Playing with the bit

[Jean]

Do all mules play with the bit. Anna Mule moves hers around all the time. She gets it under her tongue then moves it back over her tongue. I have moved it up on the bridle, but it does not stop her from doing it. I have never seen a horse be able to move their tongue the way she does. Her nose band is not very tight, but on the last hole. Do you think if I made the nose band tighter it would stop this silliness.

[J-L]

Hello Jean. Is she a youngster? How long have you had her packing the bit around?
Some of my mules and the ones I’ve broken for other folks played with the bit for a while. Used to drive me nuts on the first one. I was worried that it was a bad habbit. When I got to using her a lot more, she just quit.
All of them have gotten over it and kind of hold the bit where they want it so I don’t keep it all that snug in their mouths.
I did put a curb with a roller in one mule to see if she’d play with that. It really didn’t interest her much. She was the one who did it the longest. I finally just went to riding her and when it became uncomfortable for her she quit.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Jean and JL, I have a mule, one I raised myself, who will play with the bit all the time. He is six this year and I think he is slowly doing it less while working. I think there are horses that will do this too. I think tightening the bit will help brake them of it when they are first bitted. But a mule that gets that habit will be harder to stop than a horse, once they start. I don’t want to over tighten a bridle for an animal that is working long hours. I guess I have learned to ignore it, but I would try to avoid it when i start another mule.

[Jean]

Thanks – She is not young. I think she is around 18 years old. She has a very good whoa with just voice, so it does not bother me as much as if she did not listen to my voice. I have just never seen a horse be able to move the bit as much as she can. She is my first mule. I am hoping that once we get working she will have something more interesting to pay attention to.
Jean

[Rod]

My mule had a big issue with her bit and the farm I got her from had a mule bit with a roller on it which she fought like mad. I changed her to a snaffle bit with rubber and she was better but still fussed a little. Then we had the teeth floated ( they were bad) and waited a few days for any sores she may have had from them to heel and tried her again. She was much better so I tried a Mullen Liverpool bit on the snaffle settling and she is almost normal, just a little drooling. During this time I have been working to soften her mouth also. Light reins and working on the ground with just the bridle and bit then with lines. She has vastly improved. I don’t know for sure it was the teeth but I thing all the changes helped a little.

[Jean]

I am using a bridle that fits better now and have the bit adjusted up a little higher in her mouth. Has helped a lot. I think I had it too far down and she did not like it sitting on her tongue.

[Rod]

That’s intresting, how do you go about raising the bit?

[Jean]

her bridle has lots of adjustment buckles on the sides. I pulled up the one closest to her mouth.

[Author]

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