Question: Ex-Racehorse Horse Likes Hackamore, Hates Bit

I have an OTTB that I just brought home a few weeks ago. He was retired because he no longer wanted to race. Therefore when the previous owner decided he wasn't going to be competitive and I was offered to take him before he went to an auction.

. I rode him a few times before I decided if I would take him to make sure he would be safe. Both times I rode him, they used a hackamore on him. I found this strange because he was raced.. After bringing him home I decided to try a few different bits-- I tried a few different types of snaffles, a gag bit and a curb bit. He fought everyone of them. I know the first thought would be that maybe I have heavy hands, but I can assure you I don't in any way.

Seeing such a change in his attitude when using bits, I decided to invest in a hack. To my astonishment, he's a perfect gentleman with it.

I'm worried his mouth was ruined. I want him to be comfortable & don't mind riding in a hack. I just have a lot of family members giving me the back end that I have no control with a hackamore. No one else will ride him with it. Everyone thinks they can stick harsh bits in his mouth and just shank him around to control him, making everything worse. Any imput you have time to give would be great.

answer:

There are a number of reasons he could be reacting badly to the bit. As a racehorse he was run in a bit, but never trained how to ride in one. All racehorses do is run straight and slow down; they aren't trained to be ridden like a "normal" trail horse, with all the turning, backing, etc. He could simply have never been trained in a bit and thus not know how to handle it, so he fights it. He could associate it with racing and get nervous, or he could have had bad experiences in the past.

Example of a mechanical hackamore. Source: Wikipedia

If he was ever ridden by someone that yanked him and hurt his mouth, he might associate a bit with pain. I would check his mouth just to make sure there are no problems in the mouth causing pain, such as wolf teeth, sharp edges or broken teeth, scars from old injuries, etc. If he has no problems in his mouth but still associates the bit with pain, he will still fight it because he expects it to hurt him.

I had an ex-racehorse that behaved similar to yours; She hated bits and would shake her head, but she was fine in a hackamore. I barrel raced her (as well as trail riding) in a hackamore and she was happy.

A "ruined" mouth can mean different things. A horse that is yanked around can become "deadened" to the simulation and learn to ignore or fight it, developing bad habits when riding in the bit that can take a long time to correct; or if the rider is harsh enough, can actually experience nerve damage or scarring in the mouth which can be permanent.

Either way, a "ruined" mouth means the horse is not reacting to a rider with light hands. Some horses fight the bit, others simply ignore it. Sometimes this can be corrected by starting over and training the horse from the beginning as if it has never worn a bit, or if there is permanent damage or injury to the mouth a different type of bit or hackamore might have to be used.

If you've determined he has no pain from the bit or injuries, and want him to learn to use a bit, you could start off slowly just as if you were training a young horse and reintroduce him to a snaffle or other mild bit a little at a time. However if both you and the horse prefer a hackamore there is nothing wrong with riding in that.

If your horse seems to work happily in a hackamore, then that is what I'd ride in. Keep in mind that hackamores are not necessarily any less harsh than bits, they just use pressure on the nose instead of in the mouth. Some horses prefer that, but others hate it.

Hackamores must also be used gently and with patience-- yanking can cause a hackamore to cut into the horse's face or cause serious injury. Different types of hackamores vary in severity; some mechanical hackamores can be quite severe, to the point of breaking a horse's jaw if used improperly. When I used a hackamore (with a rope nose) I wrapped it in several layers of Vet Wrap to make it softer and gentler on the nose. It is also important to wrap any curb chain with vetwrap as well (I've seen injuries caused by chain chinstraps pinching).

If your horse is fighting a bit or hackamore, it doesn't mean you need something harsher or you need more pressure-- it usually means you need something gentler that won't hurt and cause them to fight. Or that the horse simply needs to be trained how to respond properly and not fight, which takes training and patience just like you would use on a young horse taking a bit for the first time.

As far as your family, if he is your horse and they believe in yanking him around in a bit, I wouldn't allow them to handle your horse. Anyone who believes in yanking a horse around to control it shouldn't be allowed near a horse.
He is yours and you must explain that it's possible he has past injuries or experiences that make him fight the bit. If he is easy to ride in a hack but fights the bit, then it seems like he is far less safe with a bit on. A hackamore is not somehow more dangerous than a bit, nor do you have less control-- it all depends on the rider and if they know how to use the hackamore properly.

See also: The Hackamore article