# How to soften the mouth



## BarrelWannabe (Feb 8, 2011)

What are some exercises I can do with my horse to soften him up in the mouth? He's a bit hard in the mouth and I would like to make him softer and more responsive so I don't have to put lots of pressure on him.
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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Flex, bend, release, but not excessively. The release is most important.


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## BarrelWannabe (Feb 8, 2011)

Alrighty. Thanks bubba.
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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I wonder if he is hard in the mouth because when he is resistant, you meet his resistance and the two of you spend too much time in the place where he is pulling and you are too, and you're in a stalemate, until somebody gives (and is it him or you?)

My recommendation would be to apply the rein, say for a turn or a stop, and if he leans on it or braces against it, you meet that brace but you add an ounce more so that you aren't stuck in a stalemate. He must give. And it can get uglier before it gets lighter. But once he gives you give a big release.
He should start to give sooner and sooner. But you can't just meet his pull with the same amount, you must exceed him , . . . for a bit. If he pulls harder, then you meet and exceed. Also, you can add more bend and more lift to the rein. all these things break out the stalemate. 
Soon, he will give to very little pressure, as long as you give a big release and not hang on his mouth.

yeah, that's another thing that helps build softness; when you are just standing there on his back, be sure you have a real soft drape in the reins. Try to find times when you can drop the reins to be really loose, so that there are times when they are on and times when they are off, which builds the horse's sensitivity to them ( or at least doesnt' dull him out to them).

Whenever you come to a halt, dont release the rein until your horse stops AND comes off the rein. So, you stop your hands and body, saying "halt" and when he does, don't give your hand back to him until he rocks back or even takes a step back and lifts his head up and off the bit, carrhying his own head instead of leaning on the bit , waiting until you take the brake off so he can plow forward. Does that sound familiar?


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## BarrelWannabe (Feb 8, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> I wonder if he is hard in the mouth because when he is resistant, you meet his resistance and the two of you spend too much time in the place where he is pulling and you are too, and you're in a stalemate, until somebody gives (and is it him or you?)
> 
> My recommendation would be to apply the rein, say for a turn or a stop, and if he leans on it or braces against it, you meet that brace but you add an ounce more so that you aren't stuck in a stalemate. He must give. And it can get uglier before it gets lighter. But once he gives you give a big release.
> He should start to give sooner and sooner. But you can't just meet his pull with the same amount, you must exceed him , . . . for a bit. If he pulls harder, then you meet and exceed. Also, you can add more bend and more lift to the rein. all these things break out the stalemate.
> ...


 
He is hard in the mouth:
1. Because we do have our stalemates. I have a hard time distiguishing between applying pressure and pulling on him. 
2. He's an ex-header. The people who had him before knew only to jerk when they wanted to stop. All he really knew when I got him was left, right, back, and foward. He could barely flex or break at the poll, had no brakes unless you jerked so hard you'd link the bit would hit him in the eye and had no respect for me or the bit. 
Now that I have him, he flexes left, right, and at the poll. He collects at a walk, is learning how to neck rein, has a good stop, and a back up. 

I just want him to have the least amount of contact with the bit as possible. I realize it is after all in his mouth but I don't want him to brace against or learn to lean on it. 
I guess my thing is that I dont want to have to pull to hard on him. 
When in our stalemates, should I continue applying pressure when he fights? Kind of bring him into my leg when I use the rein? I dont want to crank him head to where he's at my stirrup. Then when he does bend and gives into the pressure, just let the rein slack and reward him? I get the idea of what you are saying, I just want to make sure that I would be able to do it right.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Yes, leg. If you can watch really good trainers and horsepeople ride horses, do so at every opportunity. Learn by osmosis. That's the best way to develop "feel." Preferably watch them working live, but qualified YouTube videos will work, too.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Whenever you give to his pull, without him giving first, then he has learned that sometimes, if he pulls hard enough, that you will release. So, it's worth a try. If he never gets a release until he gives first, then eventually he will stop trying. 

And by the way, though this is what my trainer has told me and how she rides and brings a horse into super lightness, I , myself, am guilty of not being 100% consistent with Mac, so that he still braces against me a fair amount when he is just certain that we should go left and I want to go right or when he wants to GO and i want to stop. So, I can understand how difficult it can be to change a horse with a long ingrained way of doing things.
It sounds like you have already made big changes, though.


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## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

BarrelWannabe said:


> He is hard in the mouth:
> 1. Because we do have our stalemates. I have a hard time distiguishing between applying pressure and pulling on him.
> 2. He's an ex-header. The people who had him before knew only to jerk when they wanted to stop. All he really knew when I got him was left, right, back, and foward. He could barely flex or break at the poll, had no brakes unless you jerked so hard you'd link the bit would hit him in the eye and had no respect for me or the bit.
> Now that I have him, he flexes left, right, and at the poll. He collects at a walk, is learning how to neck rein, has a good stop, and a back up.
> ...


First, put your horse in a true snaffle bit with no leverage as in a loose ring snaffle or full cheek snaffle bit. By no means what so ever do not continue to keep up a pulling contest with your horse, because you will be the loser.


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## BarrelWannabe (Feb 8, 2011)

He is in a loose ring right now. I've thought about putting him in an eggbutt French ling to get rid of the nut cracker effect. I honest to goodness try to avoid the pulling part. I don't like it any more than he does.
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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Soften the hands


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## BarrelWannabe (Feb 8, 2011)

I'm working on my hands. I'm still a beginner and I'm working hard on my hands
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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

You won't achieve softness by being soft all the time. 

You use as much pressure as it takes to get a try, then you release. 

Don't micro manage - give the horse a bit of responsibility. Expect him to maintain his gait/speed and only pick up on him when he changes - put him back where you want him then leave him alone.
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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

With a snaffle, hold your reins so you can just feel his mouth. To turn left, open your knuckles on the right rein so that rein in a little longer. Then try stoking the left rein with your pinky. His lip will feel the slight increase in pressure and release. He may even respond to that and move his head a little. After a dozen tries (at a standstill) if he's not responding then close your knuckles tighter and hold them against the forks or pommel so they don't move. And wait. Your rein has tightened maybe an inch but he's feeling it. He just needs time to figure it out. He will move sooner or later as he may start thinging how this isn't putting anything in his belly. As soon as he turns his head, open your knuckle on the left side and close the knuckles on your right to straighten his head. Give him about 10 seconds and repeat the exercise. When he understands an inch, many times, he will come to understand 4 inches.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Four inches? What the heck are you talking about? When I want my horse to turn (or flex), I don't stroke the rein. I make my horse turn, with as much rein pressure as necessary to get the desired response--which must be immediate, or I up the pressure.


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## twogeldings (Aug 11, 2008)

Work on picking up your reins and asking with light pressure for give. Collect your reins and use your wrists to ask with the rein-you want to be able to feel the mouth, but don't apply pressure excessively. If you have to tense, your asking for too much. Ask just enough that he can feel you, and let him work it over by himself.
The second he gives it, relax your hands, give him some quiet praise. Do this repeatedly, and reward and the first give. This will encourage him to 'feel' you and relax on the bit. 

Snatching (like what you see in some shows) will cause stiffness and inflexibility. The horse is just trying to protect himself


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

80% your body postion, weight, leg position, calf pressure then 20% hands to rein pressure. Never pull back, it's always a lift, then the moment he gives, release, that's the reward. Do it all correctly, feel his back round, and you can feel your calf muscles meet his muscles as he's lifting his back for you. Great feeling. The more correct you are, the better & longer he'll give to you.


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