08/12/2026
Introducing the snaffle bit to a troubled horse part one:
The response to the first ride on that troubled horse, we are calling him Lakota, was overwhelming. So, I thought I’d post updates so you can see Lakota’s progress. The videos below are of his introduction to a snaffle bit. I introduce a horse to carrying a bit by first putting my fingers in the corners of his mouth and kind of working them around. Then, I put the lead rope in their mouth in the way I would a bit. I do these things as part of the groundwork before their first ride. When it comes time to introduce the bit, I should have little trouble working his mouth with my fingers. Then it’s about technique where one doesn’t clank the bit on the horse’s teeth. Once the bit is in, I do lateral bends, hindquarters yields off a lateral bend, and then ride on as loose a rein as I can while still giving hand signals. I don’t believe in the three wrinkles at the corners of the mouth. I want it only tight enough that they have difficulty getting their tongue over the bit, and still keep him responsive in the mouth. The first ride in the bit is about the horse accepting it. You’ll see him play with it and get a little annoyed when I pull on him some. But, that will smooth out as we go. I introduce the snaffle after a horse has had three rides in the rope halter. So, this was his fourth ride. I also keep my training sessions short so the horse doesn’t get overwhelmed with information.
