Natural head carriage without a noseband?!

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becksten

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My horse has been in work about 2 months (from being broken). He was broken in without a noseband (so he could chew on the bit). Without a noseband, he has a natural head carriage. Now i have just started to ride him WITH a noseband, and his head carriage has now gone?!?! His head is stuck up in the air?! What do you think? What would you do? Thanks
 
What type of noseband is it?
Are you sure it is fitted correctly?
Have you got any photos?
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I assume you mean a Cavesson noseband then.
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Umm, re photos, I suppose any pictures showing the differences you are talking about and also perhaps a close up of the noseband and fit?

It might give us a talking point?
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If it is too tight, it can stop moevemnt of the jaw necessary for the horse to relax at the poll and be in "an outline" Also may be putting pressure of teeth coming through?
 
I'll try my other horses noseband on him too, thats bigger than his. I'll get some photos of him without, with hi on, and with the bigger noseband on, and update you tomorrow
 
I assume your horse is a youngster if he has just been broken in. Up to the age of 5 or so horses change some of their teeth. Some fall outand permanant teeth erupt. Think of how a human baby screams when it is teething and you will have some idea of what the horse is going through.
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Youngsters are also prone to sharp ridgges forming on their teeth. It is extra important to get them floated every 6 months.
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If the horse has woolf teeth it helps to get them pulled before starting ridden work as they can cause pain when the bit comes in to contact with them. I have never known a horse that hasn't gone better minus woolf teeth.

So, it could well be that your horse is raising its head in an attempt to avoid pain. If you have tooth ache your whole head hurts. This is true with horses too. It can start almost over night.

Different horses have different pain threasholds and some suffer more with their teeth due tothe conformation of their jaw. Some of them need to be laid off work whilst they get through it. This is one reason people turn youngsters away. They can get soured if they associate work with pain, and this lasts a lifetime.

A cavesson nose band does nothing. It simply breaks up the line of the horses face to make it look better. It certainly should not clamp the jaw shut or interfere with the action of the bit.

I would suggest you get your horses dentist to have a look.
Try with out the nose band again. Then look to see if your horse goes better in a different bit. This can also change with youngsters as the jaw conformation changes as they grow. A bit that suited to start with can end up squishing the toungue if the horses conformation changes in that way.

Let us know how you get on
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if the horse goes well without a noseband-don't use one!
mine works beautifully without one so i have never been tempted. even if it's a cavesson -which doesn't do anything, some just don't like the feel of them.
 
as long as the noseband is not restrictive at all, it won't make him change his outline. i think his age and teething issues are probably the cause. a correctly-fitted drop noseband is the best thing to use, esp on young horses, and i've never had one object to it.
 
I havent got any pictures yet (camera is rubbish) but i rode him last night with my other horses' drop noseband (which is a size bigger) and still no difference. Any more ideas? Advice?
 
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