Head tilting

F

flightylou

New User
Joined
23 March 2007
Messages
7
Location
Somerset
Visit site
Hello everyone! I am new here and would like some advice please!!
cool.gif


I have a ex showjumper who I am now eventing and having problems with his flat work.

He is more than capable of going beautifully and when he does he is amazing however he tries every trick in the book to avoid working correctly.
Touch wood he is now cantering a twenty metre circle and staying on the right lead throughout a dressage test, before he would scoot around everywhere, change leads all over the place and rocking horse along etc etc.
A problem I am having now is head tilitng he head tilts most of the time esp throughout a test and judges hate it and we get really marked down for it, if he is in a bad mood he head tilts badly when I am doing road work and I find it almost impossible to straighten him up and when i do get him straight infront he says ha ha ha now straighten me up behind and his quarters are all over the place!

Do any of you have any tips or advice with what to do with him? It would be most appreciated.
confused.gif


Ps his teeth are fine! lol!
smile.gif
 
Firstly make sure that you are carrying both hands evenly at the same height and get someone to check your position to check that you are sitting straight and not dropping a shoulder or a hand.

If this is all fine then you need to firstly find out is he tilting his whole neck/head or is it just his head tilting from the neck (if that makes sense?). Also is it primarily to one side?

Louis can tilt his head sometimes (normally to the right) and he tilts it from his neck, basically for him it an evasion to the right rein. He hangs on to the right rein, collapses on the right shoulder and basically avoids bringing his right hind under. In order to work on straightening him up I focuss on getting him to bring his right hind under and to get it more active which in turn gets him off my right rein and more evenly into my hands. Once he is stonger and even behind, his head carriage becomes more consistent and straight. Basically you need to work from the other way round so instead of straightening up his head first get him even behind.

If it is his whole neck that is tilted then I recommend that you get his back and pelvis checked as I know that Louis is due to a back check/massage when he starts leaning to the right. Last time this happened his pelvis was slightly out to the right. A visit from the back lady every now and again keeps him straight.
 
BOF's grandson's horse does this!! Drives me mad when I have to ride him (try not to). I'm convinced, however, that horse is hurting somewhere as his whole way of going just 'isn't right'. He looks better from the ground than he feels, if you get what I mean.
 
If it was my horse, I would check his teeth, he may be sore on one side, worth a try. Ralph had a similar problem and would not bend, once his teeth were done he was fine
wink.gif
 
cool thank you for all your replies!!!
cool.gif


His teeth are fine they are regularly seen to. I will get his back/neck checked out to see if he does have a problem niggling somewhere.

He does head tilt worse on the left rein and in the canter it is coming from the neck but in a straight line it is just his head.

What kind of back people do you guys go for? There are so many to choose from physio to Bowen therapy.
confused.gif


Thank you!
smile.gif


Lou
 
Hi FL. In addition to the helpful replies you've already had, I would reasses his bitting arrangement. It could be that you haven't yet found a bit he is most comfortable with - although it's probably not the CAUSE of the problem, it could certainly minimise the problem. Personally, I also wouldn't use anything other than a cavesson noseband as you want to give your horse as little as possible to fight against.

In an attempt to have a little more influence of his way of going, I would do plenty of exercises to place his head where you want it - i.e. inside & outside flexion/counter bending, placing the head/neck long & low etc. When he tips in, I would change to outside flexion to correct him.
 
Thanks Sal,
smile.gif


I will do lots of inside and outside flexion with him and keep him thinking.

I do lots of long and low with him and he loves it, he would love to do a dressage test like it and he doesn't try to evade or head tilt when he is down there, it all starts when I try and pick him up and he can get crabby!

Bitting wise I have played around with various snaffles such as the KK's but I have found the best bit for him is a sweet iron french link. Will take his flash nose band off and replace it with a cavesson and see how we get on.

cool.gif
 
Hope you get it sorted! In a nutshell, I'd say as soon as he does it, CHANGE something. Don't forget that horses learn through repetiton, so the more he does it, the more it compounds the problem - the more he thinks 'ok, so it's alright to do this then' (but too much humanising, but you know what I mean!).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top