Head High

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Laura3853

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Hi
My new horse is very head high. She is currently ridden in a standing martingale and a french link, but i don't feel its making the slightest bit of difference. She still feels very strong and her paces are difficult to control. Her previous owner said she lifts her head high as a method of avoidance. Her canter is also very hard to sit. It feels like a Mexican jumping bean and has almost unseated just about every time. She isn't a bouncy horse so the canter is very unusual. I plan to have her back checked just to rule that out but there doesn't seem to be any issue her. Her teeth very recently done and the saddle has been fitted for her. I know gadgets aren't the answer and she's been out of work for over a year so I know schooling will fix alot. In the mean time though any suggestions?? I don't want her to bolt and injure us both.

Thanks in advance
 
Honestly I would suggest some lessons and starting right from the beginning with a good instructor to help work through your basic control issues. If you are hacking I would stick to walk, nothing in the remotest bit exciting, until you have got the basics.
 
Thanks, yes, she will be in lessons soon. At the minute she needs to be a little more socialised and fitter to cope with lessons. it would be unfair to ask this of her just now. We have been hacking. I wouldn't dream of anything faster than walk. I think she finds even this quite stressful at the minute but is working well with the company of another horse.
 
Unless you're going to play polo, replace the standing with a running martingale. Horses very easily learn to brace off a standing, and then they get all upside down necked.

Try a bit with poll pressure, e.g. a pelham with an elastic curb (always with 2 reins), this will ask her to lower her head.

In the mean time, lots of schooling in walk, slow everything right down and keep asking her to lower her head. It takes time to reschool, but it can be done. :)
 
Thanks, I did wonder about a Pelham. I've never used one before but I definitely think it's maybe worth a chat with my instructor about. I've been curious as to what would happen if I take the standing martingale off. Apparently it was done before but she was very hard to control. I might give it ago in the school :)
 
I second the above re: lessons.

How is she to lunge?

Possibly try some work on the lunge / long reining?

A bit of groundwork is always handy, also if she is a new horse it will help create a nice bond :)
 
We haven't tried to lunge. Good idea though. She's really only being ridden for 30 minutes a day in walk and some trot to build fitness.
 
Agree with all the above, i've had to re-school mine, he had a very high head carriage (think a llama) and on the forehand, we're now 9 months in and still plodding through it, we have walk and trot cemented and we are now working on canter BUT it has taken a long time, weekly lessons, ground work, long reining and hacking. Most of my work has been done in short 20 min sessions 5 days a week to build the correct muscles up in his neck and back. Lots of transitions, direct and within the paces have been a big help to us as well.
 
Yes, looking like a lama sounds familiar :) I've had her 3 weeks and she will give an outline of sorts. I think walk and trot will come with time but her canter could be a whole other battle.
 
I know not everyone is a fan, but if you have a pessoa (or similar training aid) to hand and can get someone knowledgeable to help you, it can really help encourage a long and low way of working.

Usually 20 mins once a week is enough, you'll soon start seeing a difference. It did wonders for my boy.
 
Lots of long reining - sepentines, s bends, poles - all will encourage a lower head carriage. Hacking out, allow the horse to stretch and always reward with a scratch on the neck as soon as she lowers. Don't even think of trying to achieve an 'outline' at this stage, just encourage stretching and relaxing. In hand work will also help - carrot stretches, circling around cones, all will help her become aware of her body and build muscle correctly
 
Have you had her teeth checked, my TB was terrible with his head carriage, turned out to be his teeth, despite previous owners getting his teeth done, he's now too old to rectify his teeth, all we can do is keep him comfortable
 
Hillwork is fantastic - encourages her to engage the hind end and work through her back more - this in turn over time helps drop the carriage in the front. Not an overnight fix but if possible do it a couple of times a week.

There's a hill outside our yard that I walk to the bottom of and trot back up (or if I'm feeling especially mean to my horse, walk!) as a warm up for almost every schooling session I do with my horse. Takes 10-15mins and we're straight into our schooling then. Your mare may need some further warming up as she's unfit and probably not as limber in her muscles but the same idea applies
 
All of the above of course but I found a thick sheepskin cover on my mares noseband helped no end. Head up, she could only see dead sheep! Head down she could see over the top and not trip up! As a by product, it also help stop spooking ��
 
She is an ideal candidate for lessons, if I were starting with this we would start on the floor anyway. It seems that she does not even have the very first response to the bit trained in, as in when you feel pressure on the bit you must relax the jaw. I would teach this from the floor until she has this, then confirm it by teaching to reverse from a light pressure, then take this to ridden work.

Once basic walk, halt was established with some reach to her, and relaxation, then would take this forward to having the hindquarters yield, again from the floor to start, and then ridden.

After 2 sessions I would expect that she would have the hang of relaxing when a contact is picked up, to stay relaxed when walk/halting, to have the start of a relaxed reverse (even if also prompted from the floor) and the start to a soft side step (even if she had to be given time to work out that one!).

As to socialised, as you would be starting from the floor and it would be about attuning her to listen, that IS socialising, except that it is also nappy training as she would likely be in an arena on her own.

To my way of training that is the way I would go, no shortcuts. Having said that it is surprising how quickly starting from scratch can make progression.
 
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