TEACHING TIP: Teach unbridling before bridling

If you teach students to bridle as part of your lesson program, try introducing unbridling first. Get students solid on unbridling before progressing to bridling. Your horses will probably thank you.

Why? Here are a few reasons:

• Unbridling has less things to move and manipulate (think ears, bit going in mouth, etc) and less fine motor skills involved.
• Unbridling seems to be less intimidating to the students than bridling. The hesitation and lack of confidence can really impact a successful bridling and comfort of the horse.
• Students can have a chance to get comfortable working with the tack, ears, mouth, etc. in relation to the bridle so they know how they move and work. This again helps with confidence and keeping the horse comfortable.
• Letting the bridle down tends to be easier than lifting up as they are working with gravity and don’t have to worry about lifting up and aiming the bit.
• The horses tend to be more patient and comfortable with unbridling (as long as mouths are protected) and willing to allow a bit more time for the students to work through the skill.
• This can help protect your horse from getting sour around bridling time because they are getting poked, and pulled, and asked to be patient for longer than they may be willing to tolerate.
• Beginner unbridling usually takes less time and is easier to support than bridling. Then the confidence in the skill of unbridling usually makes for a faster, smoother beginner bridling when the student gets to that point.

I’m extremely protective of my horses when it comes to bridling but it pays off as they are all extremely good at bridling and unbridling.

For the most part putting the bridle on is something I, as the instructor do, because I don’t want to ask each horse to have to tolerate 5+ different student attempts each week of putting the bridle on.

I apply this method to not just bridling with a bit but also haltering and bitless bridles.

This progression is something I incorporate in all my lessons, traditional and adaptive/therapeutic, for the wellbeing of the horse.

Want to learn more about topics mentioned in this post? Check out the Intuitive Instructor Content below:

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