Excited ex racer!

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Bluesparks

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I have a lovely ex pointer who I mainly hack out I am wanting to do some dressage with him when I know him a bit better, I have had him for 3 months he's excellent on the roads and excellent to handle the only problem I have is that if he gets spooked or excited he starts tossing his head up and down quite violently he does calm
down and isn't dangerous but I wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to what could help? He is ridden in a copper mouth 3 ring Dutch gag on the 2nd ring and cavesson noseband he has a running martingale. Thanks!!
 
Do you need the 3 ring gag? Have you tried anything else? I find it's generally too harsh a bit, even the ex-pointers turned hunt horses didn't like it. I use mainly the NS bits on mine and find they have gone really sweetly in them.
 
Yes I have got a team up bit which is I think a Ns bit? I had him in this to start with but found him strong in canter in fields I don't have an arena or anywhere flat really to ride so I hack everywhere! Perhaps I should give it another go now I am a bit more familiar with him, could it be that perhaps if the bits too harsh that's why he tosses his head?
 
Yes he may not like it as too much pressure. I would go back to the ns. But i would avoid centering in open spaces for a bit until your happy with New bit. You may need a different nose band too- my ex racer struggles with keeping tongue under even now so he is ridden in a flash-he didn't like a drop. But i didn't canter at all for a good 6 months after gettin him- maybe too cautious but i needed to calm him down and take him off race mode mine had come straight from track tho.
 
I second/third the bit - loose ring snaffle is the only thing I'll use on my ex-racer. I find if I relax and drop the reins completely he chills. Have you tried that as that's how racehorses are trained i.e. contact = go.
 
I use a drop noseband too but loosely done up, not a fan of flash nosebands and a running martingale. Having worked with p2p'ers, they are mainly ridden in a loose ring snaffle. One of the ones I had was very hard to hold on the gallops and in his races and I still found a 3 ring gag too harsh for him. I just don't find the tb's really like them at all. It's probably habit too.
 
I think I will put the Ns bit back on the bridle perhaps with a flash noseband though? He does open his mouth a bit and pull his head down sometimes but he's generally very good and calm and I can rise without a contact and he's fine
 
There is a lot of research going into headshaking currently, the trigermenial nerve is the culprit and can be stimulated by a lot of things.

http://www.calmhealthyhorses.co.nz/neuro/flicker.html

Some interesting reading there.

I attended a lecture by Proff Knottenbolt on the subject last year, who described it as tiny electric shocks being applied to the very nerve endings. Many people assume it is habit/allergies/excitement etc and strap down with stronger and stronger tack when it is actually a horse expressing pain :(
 
Its varies lots on different people. I go with what horse prefers. A drop is preferable to a flash generally. However if he only opens mouth and doesn't lift tongue over i would go without.
 
I would agree about the bit thing. mine was started again in a myler ported and goes now mostly in a french link. Cavesson noseband, do you think you need a flash? ALso if she spooks (rarely now) I don't pick up any more contact. I find she settles much quicker.
 
Another agree about the bit. I have my ex racer in ns snaffle and a crank - now I've never cranked it shut. At first I rode him like he had no noseband then he got a little gobby. I'd rather not wear a flash (prefer drops) but simply tightened his noseband and this made our aids much more effective and solved gobbyness. Noseband isn't right as he can still take a treat. But enough that if he did open he can't too much. He's now very quiet in the mouth and we jump in a snaffle too.
 
My ex racer also prefers a plain snaffle and hates nosebands too! I bought her off the track and started with lots of basic exercises - lateral flexion and poll flexion to get her yielding to my hands at a light touch, then hind quarter disengages at stand still first, building up to walk, trot and finally canter (this is my emergency brake, just in case!!), I also ensured she had a good back up. I 'playing' with different levels of contact at walk and trot so she stopped associating contact with 'go'. Cantering in the open is always done with the same prep steps and I take a light contact so she knows that I am going to set the pace I want her at.
I'm lucky that she's been quick to learn and very responsive - she's now clever enough to know where all the ends of the canters/gallops are and comes back to a walk by herself!! Oh I played on her greedy nature and allowed a nibble or two of grass at the end of the canters - she's always happy to slow down if she thinks there's grass to be had!!
 
I have a Dutch gag and standing martingale on my ex racer, works perfectly when he throws his head up as the running martingale doesn't make a big difference
 
Just think its good to play around with tack on a new horse as things change and of course less is more.

Just changed my youngster again so flash off again but a breast girth back on as upping the steep hill work.
 
Might be worth actually losing the martingale.
One of ours was extremely sensitive in the mouth (went in a plastic snaffle) and the contact on the reins from the martingale was enough to make her head toss, lost the martingale and she works in a lovely outline. I know you've said your chap gets strong but that doesn't necessarily mean he's not sensitive so could be worth a go?
 
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