young horse head tossing?

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lucky7

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Hi, my 4yr old came back into work 2 weeks ago. He had been turned away since december. We have been mainly hacking and a bit of schooling. Keeping it short and sweet. He had a new saddle fitted just before he started work. Also the dentist came out in Feb and did his teeth, couldn't find any wolf teeth in there atall.

He has a habit of throwing his head about, he won't do this in the school, or at the start of a hack - usually its when we come back from a hack or when he gets fustrated - ie if he gets wound up/excited usually when he has to walk the whole 50 yards down the road after we leave hacking buddy.

I am thinking that this is a thing he does when he gets tired?

When he waits for his hay/feed usually in the winter when he is hungry he will roll his head and paces up and down.

Wanted to make sure it was a normal thing that will improve as his fitness does!

Also when he does it whats the best way to deal with it?
I have my instructor coming next week so will also mention it to her.

Many thanks
 
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My youngster does this too. Used to be when schooling after being ridden for 10 mins or so. I worked out it was when he was getting bored/tired. He barely does it now but if he does I try something new with him that makes him concentrate and it stops.
We went out a hack a few days ago and he started it halfway round. Then something caught his eye and he stopped. Definitely a concentration thing in his case!
Hopefully as yours gets stronger and enjoys more complicated stuff he will improve as well.
 
I'm still learning "horse" but it seems to be a sign of annoyance/frustration which would fit in with the situations cited above -- and also what makes it stop.
 
Mine did this too, it was definitely a sign that he was getting tired and something was aching.

Solution - with mine it was a bit growing up and getting stronger and really schooling him off his forehand - the key was Not interfering with his head but making sure I was getting his back end to work, not trying to force his head anywhere - that just gave him neck ache and was totally counterproductive.
 
My youngster does this too. I think it could be a sign of frustration or being tired as she also sometime stomps her feet at the same time. But I think it could also be a schooling issue and being a baby doesn't understand pressure from the bit yet or doesn't understand the question being asked. My older horse used to do this as a baby too and grew out of it as his schooling progressed although will occasionally still do it when the lateral work is getting tricky.
 
My mare does this when out alone or when things are exciting, new hacking mates, new place. For her it's frustration usually I think wants to go faster etc. I ignore and only correct if I need to for safety, she did it yesterday on the road, which is not safe. Usually though if I relax and keep things calm she'll stop, it's annoying but I've learned to help her wind down if she gets to hyper. She's 7.
 
One of my youngsters started doing this. He would be fine at the start of the hack (only short hacks) but as we started to head back to the yard, his head would start to go up and down (almost smacking me on the nose). I was very patient and tried everything. At first I thought it was tiredness, then did all the usual checks -teeth and tack. Anyway, long story short, I came to the conclusion that it was excitement at returning homewards. He didn't speed up or get 'joggy' - just head shaky. I ended up putting a Market Harborough on him. This didn't interfere at all, only when he started chucking his head up and down (effectively he corrected himself). I only needed to use it for a few weeks, and that seemed to break the pattern of behaviour. He's fine now.

He never did it in the school - only on hacks, heading homewards.
 
littleshetland said:
One of my youngsters started doing this. He would be fine at the start of the hack (only short hacks) but as we started to head back to the yard, his head would start to go up and down (almost smacking me on the nose). I was very patient and tried everything. At first I thought it was tiredness, then did all the usual checks -teeth and tack. Anyway, long story short, I came to the conclusion that it was excitement at returning homewards. He didn't speed up or get 'joggy' - just head shaky. I ended up putting a Market Harborough on him. This didn't interfere at all, only when he started chucking his head up and down (effectively he corrected himself). I only needed to use it for a few weeks, and that seemed to break the pattern of behaviour. He's fine now.

He never did it in the school - only on hacks, heading homewards.
Click to expand...

Mine is defo excitement related ( homeward solo hack or new buddies) and I guess she would jog if she were the type and not as lazy! She only jogs at extreme excitement and then doesn't toss!
 
Took him out this morning and he started it on the way back, he was really going for it, he does get joggy too. Do you think a standing martingale or a market harborough may help for a few weeks so he can't do it? I have tried relaxing my hands and giving him a loose rein but he still does it? When he trots he doesnt do it as much
 
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I popped a running martingale on him this eve in the school, he was still tossing his head (not as much as restricted) but then he kept curling up and tossing his head? i rode him on a loose rein then tried with a bit of contact and he was a bit better but still not good.
I know an probably being paranoid but am worried that its something sinister and am going to end up with another problem/soundness issue.....all i want to do is go for a hack without getting almost smashed in the face!! he does it so much that he stumbled yesterday :(
the dentist did say he had no wolf teeth and that was back in January - do you think they could have appeared in the meantime? Or do you think its behaviourable?

*worried*
 
1 Try schooling on circles, lots of changes of direction and pace to keep his attention and build muscle.
2 Check the fit of the saddle - just in case.
3 Have some lessons to have another view of the problem.
It can just be impatience.
Good luck.
 
My mare (just turned 6) does this. It has got better with age/ fitness/ schooling, but she's still inconsistent in the contact. She does it on the ground too if she gets anxious/ excited.
 
I ride a baby that does this. He's an extremely sensitive type - the chiro despairs of him because she relaxes him, moves to the next section and he immediately tenses up again. We're working on this. He's not too bad ridden now but three things really have made a difference. 1) He does it when doing the girth up. This rang alarm bells big time for me and I pushed for his owners to at least treat as though ulcerish, even if they didn't have him scoped. When ridden, he especially did it when excited and that coincides with an increase in stomach acid. So he's on low cereal, high fibre and Gastroguard with ad lib hay. We have rich grass on acid soil so we try and neutralise with an alfalfa chaff. 2) My instructor looked at his saddle and proposed that whilst it looked in a good place (and indeed is regularly checked by a saddle fitter of some repute), it's quite forward cut and was giving him the sensation of restricting his shoulders. Not badly but for a baby enough to annoy. I moved it back a couple of inches and swapped the polypad for a thinner sheepskin. 3) He is a bit head shy, so I encouraged the purchase of a cutaway headpiece (Horze Constance is a cheap but well made bridle) so his ears have clearance.

HTH.
 
If he does this on the way home when he's getting strong, is it a resistance to the bit? That would be quite common in a young horse. Sometimes they're fine with a bit on a light contact, but throw their head about if they get jiggy and the bit annoys them.

I have had this a couple of times with young horses in snaffles, and each time the solution has been to lose the nutcracker action of the snaffle in favour of a mider bit. A french, lozenge or mullen mouth (Cambridge) is worth a try.
 
SOme things I have used on various horses which have helped them are:
1. Some horses do it when anxious but not really going forward - thus a little gentle support from the legs can help - remember that jogging is not really 'going forward' its usually slower than a long walk pace.
2. Riding with one hand - don't know why it works but perhaps its because the rein is stiller?
3. If there is something downward or snatchy in the toss you can just put your hands forward so horse finds nothing to pull on (for some of them its a game they jerk, they get a tug back etc) this works super well with one smart horse I have he is just playing when he does this and if there is no 'game' he soon stops
4. taking horses mind off it with some other input - leg yeild - shoulder in (may not suit a young horse on the roads)
5. if its threatening to get to the point where horse is literally snatching the rein from you - ride with bridged reins so horse just pulls in himself or a milder version is to ride with one thumb hooked over the neck as reins pulled forward you just get your hand jerked into the neck rather than your whole body being yanked forwards...

personally I have never tried using a standing or running martingale to fix this problem - I was always worried if it was tight enough to stop the vice the horse would feel restricted and possibly panic and do something worse! what I wimp I am :)
 
Quick update, had my instructor out and she rode him, didnt do it once! i was told to lower my hands and put my leg on and he stopped when he felt some contact. Ridden him twice since and no head tossing :) much more settled in the contact too.
 
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