I Finally Rode Bareback!!!

[lollielala]

this may not seem like a big deal for you more experienced riders, but it is for me... I'm so excited and proud of myself... he was so good and I couldn't have asked for him to better... but he was tossing his head a little bit which he's been doing a lot lately. I put the tiedown back on him to see if it would help and he still tries to do it... anyone have any suggestions? I think the hackamore is hurting his teeth and/or mouth and I'm thinking seriously about getting new bits, the regular kind.. can anyone help?

[western]

Sounds like a very good accomplishment that you made with the bareback riding. You can get alot of benefits from bareback riding like improveing your balance on a horse. I sometimes ride bareback but its seldom. Sometimes i even just jump on my horse bareback with a halter and leadrope and ride him to the barn at nights to put him in his pen for bedtime :D. With the tossing of his head problem could be because of a few reasons. Has he gotten his teeth floated lateley? It may be a tooth that is sharp and is causeing him pain in his mouth. What type of bit does he use now?

[lollielala]

yeah I feel even more confident riding now even though I've only done it once.. it felt awesome. this may sound dumb, but what is floating? I've heard people talk about it but I've never asked what it meant. how often does this need to be done..? he uses a chain hackamore just like the one in the pic. and also, I've noticed that he's constantly chewing the bits... he fights against the hackamore and he didn't used to. I'm not looking to abuse or control my horse in a mean way, but I thought the hackamore was supposed to help you with your horse, not hurt him, which is what I think it's doing now. this has all started happening about 2 weeks ago. I barely even pull back on the reins and he tosses his head way up that I could reach my arm out and touch his poll. and he even does it sometimes when I don't pull on the reins, and he absolutely refuses to back up and tosses his head. I'm really kind of stressed because I don't know what to do, so I'd appreciate anything you could offer. thanks

[western]

Floating is when you have a vet come out and he or she uses a long tool that he or she puts it in the horses mouth and scrapes off the sharp ends on the horses teeth. I useually have my vet check my horses teeth when she gives him his yearley shots. If a horses teeth is not floated then the sharp edges on a horses teeth can cause pain in their mouth. If thats not the case then i am not shure on how to correct the problem. Maybe try ignoring it, maybe the horse can sense that everytime that he pulls this trick that everytime a rider gets mad then ends the ride sooner. So maybe just ignoring may be the trick. So maybe someone else that is more experience on this board with horse knowelge can help.
:)

[aphagirlie05]

The reason your horse may be tossing his head is probably because you are using a mechanical hackamore, which exercises excessive force on your horse's head and poll, continually putting pressure on it with the slightest pull. It's actually an extremely harsh device if put into the wrong hands. Any tug that has any form of pressure behind it will eventually cause pain for your horse, which is most likely why he is tossing his head. It's his form of protesting the pressure you're placing on his face. Improperly used mechanical hackamores can rub your horse's nose raw.

If you really want to ride him bitless, you need to look into either buying a bosal, which is a completely different apparatus, or a bitless bridle. If you want to transition to a traditional bit, which I suggest from your description of your mount's behavior, try using a full-cheek snaffle with copper inlay, a mild bit that will be kind to your horse's mouth.

Also, a tie-down does not prevent head tossing, it only increases it, and later on down the road will cause your horse to form a habit of continually tossing his head due to fighting to be free from the pressure on his chin all the time. I know a thirty year old gelding who wore a tie down every ride, and he nods his head in his pasture and stall continuously.

P.S. Congrats on your first bareback ride! Bareback rocks!
:D