Q: My three-year-old TB mare won’t accept a bit. She throws her head about and clamps her mouth shut when I go to put on her bridle. She took a bit when I first started training her - is she just being difficult, or could it be a problem with her mouth? I don’t want to force her if the bit is hurting her.
A: If you have not had your mare’s teeth checked already, I would recommend that you do so as you are right to think that her mouth could be causing her a problem. Between the ages of 2 ½ and 4 ½, your mare will shed 24 baby teeth to make room for the adult teeth. Not only can this irritate her if the caps (baby teeth) are loose and moving slightly, but her adult teeth will erupt through into the mouth with very sharp edges. The bit can push her cheeks onto these sharp edges, causing discomfort.
Your mare may also have wolf teeth just behind the bit that interfere with her mouth every time a contact is taken. For this reason, these teeth are usually extracted. You should get her teeth checked thoroughly before you do too much more with your mare, as there is a chance that she might start automatically to associate the bit with pain.