>>> Well, more accurately mouth discomfort, which could be caused by either >>> the rider's hands or the rider's choice of bit.
Exactly. It could also be that the horse needs dental work, or has mouth sores. Tivar had serious mouth ulcers two years ago, so he didn't like ANY bit. He does fine in a sidepull, so that's no problem at all. Horses will sometimes open their mouths when they are distracted, and are trying to evade "work". But, that sort of goes back to building their trust (and interest) from the ground. Those things WILL happen from time to time, but it's the rider's responsibility to be sure that it happens as infrequently as possible. I think it helps for us to think of our time together as "play", not work. Karen Thomas, NC
