Keep him comfortable

A well-fitting bridle is so important, and it can help to consider every aspect of your bridle, as well as the bit you use, to check you’re not putting unnecessary pressure on your horse’s poll.

Browbandl If it’s too tight it can pull the headpiece forward onto the back of the ears. Lever type bits often pull the cheek down, which in turn pulls the headpiece towards the back of the ears so, if the browband was already causing this to be positioned too far forward, it will be even more uncomfortable around the ears when you take up rein contact.

Headpiece If you use a bit that applies a higher amount of poll pressure, it’s a good idea to use a wide shaped and padded headpiece. The padding will provide some cushioning and if it’s wider it has a greater weight-bearing surface to spread and reduce pressure. A shaped headpiece that’s cut away behind the ears will be much more comfortable for your horse.

Bit position Having the bit too high in your horse’s mouth will increase the amount of poll pressure before you even pick up your reins. You’ve probably been taught that to correctly fit a bit there should be two wrinkles at each side of your horse’s mouth, but for most this is too much tension, which not only causing discomfort, it may result in the bit rubbing, or cause split lips.

Bit know-how

It’s also important to understand which bits apply what amount of poll pressure so you can understand if your horse is reacting in a certain way as a response to poll pressure or if it’s something else he’s responding to. The research conducted by the NS Academy that led to the Neue Schule Poll Pressure Guide shows that the hanging cheek actually alleviates poll pressure and the loose ring applies poll pressure, so with this in mind, we can see how the assumption that a horse doesn’t like poll pressure based on them not liking a hanging cheek, is illogical.