We need to keep in mind the importance of solid groundwork when we think about bridling. In every interaction we have with our horses, or mules, we must remember and respect the differences between the psychology of the human and that of the animal. With respect to the coming together of the horse's world and the human's world, lets review an important point:

their eyes, ears, head, and neck area.

So, it makes sense that if a horse is approached too suddenly or too roughly in the bridling process, the animal's natural tendency will be to move away from perceived danger.

Notice my student in the adjacent photo struggling to bridle her horse. As she moves toward the horse he moves his head away from her and a struggle begins. The animal will likely develop a repeated strategy for dealing with an uncomfortable situation.

In other words, this is the beginning of bad habits or problem behaviors. I firmly believe that I have never seen a horse or mule that is hard to bridle, but I will tell you that I've seen horses or mules that have been bridled hard.

Some people say that they can play with their horses' ears, yet when it comes to bridling, the animal obstructs the process; he seems to know the difference between when he is about to be bridled and other forms of contact. What would cause the animal to know the difference between when you are just touching his ears versus when you are touching his ears with the intention of readying him for the bridle?

• It could be that you are being too rough in attempting to bridle him.

• It could be that when you go to bridle him you are not in a good position, and, your horse is not in a good position. If the horse's head is not down and not flexible, then you don't have him in a good position to provide him with necessary support. This contributes to the animal becoming defensive.

At this point, it's important to slow down and return to some basics. First and foremost, always make sure your animal is not suffering from any painful spots that might need veterinarian attention. Once a painful mouth, or other area, has been ruled-out continue with the strategies described below.

First, be sure that your horse softly and willingly lowers his head. Remember that teaching the animal to lower his head is one of the first steps in doing groundwork. Remember the importance of your timing and release as you teach your horse to lower his head. The horse needs to lower his head below the withers. By doing this behavior he is demonstrating softness and willingness. Having the horse engage in lateral flexion, from left to right from center, is a huge benefit. Also, proper haltering and un-haltering is a process of preparing the horse to accept the bridle. When we halter the horse, we should always be preparing him to put his head down, not up and out. And, always work from behind the horse's eye. As we teach the horse these things, we are helping to support and direct him.

Second, make sure that you can handle his ears and mouth. With respect to the mouth, it's important to understand where the bit goes: The bit lays on an area of bare gum commonly called the bars. This location is between the front teeth and the back teeth. You can insert your thumb in this area and this may help the horse get used to the feeling of the bit.

What may seem like a small thing to us, can be a big thing for the horse. So we need to spend a lot of time being gentle with our animals. We need to make sure we are in the proper position when we communicate to our animals that it is okay for them to let us have our hands around their muzzle, to open their mouth, to inspect their gums and teeth, to look into their ears and to be able to handle those ears in a gentle and firm way.

As you think about bridling your horse, always think about having a plan. Approach the animal in the proper position. Approach the animal with a determined goal to support him, and approach your task with the intention of accomplishing your goal. This helps your animal remain calm and develops his confidence. It never benefits your horse or mule to approach him in a way that it makes it easy for him to make a mistake and therefore fail to respond correctly.

In the photo below, I'm demonstrating careful placement of the bridle and bit. The bridle is being carefully put on the animal so as to avoid bumping his teeth with the bit, to avoid injuring his eyes, and to avoid catching the chinstrap in an awkward position. Also, note that I'm not irritating his ears by placing the tack over his face and ears abruptly or roughly.

Finally, remember that troubled behaviors that show up in a horse that is difficult to bridle will eventually show up when you ride him. For instance, a hard-to-bridle horse may toss his head out on the trail. This behavior can become habit. The solution for the hard-to-bridle horse and a head tossing horse have the same components. These problems share in common a need to teach the head to come down and the need to stay dedicated to a consistent approach to your position and to supporting your animal.

With a little bit of work - including good positioning and dedication to supporting the horse - the student now has an easy-to-bridle horse!