Why the low head carriage - always wondered?

[BigRed]

My Houston, Texas colleague owns and shows QH's and Tennassee WH's. She says they are expected to have their heads on the floor, to show they are relaxed. She said the more unscrupulous trainers/owners leave the horses in their stables with weights on their headcollars, so encourage them to have their heads low all the time, they also paralyse their tails with injections, so their tail carriage is also low, anything to show the horse is relaxed. A high tail carriage would mean the horse was too lively. She said there was a great deal of cruelty involed in showing in the US and it's all perfectly legal.

 

[Enfys]

Wouldn't it be great fun to send out some of the English judges and for them to judge the way we do here? I would love to see that.

Ah, but you can bet the results would be the same as if you sent North American judges to Britain, swings and roundabouts. Same language - different accent that's all.

Just because things are different it doesn't mean that they are wrong. Believe it or not, I know a great many showing people who cannot comprehend why British trained horses are trained to go as they do, as if they have to be 'held' together all the time, "are the riders scared of them?" I have been asked.

 

[Enfys]

dont take any notice we are a bunch of hasbeens who live on a cold wet little island ruled by europe even though we won a war that they started ,we like to think we are the best esp when it comes to riding nobody who rides over here has any problems and all our horses are perfect

Rule Brittania and all that.

 

[skint1]

My Houston, Texas colleague owns and shows QH's and Tennassee WH's. She says they are expected to have their heads on the floor, to show they are relaxed. She said the more unscrupulous trainers/owners leave the horses in their stables with weights on their headcollars, so encourage them to have their heads low all the time, they also paralyse their tails with injections, so their tail carriage is also low, anything to show the horse is relaxed. A high tail carriage would mean the horse was too lively. She said there was a great deal of cruelty involed in showing in the US and it's all perfectly legal.

This I have also heard, but I also heard that at it's root a lower head carriage was desirable for a working ranch horse because it made roping tasks easier, obviously like a lot of things this has been somewhat perverted in the modern show ring.

I believe the low head carriage for hunters is for something called Hunters Under Saddle which is actually a kind of Western idea of what a hunter should be, so essentially is not like anything we have here. Also I think (But am willing to be corrected) Hunters as a discipline is different again and nothing like Working Hunter classes over here.

 

[Enfys]

The horses themselves are all a bit tired in general too - my old barn manager told me that heavy sand footing is preferred (4-6" at least) and the horses all cantered around daily til they are tired in the heavy footing to wear them out. Tired = non-spooky = good. She herself would get on a 2 year old, pick up her mobile phone, and chat away as she loped around and around for ages...

There is a certain similarity then to the LR, 1st Ridden ponies that have to be lunged, and lunged, and lunged, or ridden by grooms etc for ages before the be-ribboned jockette is balanced on top twenty seconds before they enter the show ring eh?

Having seen both worlds, neither is perfect, the fact should be accepted that they are two different 'riding' cultures all together. Horses are also generally managed (as in fed, stabled etc) in a different way too. It doesn't neceessarily mean that either is 'right' or 'wrong'.

Someone mentioned that Hunter Riders in NA woudn't be able to survive a hunt in Europe, how narrowminded is that! A lot of British/European riders wouldn't (can't) either. Again swings and roundabouts.

 

[Fairynuff]

It’s done in reining as a sign of calmness e.g. being able to gallop across the school, do a skid stop, then head straight back down in a relaxed, lolloping manner. Maybe it’s come in to showing there too as a way of indicating calm temperament? If they're showing QHs who might be desirable breeding stock for a profit, that would make some sense.

I think you'll find that horses in 'pleasure' and 'hunter' classes are QHxTB's. I can't remember seeing a pure bred QH competing in said classes.

 

[perfect11s]

Rule Brittania and all that.

Yes we used to be Great Britain I think most of the people who put the great in got fed up and left for pastures new... we're sinking I tell ya..... a nation of drifting mupets and PC mad penpushers no not that pc the idiot idea ones not pony club

 

[Enfys]

Yes we used to be Great Britain I think most of the people who put the great in got fed up and left for pastures new... we're sinking I tell ya..... a nation of drifting mupets and PC mad penpushers no not that pc the idiot idea ones not pony club

I can tell you don't live in Jobsworthy!