Training a 7 year old

Question
I have a 7 year old mare that I bought from a sale. This was not a wise decision I realize now.  She is a Quarter Horse.  She is green broke.  I was told she used a snaffle bit.  She works the bit in her mouth constantly and has torn her tongue up several times with a tremendous amount of bleeding.  Now she tries to throw me by standing up in her back legs.  She is very nervous and anxious.  I have tried a straight bit and Hackamore- no luck.  Is there any hope?  What am I doing wrong?  I am very frustrated.  She lets you saddle her with no problems and before she hurt her mouth she never offered to throw me- she just did not respond to the bit.  Thanks for the help- Beth

Answer
Hi Beth!

Since you said that your mare had injured her mouth several times in the past you need to have her examined by a vet.
Your regular vet should be able to diagnose if she has done any permanent damage to the extremely delicate bars of her mouth.
There are vets who specialize in dentistry and you may need to seek the consul of one of these professionals due to the extreme nature of your predicament.

Once she has a clean bill of health you are going to have to find a professional trainer to begin the process of teaching her bit acceptance.

Obviously, she has no solid training when it comes to being bitted.

I feel that ignoring this and trying to avoid the issue by putting her in some type of hackamore will only allow her lack of training to intensify and worsen.

This is an integral part of training a horse and is not to be attempted by an amateur.

If she continues to have negative experiences with her bit she will eventually and sadly be forced into being extremely defensive.

This process may have already begun.
As you say she is shaking, nervous and rearing.
These are tell-tale behaviors of a frightened, worried and confused horse.

I hope you heed my advice and begin to help and heal your mare before her problems become insurmountable.


Good Luck and always remember to wear your ASTM/SEI helmet!