Bridling Your Horse - Part 3 - Challenges

By Jessica Crouch

Over the last couple of months, we've talked about how to help your horse become more willing to be bridled.  It is not just about forcing a horse to stand and accept a bridle - it is about a series of good habits, communication, and careful attention to the feel you give your horse. Now I'd like to give you a few little challenges to play with. Just how good is your bridling skill? Can you:

• Bridle while sitting in on a bucket or kneeling on your knees?
• Bridle from the saddle?
• Bridle from the off side of your horse?

Why would you try something like that?  A challenge helps you step out of your comfort zone and tests your communication with your horse.  For example, you probably won't ever need to bridle from your knees, but if you can't do it, why aren't you able to?  Is your horse fidgety when you bridle, and you are in the habit of following him around?  Does he lower his head for you but make you hold it down and you didn't even realize it? Really, the point of playing with a challenge is not to perform a "trick" but rather to test your communication and willing partnership with your horse. If you can't perform a task, dissect it into pieces - see what in the foundation is missing - work on that - then put it all together again.

Remember, too, safety first!  Have fun with those challenges, but make sure they are appropriate for  your current relationship with your horse. If you've never ridden your horse bridleless, you probably wouldn't want to try bridling from the saddle before you are comfortable with basic bridleless riding. Or maybe you could start in a small round pen with a halter and lead for control, and slip the bridle on over that.

Challenge yourself - push the boundaries of what you can do with your horse, but in a fun, playful and safe way - not just in bridling, of course, but in every aspect of your relationship. Make sure you, as well as your horse, enjoy your time together and you will be on your way to an amazing partnership with a very special creature .



(Originally published December 2014)