Froathing at the mouth?

BeachRiding

BeachRiding

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Aug 26, 2004
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Don't even know if froathing is a real word, but I think you get what I mean.
When ridden Pete froathes at the mouth a lot. Like where it is dripping down the sides and onto his chest.:eek: What does this mean? He seems like he is always concentrating on his bit,really moves it around in his mouth and tries to get his tongue over it.

Does this mean he is just concentrating or in pain or something? I know top Dressage horses really froath all over themselves. But all's I ask my horse to do is simple w/t/c!
 
A bit from one of my favorite websites, sustainable dressage.

A mouth that is happy, relaxed and softly chewing the bit, usually produces some moisture. The salivary glands behind the jaw are massaged by the soft chewing motion of the jaw. When the spit runs down the insides of the mouth and moves with the tongue and lips, it foams slightly and produces what you may call a "white lipstick".

Horses that do not produce this, are either unhappy with their bits, not through in the poll (which comes from over the back and behind). They might be tense because of poor balance or because the rider is rought with the reins, or simply because they are slopping around and not working right. You quite often see that in riding school environments, on poorly ridden ponies, on horses that are only hacked, or possibly forcedly ridden horses with harsh bits.

Too much foam....In the top of the sport you hardly ever see dry mouths. But not all wet mouths are good. I would say most of the top GP horses one sees foam simply too much. This is not a sign that they are extremely relaxed and active behind, but rather that they are overly active in the mouth. If the horse is ridden overbent at the poll, so that the salivary glands are squeezed, and the rider pulls hard or fiddles constantly at the mouth, like sawing, the horse will defend himself. This is usually done by trying to get the tongue to move about and get the bits off, and it results in the tongue beating the saliva to a lather. If the horse opens his mouth in resistance, it can go to the extreme that blotches and strings of drool splatter the frontlegs or the chest. This is a sign of tension, and just like the stiffly lifted tail above, should not be sought or condoned.
Click to expand...
 
The reason dressage horses froth at the mouth is because they are deep over their back and have accepted the bit, usually chewing and mouthing it in a relaxed manner-producing "lipstick" (generally only a little bit of foam) That's something you probably haven't achieved with Pete yet, because he's missing the muscle to really work over his back.

There's a couple of reasons why horses froth at the mouth. One is excess saliva (which you really see when a horse is just walking and starts to foam up). Another is that the horse is indeed accepting the bit. Another is that they were fed closely before being ridden (and are trying to digest/move the food). Another is that they have such a large tongue that they are constantly moving it around in their mouth. Another is that the bit isn't fitting properly or isn't comfortable. So take your pick ;)
 
Agreeing with StormArion and to add that since he is playing with his tongue so much, I would be inclined to think that he doesn't feel comfortable with the bit. Either the bit is the wrong size/shape/thickness or he has an issue with his teeth.

Nina x
 
The horse i ride always froths at the mouth because he spends the whole lesson chewing on the bit! (i can always hear it!) The other week he chose to wipe his mouth on my arm after the lesson... I was NOT happy! :eek: I stunk of horse spit!! At least i now know its a good thing! (not him wiping himself on me that was just mean!)
 
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