Heavy On The Bit? Here’s How To Fix It

Got a horse that likes to grab the bit and lean? What about drag you around while strong and heavy on his forehand? 

Sometimes the most talented horses are prone to this kind of behavior, on the flat or in between fences. If you have a horse that tends to “get on the muscle,” here are a few tips to get past that behavior.

Justine Dutton is a former eventer and current show jumper based in Ocala. When she isn’t competing, she training and selling a slew of horses at her own farm. 

When she has a horse that tends to get strong or heavy in her hands, one of the first things she does is have the horse examined by a professional, either a veterinarian or chiropractor. 

“You want to make sure there’s nothing bothering them,” Justine explained. 

Once the horse has a clean bill of health, she’ll start lunging him in side reins to encourage him to be more through and free in his gaits and body. That theme carries over into under saddle work, where she tends to work them in “a long and low” frame to build topline and ensure the horse is engaging its hind end. 

“Don’t be in a rush to fix it,” Justine said. “Ensure you have it down at the walk and trot first before adding in the canter and fence work.” 

She also mentioned that it may be time to reconsider the type of bit the horse is working in if the behavior continues. 

“Try changing it up. Maybe he’s happier in a rubber one,” Justine suggested. “Or something with some elevation.” 

Too often, riders seem to get stuck on the fact that they want their horse to be able to go along in just a snaffle. But that doesn’t work for every horse necessarily. 

“Sometimes they just something more,” Justine said.