Hello everyone.  We used to have horses when I was a kid and now after probably about 15 years later I have finally been able to get back into it due to a rescue.  My question is this.  Smokey is a very sweet 10 year old stud who will be getting gelded here in a few weeks.  When I go out to the pasture he will come straight to me, let me pet him, brush him down etc.  The problem I am having is whenever he sees his bridle he won't let me near him till I throw it out of his pen.  I have been able to get it on him before and each time I did put it on I made sure it was very pleasant for him so I am very confused.  So if anyone has any tips on how to make brideling him easier the help would be much apreciated.  I have even tried when I have been feeding him because his attention is focused elsewhere and I have never had any problems doing this when I was younger either that I just went ahead and did it without even thinking. 

 Past, past and again past... Try to understand what this horse is telling you about his past. In my experience - start with good dentist and check out his mouth - may be teeth, maybe old scars, maybe ulcers in his mouth...

Other horse had more complicated issues. In general - ill fitted saddle creating him back pain for few years. He was not so much afraid of bridle as riding in general and bridle meant to him riding and new pain. He started to sweat in panick when he saw bridle. We are nearly out of the woods - he now enjoys riding but still can try to run away from bite when ridden. Getting better, but it takes time. 

WHY he refuses bite? Headshy because abused?Bite means riding and he is afraid of riding? Or justdental problems making bridle reallypainful? And so on and on and on... Easiest way is start with dentist to be sure that there is no problems in his mouth. 

His health is very good. Alot of money was spent to get his health back to where it needed to be.  He was a little on the thin side, but is filling out very nicely now. Like I mentioned he is not gelded yet, but will be here in the next few weeks. The background on him was that he was in with about 300 other horses who were left to fend for themselves.  He was born and raised where he was at until he was rescued.  The conditions where he was from was so bad there were two year olds still nursing on the mothers, including the new borns etc.  There was an old abandoned farm house where the horses were actually going in to get out of the elements, so from my understanding he has had no human interaction until he was rescued. 

The people who initially rescued him spent alot of time working with him to get him where he is now.  He is very sweet and gently.  After he is done eating he will come up and lay his chin on my shoulder, he will nuzzle my pockets for treats and my youngest has even trained him to take a bow.  I think it started out as a game between the two and if she puts hay in her back pockets he will follow her anywhere. I do spend alot of time brushing him and just talking to him to gain his trust in me and I can even put my arm around his neck with no problems,but the minute I even bring out his halter he will take off for the field. 

 Is he having problems with the halter,the bridle, or both?

I ask because you wrote bridle in the original post, but halter in this latest post, and I'd approach them a little differently. 

If its the halter, maybe he had a bad experience with one when he was initially rescued? Or, maybe his ears hurt (ticks, mites, other bug bites). One of mine HATES having anything pulled over his ears. He's otherwise calm and easy-going, but pull somethig (bridle, halter, reins, flymask) over his ears and he flips. His previous owner thinks it stems for sore ears from tick infestations when he was younger. 

What kind of halter do you use, rope or buckle? Have you tried using a different type of halter?  What about the lead rope? Is he OK when he sees that? Have you ever tried looping a lead rope around his neck and walking him around the pasture a little with that?

If he tolerates the lead rope around his neck OK, then I'd probably try doing that for a few days, and then start slowly introducing the halter to him. First let him see it. Then touch him with it, let him see that it doesn't hurt. Once he's OK with that, I'd try looping it around his neck. Work your way up to getting onto his head. Keep the lead rope around his neck (hold it together under his neck in one hand) until the halter is on, then take hold of the halter and snap the lead rope on.

 I have a padded halter that for some reason, my paint decided has the devil hiding in it. Normally, I can walk right up to him and put the halter on without any problem. The first time I used the padded halter, I put the one part around his neck, reached my hand over his neck to grab it, and went to put it over his nose when -- bam! -- horsey freak-out. I got him to tolerate the padded halter by restraining him somewhat with the lead rope before putting the halter on, so that even though he tried to get away, I still had contact. But, the restraint is loose enough that you can just release the lead rope if the hores really freaks out. 

Make it pleasurable for him, with lots of whatever it is you give him as a reward, be it treats, carrots, a little grain, or a scratch in his favorite place. 

Good luck!

The problem is both and even when he sees the lead rope after I put the halter and lead rope away today he finally came back to me with a little coaxing from a treat of course.  Tomorrow I am going to start all over again with the basics again getting him to trust me and just spend quite a bit of time brushing and talking to him.

I have a question I read up a little bit more on how to catch a horse.  Like all of them mentioned what I have been doing is spending time with him and grooming and talking to him, but I also read lead him into a smaller area, which I can do and wear him out.  What they mean by this is to make him walk or jog around his pen, when he stops see if he will let me put it on and if he moves away keep him moving about and not let him stop and keep doing this until he lets me put it on.  The only thing about this that worries me I am afraid he will start shying away from me everytime he sees me then.  I have also thought about just leaving the halter on after I get it on him to then once this is done just work with taking it on and off to show him it is ok.  Once I get the lead rope around his neck  I don't have any problems with him at all. 

 That is a common technique. I know it is used in already-broke horses that are being evasive, and I've used it on mine in the past with success.

I'm wondering, though, if you just need to get him used to the lead rope. Given his history, it sounds like the lead rope might be a scary, fairly new thing?

Something I was thinking about is using hay string. I've never tried this before, and if my thinking is flawed, I'm sure someone will correct me. But, since he has no problem with you walking up to him and putting your hands on his neck, etc, maybe if you used string (which is easily hidden in your hand) instead of a lead rope for a while, you could teach him that having something placed around his neck is no big deal. 

Walk up to him, give his neck a scratch, and slip the string around his neck loosely, like you would a lead rope. Give him a treat, talk to him, scratch him. If he does OK, trying walking around with him for a while, gently. Keep praising him and loving on him. Do this for a while, and if he does OK, transition to the lead rope, then the halter. 

Of course, make sure that when you do this, the activities are "fun" and things he'll remember fondly. Once you're able to get the halter on him, try hand-grazing him. For a while, don't do anything that he'll find scary or unpleasant. 

I'm just thinking that you need to create some positive associations with the halter/lead rope to help counter whatever negative memories he has. 

Thank you so much for the help.  I had thought of that to, but wasn't so sure.  I will definitely try that technique.

The only thing with the haystring trick is that if he pulls back you better let go.  Hay string will cut your fingers open!  Dont ask me how I know

I would suggest doing some clicker training with him and teaching him command words like touch and focus (my new favorite).  I teach touch by holding up my hand and saying "Touch".  As soon as they do I click and give them a treat.  You can eventually use the command with other targets too.  "Focus" just means look at me.  Usually they will look at you as soon as you speak when you are close anyways so it is easy to teach.  I use it when I am working at Liberty with Kat and she decides she is going to leave.  When I say "Focus" she will now turn and look at me and get back in the game most of the time.

Once you have taught him the commands and that having the right response to the commands brings a reward start having him touch the halter, lead, etc but dont put them on him yet.  When you do go to put them on just hold it up and almost every horse I have ever done this with so far will put there nose in it.  Click and reward several times and then ask for his nose in the halter ( I use the command word "Nose") and for him to let you place the strap behind his ears.  Once you get to this point he should be so in love with the halter because it brings such great rewards that you should have no trouble haltering him.  And he will look forward to halter time.

 He sounds like a very smart horse iwth a lot of personality. I would quit "playing" with "treating " or doing anything with him until he accepts some form of a halter.  I have done this with several hard to catch and halter horses.  It works.  You need  a amall pen a lot of time and patience.  Hang your halter outside the pen but close to your feeder.  ad water bucket or trough.  Feed and care for your horse but do not pet him for several days. Then  take your halter and go into the pen and just stand there. You may have to turn your back to your horse or turn sideways to him.  Do not stand facing him squarely.   That horse will get curious and want to come to you for attention and treats but being wise to the halter he will not.  Just stand there do nothing and wait when he comes toward you make some encouraging sounds and offfer a treat if you must but wait.  Eventually he will come to you or close do not halter him just move away and wait.  Pretty soon he will come to you again repeat this until he is willing to stand close to you and the halter.  Then pet him and leave. After this inital experience give him a day to think about it in the pen and do it again.  Keep walking away with the halter.  Eventually open the halter for him to put his nose in and say halter. If he moves toward that halter at all pet and leave. After doing this several times over several days you can put the halter on him.  Do not buckle or tie it just put it on and take it off. (Each time you halter him move away from him so he folllows you for the halter even if it is only a step or two. )    Give him a treat or pet take the halter off and leave.  Next day do it again. after about three days you can buckle the halter pet and treat and remove the halter.  Each time say halter.  I have an entire herd of horses except one who will come to me stick their noses into and wait to be buckled.  They will literally race from the back of the pasture to get to the halter first. The only one that  has not accepted this was mistrained early on, and then had a severe ear injury that made haltering and bridleing painfull.  He does better now but he is very stand offish about most things. Not at all wanting people contact as your horse does. Since you are enjoying spending time and playing with your horse do it in a way that will benefit both of you.