - they DO feel it, and they experience the pain it causes. But as they have no idea what is wanted, they will typically react either by recoiling in shock and horror when approached with a bridle, or - does this sound like your horse? - by going obediently forward, leaning against the rider's hand, and putting enough pressure on the bit to (eventually) numb their mouths.
If you take on this horse, you will need to handle him as you would a completely green, unstarted three-year-old. The training process will be somewhat longer than it would be with an actual unstarted three-year-old, because THIS horse has certain expectations of the rider and of what riding is all about, and it will take some time to teach him new expectations.
Unless your veterinarian tells you that the horse's bars and tongue are permanently damaged and nothing but a mass of thick scar tissue, the issue of mouth sensitivity isn't likely to be a problem. As I said earlier, horses feel the pressure and pain, but if a horse doesn't know what the rider wants, and/or has no expectation of relief from the pressure and pain when it DOES what the rider wants, it will simply do its best to "tune out" what it has learned to think of as random input, like constant radio static, or a loud, endless lecture in an unfamiliar language. The "hard mouth" or "dead mouth" is rarely a physical reality; rather, it's almost always the result of an untrained or badly-trained horse being ridden by a series of heavy-handed riders who spend their time in the saddle "water-skiing" off the horse's mouth. The horse has no idea that his mouth is anything but a "handle" for the people who sit on him, and he certainly has no notion that the bit and reins could be used for communication, let alone subtle, quiet communication. So far, his relationship with the bit and reins has been all pressure and no release. Constant, light contact, subtle brief pressure and subtle release are things about which this horse knows nothing at all - if he's going to learn, you'll have to teach him, and that can be done, but it will take time.
Can such a horse become a good riding horse, alert and responsive to the aids? Certainly, if someone is willing to invest the time and effort to train him all over again (or, more likely, for the first time), from the ground up. Can a "hard mouth" become a soft, responsive mouth? Certainly, because the softness depends on the horse's ability to understand and interpret the rider's signals, and if someone will take the time to teach the horse what the signals mean, what response is wanted, and what reward will follow, a "hard" mouth can become very "soft" indeed.
Something you need to bear in mind is that this horse's "dead mouth" - which is actually between the horse's ears! - may well be accompanied by "dead sides" and a "dead back", all of which are illusory. In other words, this apparently sweet and unflappable nine-year-old horse may have achieved a state of all-over numbness that really gives you no idea of his actual personality. Once he's fit, balanced, and understands that riding is a matter of TWO-WAY communication between horse and rider - say in two years' time, if all goes well - he may prove to be a horse that can enjoy life instead of being resigned to it, and he may also "wake up" and prove to be vastly more energetic than he seems to be right now. This prospect may please you or alarm you, but either way, you should keep the possibility in mind.
I've observed this with a good many horses rescued from bad situations. Many of these are all-accepting; they don't try to run away or fight, they have simply given up, and remain preternaturally calm at all times. If you look such horses in the eye, they don't seem to be "in there" looking back at you - their eyes seem glazed. Too much sensory input has put them "on hold" mentally and emotionally. Once rescued and placed in the hands of horsemen, many of these horses change - not quickly, but dramatically. After a time, often a year or more, the horses appear to "shake themselves" mentally and "wake up" from their previous state of near-autistic sleepwalking. At that point, some of them prove to be cheerful, happy, energetic souls.
If you like this horse and are willing and able to take on what may be a long-term project, by all means have a go. He's only nine, which means that in two years' time you could have a very pleasant riding horse with many years ahead of him.
The best advice I can give you is to begin his training as though he were very young and very green, and work to develop his body, mind, and spirit in the way that someone should have done long ago. Since he has learned to lean on the bit, I would suggest that you not use one for some time, perhaps a year or longer.
Basic ground-control and stable manners can be taught in a halter; longeing should be done using a proper longeing cavesson (find someplace with good footing, put him on the largest possible circle - at least 20 meters, and do hundreds and thousands of transitions).
For riding, I would recommend the Bitless Bridle, which works on the nose and the poll rather than putting pressure on the mouth. When the horse has become fit and learned a new way of carrying himself and a new way of going, when he has learned to understand, listen to, and respond to the rider's legs and seat, and when he has learned to respond to gentle pressure from the bridle, you'll be able to add a bit to the ensemble.
When you first add a bit, just let him carry it for a month or so - then, when you are sure that he accepts and is comfortable with the bit in his mouth, you can add a second rein (this one attached to the bit) and begin riding him with both reins. Gradually, over several months, you'll be able to shift the emphasis from the Bitless Bridle rein to the rein attached to the bit, and finally you'll be able to begin riding him with that rein only. That is, if you WANT to - many riders find that they enjoy riding without a bit.
As for which bit to use - begin with a very mild and obvious one: a mullen-mouth snaffle, not too thick. When the horse responds easily and well to this bit, you can change it for an equally mild but more subtle one: a French-link snaffle, which will also be easy on his bars and tongue, but will allow both of you more subtlety in communication. If, at that point, the horse tells you that he is more comfortable in the mullen-mouth bit, or more comfortable without a bit, believe him.
So it seems the real questions here are not "Can the horse be retrained?" and "Can a hard mouth become soft?" but "Do you, Lorna, have the willingness AND the experience, ability, patience, and TIME to begin and continue this horse's education from the ground up?" and "Are you, Lorna, comfortable with the idea of working this horse without a bit for a year or more, then gradually introducing a bit over a period of some months?" And, finally, "If, after all the time and effort, the horse makes it quite clear that it is much happier being ridden WITHOUT a bit, will that be a viable option for you?"
The first two questions MUST be answered in the affirmative - the third is more speculative, but is still a possibility that you may want to keep in mind. Much will depend on your plans for the horse. If you're thinking in terms of hacking for pleasure, or of competitive trail-riding or endurance riding, the use (or not) of a bit won't be an issue. If you are thinking in terms of the sorts of competitions for which bits are part of the required equipment, this may be too much of a gamble, and require too much of an investment in your time and energy.
If you do take on this horse as a training project, take your time, listen to him, have a plan, and be flexible. Good luck, and please keep me informed!
Jessica
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