A little confused...?

Question

i know typically horses have to lift their head wen approaching a jump so they can see but i have some horses(im am speaking...typing in hunter terms NOT jumpers etc)who keep their head down and on the bit...why...and what makes some horses able to keep their head down and some not? and is is "bad" if ur horse keeps their head down? etc etc...........

Answer 1

Horses have binocular vision--that is they cannot see directly in front of their face.  When they are close enough to jump an obstacle, they are literally flying blind.  that's why it is so critical for the rider to time the stride length and number of strides in between jumps.  Sometimes you may see a horse **** its head to one side just before takeoff, so they can see the jump.  

Answer 2

i don't think it is bad if your horse keeps his/her head down. i think keeping their head down has to do with the individual horse and the amount of training and what kind of training the horse has. a horse shouldn't "pop" his/her head strait up in the air right b4 the jump (that tends to be a sign that the horse is green or just needs some more training miles), but if they tend to raise it a little they are just trying to judge the jump and the distance. on the other hand, some horses don't even seem to move their heads at all b4 the jump. from experience, this tends to happen when a horse is confident and well trained at the level they are jumping. a green horse or a horse jumping at a high level tends to be more likely to raise its head, and the "been there done that" horse, or a horse that is not jumping very high, tends to be more likely to keep his/her head down and on the bit. like i said though, every horse is different and the amount and type of training tends to play a part.