What to do if the horse does not lower its head?

What to do if the horse does not lower its head?

Horses can carry their heads high for a variety of reasons. One of them is the exit of the neck and the setting of the head.

Another reason is the riders themselves. A horse that is rude with a snaffle, twitching its mouth (and both beginners and fairly experienced riders can do this), eventually finds the only solution: if you raise your head high, you can avoid pain. The horse runs away from a hard hand, from a pulling snaffle, raising his head up. It is unrealistic to control such a horse, since the snaffle no longer affects the jaw, but simply stretches the lips. This problem is common to most rental horses, and it persists even when they are ridden by riders with soft and calm hands. In addition, an experienced jumping horse can carry its head high due to habit. In show jumping, before jumping, the horse needs to shift the weight back to lighten the front. To do this, the horse raises its head up. And finally, a horse can raise its head if its saddle does not fit (it may be broken or not the right size). The horse in this case raises its head and bends its back in order to somehow avoid discomfort. Sometimes one of the above reasons may be at the root of the problem, and sometimes a combination of them.

What can be done? You can really solve this problem without resorting to the use of a tongue or other aids.

First, if you have a strict or too soft snaffle, change it. Take a medium severity snaffle, maybe a figure eight. It will provide control over the horse. Secondly, in your work, use more eights, serpentines, half-volts, volts, races, spirals. Work every corner. Drive deep, do not allow the horse to “cut” the corner, stretch, fall out with the shoulder or hip. Drive it as you pass the corner with your inside leg to the outside rein. Hands should be stable, keep the corridor, hands at the same level. Don’t pull on the inside rein! If the horse stretched even a centimeter down, thank her by loosening the brush. This will encourage her to reach down and forward. even deeper.

Also work on bending at the back of the head. This will help loosen the neck and nape of the horse, and he will gradually lower his head and neck down. Every time you feel the horse pull down even a little, reward him by softening your hand. And most importantly – be patient! Do not fight, but negotiate with the horse! Time will pass and she will begin to trust your hand.

Valeria Smirnova (based on materials from the website http://www.horsechannel.com/)