Bits- not more problems

[No_Angel]

My horse Amber is a 16hh chestnut throughbred mare, well she goes with her head in the air. I used to ride her in a single jointed eggbutt snaffle, if I worked her really hard and did loads of flexion with her any everything she would work in an outline, but the minuite we started canter she would throw her head up in the air again. I took her to college with me and my instructer asked me if se always goes with her head that high, my instructor rode her around for me and said once she got her head down she was putting her tounge over the bit. I came to the conclusion that she may not be happy in her mouth so I changed her bit to a Full cheek french link snaffle, she seems to be going a little better in this but still goes with her head in the air, I think this may have become a habit. My boyfriend gave me a lesson on her with lots of tight circles to get her working and thinking, she lowered her head and brought it in slightly but she still isn't perfect.
Do you have any ideas of what I can do to try and get her head down? I want to do dressage and wanted to school her with using a martingale, but if i had to I could use one.
Sorry this is so long but im getting fustrated.
Thanx

[Miriam]

I have the same problem with my Welsh X. I have been told by the instructor that some horses do this. Also the little Arab on our yard does this too. Her owner was thinking of changing her bit but her instrutor said no it will not change anything.

[AJB]

how old is she??
this maybe a question of how she balances??some young horses are naturally not very balanced in a school enviroment-especially if the surface is maybe not harrowed and they find it easier to balance by going head high.. lunging with side riens will help this and encouage her to balance herself and work her back to bring the head to the better angle-however if she is just messing around a full cheek will help and lots of flexion-maybe try cantering off a 20 metre circle

[No_Angel]

Amber is 9. She is very nappy and doesnt want to listen or concentrate. She is nicely schooled and would do very well if i could actually ride.

[rache]

lunging with side riens will help this and encouage her to balance herself and work her back to bring the head to the better angle-

I agree with what AJB says here, i would also get her back cheeked out as she might have a few out!! (just a thought). Also what about a soft mouth bit, she may not like the coldness in her mouth(just another thought)

[Yann]

I'm sure you'd get plenty of replies here saying that focussing on head carriage alone is not the most important issue. If the horse isn't working properly form behind and using itself then the head carriage is meaningless. It's also something that can't be rushed, it's hard work at first if the horse isn't used going that way and should be built up towards slowly with correct schooling, not forced.

My horse is a nose poker, she's 10 but not highly schooled and has never been taught to work that way as far as I can tell. Any kind of strong or positive contact on the reins and she automatically lifts her head rather than yielding. Maybe it might come in time, maybe not. We only hack however so it isn't a big issue for us.

[tasha]

I would get her teeth, back and tack checked. It could be that one or more of these is casuing her pain, in which case there is no way she is goiong to drop her head and work properly.

If not, then it could be that she doesn't like the metal of her bit. Sweet iron or happy mouth may help.

But make sure she is working from behind. Plently of transistions to get her hocks underneath her, some lateral work, maybe leg yields and shoulder-in. A few steps of rein back then walking forwards immediately will help engage her hocks. Lunging will definately help, this also means you can she how she uses herself and if she is pushing herself along from behind rather than dragging herself around from in front.

Also work on the pre-requisites to working on an outline-make sure she is supple, bends correctly and goes forward from your leg. Exercises focussing on these too will also help. You could try serpentines, 5m loops, circles (start off with 20m then work down to 15m then maybe 10m, but dont rush things. She should do the bigger sizes perfectly before you try the smaller ones).

Hope this helps!

[liz--y]

agree with above have teeth, back and tack checked before doing anything esle if she is in pain then she wont want to work and this is the only way she can tell you.

also my arabx can only be ridden in a straight bar bit, aparently arab types have low roof of the mouth so jointed bits hurt them.

you need to get her to wrk from behind into the contact

[No_Angel]

thanks for all your replies. She does circles and turns and transitions and everything very well, she naturally tracks-up and can go really nicely if in the mood.
I went to a pony club dressage clinic sort of thing and she went the best she ever had, she was submissive, going forward (except for canter transitions) and bending and flexing. She was then the best she has ever been and so lovely to ride.
Im not just concentrating on head carraige, I try to work my horses aswell as I can. At college I can get the horses to work in an outline, today I got an ex polo pony to work (she has very long tendons on her hind legs and feels very downhill), all I want is my horse to work nicely like I know she can.
Using diffent materials woundnt be ideal as I want to do dressage.

[tasha]

Tracking up is completely different to working from behind. Take our 2 horses, both of which are hard to get to work from behind. Talitha (short backed Arab) naturally tracks up even walking around the field, because of ehr short back. Kally (long backed TB) rarely does because of her long back. A horse can track up and not be engaged, and can be engaged without tracking up.

Also the rules for dressage say the material of the mouthpiece must be of all the same material, so other materials are allowed, just not mixes (e.g. copper rollers).