How can I get my horse to carry her head low?

Question

My Paint has a very high headset and I'm not sure how to get her to lower it. She lowers it on the ground in a halter, bridle and just me applying pressure to her poll and nose, but I don't know how to get her to do it from the saddle.

A few things before you answer..... I don't show, I can't afford a trainer, and I'm not going to try to fix this problem with a tie-down, side-reins or any other piece of tack.

Answer 1

Hey there,

Please do not listen to punktheoranda, never EVER see saw with your hands, That is a horrible habit, not only looks bad, but teaches you to ride with little or no leg, grinds your horses mouth in the wrong places, and will most likely cause your horse to lock his jaw, at that point you won't even be able to get his head to budge.

Paints are tough to work with for a headset. This is because they are mostly or all Quarter Horse and have thick, short, stocky muscles and if they go down on the bit forcefully too much it can cause too much tension and also tightens they're lungs up too much, restricting the airflow from the trachea to the lungs, causing heavy or trouble breathing.

I agree with Melanie S, a nice, low head set would be perfect for a nice relaxed, and easy to deal with horse. If your lucky, the technique will eventually work into a nice nose tip in, maybe a slight frame if you use more leg then hand, obviously.

Keep your outside leg slightly further back, keep a short, consistant contact on your outside rein so the horse doesn't fall in and her shoulder doesn't pop out (quarter horses tend to throw their front end out as an escape), keep your inside leg firmly consistantly on by the girth to keep her straight, have her on an inside bend, able to wrap around each corner, and one in a while fiddle with your inside fingers to create a more elastic feel and to stop her from locking her jaw.

Work alot on circles (10m) and leg yeild your horse out (20m) and then back in a few times each direction. This helps alot to losen her up and get her to concentrate on responding to leg rather then hand immediately.

Don't forget that when you are downward transitioning to keep everything the same as if you were upward transitioning that way she knows either way she still has to keep a head set no matter what gate is being done.

Good luck! Hope this helps!

Answer 2

well it isn't like u can push her head down so I would use a tie down or when you are riding do a little see saw with your hands until she lowers he head....

Answer 3

Bend her around your inside leg and work the inside rein while keeping the outside rein steady. Keep at it until she yields to the pressure and drops her head a little, then immediately release the inside rein a little as a reward. If she pops back up put the pressure on again, she will eventually learn that being low is more pleasant.

At first she'll probably be trying to come back up every couple of strides, but she'll learn, just give her time. It's like teaching a horse to go on the bit, but she won't be as packaged up, just a little bit stretched out. :]

Edit: DON'T SEE-SAW OR ROCK THE BIT BACK AND FORTH... IT'S VERY ANNOYING AND UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE HORSE.

Working the inside rein alone will help, and depending on which direction your going it will help with her bending so she doesn't lean/cut in on the corners.

Answer 4

First of all, make sure you dont hold her head a lot. Many horses will hold their head up because of constant pressure on the reins from 'heavy handed' riders. If you're a heavy handed rider, teach yourself to release pressure when you dont need it.

What kind of bit do you use? If its a lighter bit (like a snaffle, tom thumb, etc...) just try rocking the bit side to side in her mouth. NOT HARD! Just use your pinkies and rock the bit, pull on the left and then the right. When your horse tucks its head, STOP. Timing is crucial to this! Release as soon as she drops her head. She will realize that when she puts her head down, the rocking will stop. You must do this consistently (ie. whenever she raises her head) for it to work.

If its not a light bit, consider switching her to a lighter bit to work on this. It normally doesn't work if you have a harsh bit in their mouth--the horse just becomes uncomfortable and will often put its head up higher.

If this method doesn't work for her, e-mail me, there are a few more suggestions I could make, though they are a bit more difficult and require much more time.

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