Giraffe pony!

[ohdearme]

Hi,

Just wanted to get some opinions!! My loan pony is an absolute giraffe at times - will walk along fine, but anything faster and her head goes straight up, ridiculously high!! I have a very loose rein contact with her, as don't want her to think I'm pulling her head in, but this doesn't change her at all - rein contact or no, she's still a giraffe.
I've had various people suggest various things - running martingale, lunging in side reins, changing bit (some say dutch gag with rein on 3rd ring, but heard conflicting things on this though..some say it lowers head, some say it raises it?!). My only worry with martingale & side reins, is that she may panic as can't get her head up.

(I know it's about perhaps more about training & riding, but just wanted to know if there's anything tack-wise I can do to compliment that!)

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

 

[Lintel]

How about a harbridge training aid doesn't affect the horse in any way other than restricting their head from being carried too high. A few of the horses at our yard have had one on and it has really improved the constant fight between rider and horse. Don't get me wrong it's not a miracle cure alot of good schooling sounds like it is in need but it does stop the "headbutting" scenario.

I'm sure other schooling enthusiasts can help out alot more though

 

[Ponycarrots]

I've got an arab x saddlebred; so a combo of two high head carriage breeds! And when I first got him he was just like this.
I'm usually quite anti "training aids" as I don't know anyone who's had any good long term results from them. I got lessons with an instructor I've known for years. She told me to completely ignore his head carriage and just get him working forwards properly. We did lots of leg yielding, circles, walk-canter, basically all manner of schooling ponciness!
After about 5 months of this, all in giraffe mode, he began to drop his head all by himself no see-sawing on the reins, no training aids, just riding with a decent rein contact (NOT a loose contact; I thought the same as you and thought a loose contact will encourage him to stretch down, but my instructor made me keep my reins quite short. Not to pull his head in, but just so the contact is there. A horse like this doesn't know that they should seek the contact yet).
Now we're off to do our first dressage test next week and can't wait. Not expecting high percentages; it's all for fun, but nice to know that he's come on so much and without any gimmicky training aids, martingales or brute force of any kind.
He's only in an eggbutt snaffle as well. I find a bit with poll pressure like a gag just made him resist even more. But mine is a sensitive puff!