Answer

By Your Horse

Instructor Jane Baker replies:

Before you go down the hackamore route, try some different snaffle and noseband combinations. A thick bit isn’t always kindest – they can be too bulky for the TB mouth. Some horses also show more resistance to a single-jointed bit than a double-jointed one, such as a French link, which spreads the pressure over the horse’s tongue.
Whichever bit you use, you must be in balance with your horse. Only use rein pressure as required and release when he obeys your aid. If he ignores a light aid, you can use a sharper, stronger one, but prolonged application of rein aids can cause the horse to tense up and try to ‘run through’ the bridle or fight it.Have an instructor watch you and your horse in action as there may be something you do when you ride him that upsets him. They can also help you to get your horse accepting the contact through schooling exercises – stiffness and resistances will often show themselves as bitting resistance.There are horses who can only go in a bitless bridle but, for dressage or showing classes, you’ll have to use a bit.