# Horse is gaping at the bit- Will it ever go away?



## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

I had my first session with my new mare today. I put her in a western style D ring snaffle with copper inlay. She had been being ridden (poorly) in some sort of gag bit that is popular with barrel racers around here. 

I realize she is just trying to evade the crappy hands she is used to, but she did super good in listening to me with this bit. Hardly had to touch her with it, but she still spent a ton of time gaping. 

Is this something that will ever go away (like when she realizes that the snaffle isn't the bad guy) or is it something that she likely is stuck with now?

She is obviously very well trained and in her past life (before the last owner, who was not a good match for her) she was trained english and western. I have it on good authority that she did not have this habit before going to the person I bought her from. 

So since this is a habit that has been learned in the last two years, do you think she will ever go back to not gaping? Is there anything I can do to speed it along? Maybe get a bit with something to play with?

I just want her to be comfortable.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

My reining horse is not a gaper but he fiddles with the bit and try's to reach the shank with his lips and play with it, it's quite the distraction. I just popped a nose band on him and its done with. I can take the nose band off (cant show in one) and he doesn't fiddle anymore because he's been tricked into thinking he can't. So not a gaping habit caused by poor riding, just a fiddling habit created by a busy mind. Might be worth a try?


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

You say you have only ridden her once, so I would give it some time and let her realize your hands are not going to hurt her. Do lots of flexing with one rein and let her realize that she is safe. What she is doing is common in a lot of horses that have been ridden in their mouth with rough hands. I would practice lots of transitions making certain you ask with your seat and give her at least 2 seconds to realize you asked her for the transition then pick up one rein to stop her. Just take it slow and show her your not going to hurt her. It will take time but it will happen.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Nosebands (mouth closers) are extremely effective. I have my own opinion on how they should be used. Once some horses have learned the bad habit of opening their mouths with bit pressure, it does not go away -- ever. Some respond well to bits and other have totally 'dead' mouths when they gap it open -- which is any time you use any rein pressure.

I have used all kinds of mouth closers and have found,, by far, the ones with a 'bite' to them are MUCH more effective. The worst ones are the smooth leather ones that just buckle on. A lot of horses just constantly 'pry' against them and are worse when you try to take them off; Like horses that brace on tie-downs or running martingales set too low, they elevate their heads higher when they are taken off.

I personally prefer mouth closers made of stiff rope. I used to make my own out of 'pigging strings' and I preferred the smaller ones made for goat tying. The important part, from my experience, is that they should be loose enough to slide your hand between the horse's nose and the nose-band. This is so the horse can chew, hold the bit, respond and NOT feel the pressure from the nose-band. It only puts its 'bite' on him when he resists by opening his mouth. As soon as he closes it, the discomfort goes away. So, when you do it this way, you actually 'teach' the horse to keep from gaping his mouth. Buckling a horse's mouth shut does not teach a lot of horses anything except when it is on and when it is off.


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## xdressage (Jul 14, 2013)

Are you sure the bit fits her? Bit fit can be a tough one, it's not just about the type of bit but even more about the size of the bit AND the horses mouth. Thick/fat snaffles are milder in theory, but actually studies have shown that most horses doesn't have room for the thick ones. Their mouths are just not that big. A thin bit is sharper, but usually fits better in the mouth. Now, i love D-rings(and full-cheeks too)! especially on green horses, because of the extra cue, but some horses gets confused about it and doesn't like the pressure on the cheeks. Maybe you could try an o-ring snaffle? 
I really think it's worth trying some different bits!  From my experience with horses gaping, the bit has been the problem in 80% of the cases. I don't know what it's like where you're from, but in my country, many stores give the option to borrow and try some bits for a small amount of money, before you decide which one to buy. 

About the noseband-thing. I respect that everyone has different opinions on this one, but personally, i would never use a noseband to keep my horses mouth shut. If a horse opens it's mouth, something's wrong. Most often rider mistakes, discomfort or a bit that doesn't fit. Tightening the noseband is covering your mistake, but you're still making it or causing your horse discomfort, you're just not allowing the horse to tell you about it.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

This horse was ridden by a heavy handed barrel racer in a gag bit. Once the habit is learned, you need to actually do something to break the cycle.

Of course a bit should fit. Of course a horse's teeth and mouth should be in good shape -- no sharp teeth and no mouth damage. And it really works to try different bits. This is why trainers like myself have 50or more bits in their tack room. But, with 50 bits, 4 or 5 get most of the use. Most are 3 piece with or without shanks and 2 that get used a LOT are bits with a lot of tongue room. I have a Mylar with a big, wide port with bushings that allow for individual shank movement (I love it on 'broke' horses) and one is a handmade low port with a big curve that allows more tongue room.

But, when a new horse goes to a trainer or a new owner and that person inherits bad habits, it is not the same thing as a good rider having problems with a properly started horse within a good training program. The latter horse is not responding right and you need to explore where to go now. You have to decide if the horse needs a change of equipment, a change in the method or approach or ???? That first horse with a long-standing bad habit needs to be treated very differently so that the bad habit or bad cycle can be broken and a new starting place found.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Agree with others - I am not a massive fan of some artificial aids that are a replacement for proper training and time but I do use 'mouth closers' on young horses because I see it as the prevention is better than cure thing and once they start the habit its harder to break 
I do use them on older ones that already do it but often find that as soon as you take the closer off they start again 
It sounds as if your horse is doing it as an avoidance thing so might improve once he realizes he isn't getting his mouth abused any more
The typical plain jointed snaffle doesn't always help this type of horse - you might find a mullen mouth or low ported bit suits him better
I assume you've had his mouth and teeth checked for possible problems there


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Try a non-jointed snaffle


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Just to add - yes I use the noseband/mouth-closer made from string too. I've had people ask if my horse gapes his mouth - haha no he fiddles around! I probably don't need it every ride anymore.


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## xdressage (Jul 14, 2013)

Cherie - I guess i get why a tight noseband could be a good idea to break the habit(when every other option is ruled out) - for a few rides! Never ever every ride. The problem is that when you tighten the noseband to the point where the horse can't open it's mouth, it won't be able to relax it's jaw either and this will cause tensions - which often results in the horse wanting to gape even more. Try shutting your mouth as hard as you can, teeth together, for a longer period of time. Pretty uncomfortable!


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

> The important part, from my experience, is that they should be loose enough to slide your hand between the horse's nose and the nose-band. This is so the horse can chew, hold the bit, respond and NOT feel the pressure from the nose-band. It only puts its 'bite' on him when he resists by opening his mouth.


If you read my post, you will see that I NEVER put on a tight nose-band. I absolutely want a horse to be able to hold a bit comfortably and relaxed and I want a horse to be able to chew the bit. I just want it to 'grab' him when he actually opens his mouth from resistance or habit. That way, it will break the habit, 'make' horse responsive instead of resistant and still let him chew and slobber.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

I use the nose band on both my guys.

Charlie LOVES trying to grab the shanks or his reins or anything he can get his mouth on but I pop the noseband on and he'll quit

And Red is a notorious gaper. Just a bad habit he learned from my mom to get out of responding. Again when I slip on the noseband he quits pretty quickly.


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## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

Thanks for the help so far everyone!

Cherie, I know where to get the goat rope, but how do I make it into a nose band specifically?



I did some looking around and found the same type of bit that the previous owner had her in. 










I just bought a few new bits and they are in the mail, should I pic up a french link and a mullen mouth just to try on her and see if that might help as well? (I'm a tack junkie anyway. What's a few more bits? haha)

I am thinking that I will hold off on any riding right now and stick to lunging and long lining until she listens better to voice commands and relearns ground manners.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

I'm real good at braiding, so I untwist a few inches of the hard-twist goat tying rope and put a small piece of tape on it to keep it from unraveling more. I twit it back up but it will not be as tight as it was at first. Then, I unravel a few inches of the other end of the rope I have cut and put a little tape on the end of each of the three strands. Then, I braid those back into the rope I have untwisted on the other end. I start out with about 20 to 24 inches of pigging string. I have several and they are all different diameters for horses with different size mouths. I like the mouth closer about 2 inches below the horse's cheek bones but high enough to never pinch their mouths when the reins are tightened. 

I showed a couple of people how to braid back the two ends and they never got it done so they just over-lapped two ends they cut off and burned to keep them from unraveling. Then, they took tiny 3/32 in nylon cord and wrapped it around the overlapped ends of the pigging string. About a 6 inch overlap that is smoothly wrapped will work real well. You can 'lightly' singe the wraps in a flame and they stay real good. Then, I put a little leather strap on it to hold it over the horse's head. If it is big enough to slip your hand under, it is also big enough for a horse to accept a bit and spit a bit out with it in place. 

You can buy some on Reining tack websites, but I like my hand-made ones better than any of the ones I have found. If they do not have a 'bite' to them, the smooth or soft ones are just not nearly as effective.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

I agree and do the same as Cherie.

I have a couple of nosebands that my husband has made out of nylon heel ropes. The one pictured below is one that was made from a 3 strand heel rope without a strand taken out and rebraided or retwisted like Cherie described,( just like how we make our piggin strings) so it's a little more forgiving.
The ends are pulled through a 1" link of chain, a turks head knot tied in the ends so the ends can't pull through, scorched then a thin latigo hanger tied onto it.
We use them for the exact reason you described and they are not meant to be cinched down, but like mentioned above- only when the mouth is gaped from evasion out of habit.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I work with a horse that is sooo bad at this! We use a mouth closer when riding her, but not when I ponying her, of course. She's had the habit for the six years the owner has played her. Came that way.

As she warms up, she makes the most exaggerated motions of opening, closing, and twisting her jaw. I've had newcomers ask if she is choking! I meet a lot of the new people this way. *good grief*

She is otherwise a great mare.


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