Does Your Horse Do This Head Swirl?

newforest

newforest

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Mar 15, 2008
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https://www.dropbox.com/s/l9do5galtafi9vw/That Shake_2649.mp4

I have got footage because trying to explain it isn't easy. She isn't a head shaker re flies, pollen and she doesn't throw it up, but
She does get irritated. I think its an irritated throw down snaky swirl.


I had thought it was me annoying her-not saying I don't at times, but she does it when I am just observing her. If I watch out of sight she does it to interact with the herd. For example, she goes to the water another puts its ears back, you get this snake and she simply goes to the other side of the trough! I think the horse meant wait your turn, like she is going to respect that.
She does it on the lunge, loose schooling etc.
It sounds like she does it a lot, she doesn't, but its enough that I can't have more than a light contact else I will literally be pulled out the saddle.
She is very sensitive for a cob, has an opinion and this toss is usually seen if she is going to do it just getting going into trot, or I ask for trot, or I steady the trot before canter.

Physical stuff-physio due Thurs, teeth due Oct.
Bit-eggbutt snaffle, caves son noseband or rope halter.
Hooves-fine
Saddle fine, bareback fine
 
Will wait to see the vid but sounds like what we called Bo's L'oreal move :D He used it to communicate, mostly excitement but sometimes if he was frustrated too
 
Can't see the video, but Tobes does what I call the typical Arab head move. It goes down and snakes from side to side.

This is when he is excited. Sometimes the trotting down a hill and the Arab head move (Arabs do it quite a lot!), causes him to divert off his original course which amuses me!!

Excitement tends to be when coming in for supper, or breakfast, or racing another horse ..... pretty much any mundane but slightly more exciting than grazing activity can cause it!!!

Edited to add, he does a toned down version sometimes when riding. This is when bored. I won't tolerate it as it is extremely bad manners and therefore fix my hands which causes him to pull himself in the mouth which stops it.
 
I can't see the video but nI am imagining a snaky sort of head shake, what the Americans call "head wringing". Neither of my boys does it but the 6yo filly in our field, Izzy, does it a lot. For her it expesses frustration and annoyance. A behaviourist I read commented on what a strange gesture this is for a horse: it interrupts their movement and prevents them from seeing properly so is dangerous for them, so it must represent a strong emotion. Izzy is a very opinionated young mare and this gesture expresses her opinion.
 
Yep juney the Welsh A (mini arab ;) ) does this. All the time. Its her attitude though. She was doing it ride and lead the other day to show her displeasure about 1. Being tacked up in the stable.
2. Having to keep up with womble (she has to trot along for the full hack. Hence why I take her. Its hard work and good exercise for her!)
3. Being told off for barging into his shoulder and then scowling at him. She was sent away to the end of the lead rope.

She does it when ever so excited too!!
 
I think I know what you mean - Storm does it. Now she doesn't do it quite so obviously when ridden, but if she is fending off Chloe she will do it. Sometimes at the gate, and I wonder if it's her saying to Chloe: stay back, I'm first through!
It isn't a head toss or shake, as you say in the title more of a swirl. I also think she has some arab in her, she's a connie x - just not sure what with!
 
Jessey said:
^^^ Bo was half Arab but I've seen other breeds do it too, the Arabs just seem to have it perfected
Click to expand...


The Arab has the extra bone in the neck to be able to do that full rotation. So that makes sense to me.
 
Belle does it, occasionally ridden but usually out in the field when she's impatient, frustrated or just flirting with her very handsome neighbour, ridden it's nearly always when being asked to work a bit harder so I'm guessing it's a bit of a dominance guesture.
 
I rode her in the school today after our hack and she didnt do it once. So I wonder if its either irritated or a sort of stress release when hacking. She did it once out when I wanted more impulsion in walk-toss.
Some horses swish the tail, mine swishes the head.

If I land wrong jumping I get it then coupled with the flat ears look of death face ( my friends description) She has that might catapult you unless you learn to ride feeling!
 
Jack does it occasionally when he is miffed about something.... I say he's showing his Welsh D bit! :p

Treacle the little Welsh A had loads of attitude and did it quite a bit!
 
If it's the same as what I think it is, it's known in some circles as 'Drinking the Air' or something similar.

My gelding does as a means of when he's frustrated and have a strop away from the herd and no one is listening.
 
Well I tried to Google a few of those words and came up with a site covering horses that lack libido and nymphomania! :eek: Learnt a few irrelevant things. :rolleyes:

The fact she does with the herd its a "normal" response for her. The thing about correcting/discouraging is will I actually create a bigger issue? If its irritation, will I get resentment?

For those that have had a horse with this did correcting cure it? Do they just express in another way?
My other chap always bucked if he got worried or if he got left behind, if he got worried about being left behind he bucked twice.
 
Raf does this, although he keeps his head higher and doesn't pull on the reins. He does it in the field when he's 'showing off' and when hacking if he's excited and especially when we've just passed a scary object and he's been particularly brave. I think it's just a release of adrenaline. He doesn't seem to do it if he's concentrating on jumping or schooling (not that we do a lot of that!)

I've never found it a problem really. The only time it was a nuisance was when I took him hunting and he was so excited that every time we stopped he just stood and head twirled, until he'd shaken his plait completely out. Still, I'm grateful he chose to express his excitement that way and not by any other means that might involve waving feet in the air!

I've never tried to stop it, wouldn't really know how and I would be worried that I was trying to supress his naturally expressive personality. There are numerous discussions on the Arabian Lines forum about it but I've never read a post that suggested you should attempt to stop it, or that anyone has tried.

http://www.arabianlines.com/forum1/topic_new.asp?TOPIC_ID=53557
 
Ah I should really watch the video before replying :eek:

That's not what I was referring to in my earlier reply.

Sorry *embarrassed*
 
It sounds a natural expression that some do and some don't. She has strong views and although placid and laid back she isn't an easy ride.
Thanks for that link Bodshi will have a read.

I think you thought it was the snaking that geldings do to show their dominance Ruskii? We have one who is right who will walk up to people expecting them to move if he does it.
Its not great footage though.
 
Saw the video now am at work!! Not what Tobes does either or what I was thinking of - Tobes never does it ridden, just when showing off in the field!
 
This is more what Tobes does in the field - but sometimes it causes him to go in the wrong direction when he does it at speed!


I think this horse moves beautifully
 
sjp1 said:
I think this horse moves beautifully
Click to expand...

Oh my, doesn't it just? I would so love to sit on it's back while it was doing that trot.

Raf's twirl is more noticable usually when he does it with head up, then it's more like what Jessey calls the L'Oreal move - an exaggerated flick hair out of eyes kind of thing. Or maybe as if he had one of those dog balls on a piece of rope and he was twirling it round then throwing it over his shoulder. He does look a bit camp ...
 
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