Why Do Some Horses Object to Being Bridled?
Please Don’t Do That—It Hurts! If your horse objects to being bridled, your first assumption shouldn’t be that he’s unruly or even that he’s inexperienced or not well trained. It could be that the bridle is causing him pain. (Please see our article, Horses Who Are Head Shy, for more information on identifying and resolving problems related to head handling in horses.) Objections to bridling can be a sign that your horse is suffering from pain related to the bridling process itself or to the fit of the bridle or bit. His ears or part of his head might be bothering him, or his teeth, tongue, lips or other parts of his mouth might hurt. Dental problems are very common in horses. Because horses are grazers, their teeth grow continuously. But modern horses rarely get access to continuous grazing, and even if they do, the grasses and other forage we provide them isn’t as coarse as what they’d eat in the wild. Consequently, their teeth develop uneven lengths and sharp edges. This can be parti
