horse putting her head between her legs

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mushroomsel

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Recently my mare who I've owned since last October, has started putting her head between her legs and pinging on the spot,when I push her into canter over the local common. She doesn't do this in the school it's getting me down I've come off her once which really knocked my confidence.
I put it down to excitement with her I just want her to stop doing it and ride through it.
Her saddle,back and teeth have all been checked. She's 8 and hanovarian. She's not at all Mareish. Any suggestions please
 
That's 10 months of owning her, she is trying to tell you something so get her checked again, my lad squeals with excitement when first asked to canter, if he started 'pinging on the spot', first thing I would do is get off and loosen the girth, this says pain to me
 
Do you think? I'll give it a go. The only other thing I've changed is her bit. I used to have her in a loose ring sweet iron snaffle shes now in a ns with lozenge that's really soft.
 
She could have slipped in the field, I saw my lad fall in the field just the other day, he got up and continued being a twonk with the baby cob, luckily three days later, he still seems fine, his nickname is plonker, if you watch horses in the field, there are lots of times when injuries can and do happen, my four never graze 24/7, they chase each other, play in the stream, try to open gates and annoy the sheep.
Just a thought on her bit, perhaps she prefers the sweet iron taste, but she is telling you something, horses eh!
 
I know yeah driving me nuts :-( I'll put her back in the sweet iron. I'll also get the back lady back over. It's weird she kind of don't stop either she pings while we're still cantering but as soon as I pull her back to Trott she's fine again. :-)
 
I wouldn't immediately think it was pain related - horses do get excited and bounce around, and every horse has a different way of expressing itself! I do feel that people are a bit quick to blame every single behaviour related issue on pain, without accepting that horses do like to have the odd bounce, just because they're excited, and it's fun to buck, bounce and squeal! If horses only tanked around and bucked when they were in pain - how do we explain them cavorting round the field when they get excited?

Personally, I'd make sure I didn't always canter on the common, and get the mare moving forward in a purposeful trot, circling and changing the rein to keep her brain occupied and her feet going where you want them. It's far harder for a horse to misbehave when its going forward, so resist the temptation to hang on to the front end when she starts bouncing, and make sure she's in front of the leg and going places.
 
I'm with auslander on this one - I think a lot of the time it's just "woohoo"! Most people know that if they take the horse to the beach they'll get hi-jinks - is salt air supposed to cause KS? ;)

Hacked out Thursday and we were great for a mile, then cantered on the spot for a mile - back pain or squealing stallion in the field next to us?
 
Daughters pony sometimes does this when out on a hack - he needs pushing forward into the canter- overexcitement we think. For his first canter out on a hack we try for an uphill gradient to release some of the excitement.
 
WindyStacks said:
Hacked out Thursday and we were great for a mile, then cantered on the spot for a mile - back pain or squealing stallion in the field next to us?
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I get that too - plus all his dressage moves repertoire in quick succession! Always on the same bridle path, just after he's been playing in the ford. He doesn't feel like an unhappy horse who's in pain - he just gets excited and has a bounce! He really wants to gallop, but isn't allowed, so he boings instead!

He also likes to show off when we meet the local mad spanish stallion out hacking - much posturing and boyish back chat goes on!
 
Thank guys all advice appreciated. It's annoying as it's only just started. I guess she needs to start listening to me again. She's normally so quiet probably partly my own fault for being to soft with her.
 
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