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Bit Positioning-Horse puts tongue over bit
Hello, I have been searching for answers/help with the above problem and found your site on the internet. I am hoping you can give my sister and I some advise. My sister is housesitting out on a property in Australia. She has in her care a 9 year old mare. Whenever she tries to put the bridle on her, she puts her tongue over the top of the bit instead of allowing the bit to slide over her tongue.Any ideas of why she is doing this and how do we get the bit in her mouth properly? My sister and I are both horse mad but we have never encounted this problem before. Thank you for any advise
Hi,
Just briefly here is something to try. By handling the horse's mouth she should be able to get the horse's tongue under the bit for even a few moments. As soon as that happens she should be prepared to immediately raise the bit to a height that the horse cannot get his tongue over it. Most horses who have that problem will be fine carrying a bit at that height (which is really not that high). Consider trying a bit-less bridle (hackamore) with this horse. Also, as what the horse is doing is an evasive tactic because of current or anticipated mouth pain when carrying the bit, I would suggest having the horse's mouth checked for dental issues.
Sincerely, Franklin