Nose to the ground

Innocence

New Member
Jun 1, 2009
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Not sure where to put this so thought i would start here.

My cob has recently been started work again after taking the winter off to mature, it is very gentle and only really walk with a bit trot at the moment. However, he does keep snatching the reins and often walks with his head down as though sniffing the ground.

How can i stop this? or does anyone know why he does this? He is still very young so could be something that needs to be trained out of him.

He had his teeth done two weeks ago so i know there are no probs with his mouth.
 
Does he not like coming up into a contact at all ?

I would check check saddle / back also if the above as staying low can also be a sign

Does he rub his nose on the ground?
 
No he doesn't he just walks along stretching out his neck and sniffing the ground, well it looks that way.

I am booking him in for a massage so will book him in to have his back looked at too.
 
He used to do it before i turned him away so im thinking its a learned behaviour more than anything but will get a fitter out to check just in case.

Anyone know a good back person/ saddle fitter in Suffolk?
 
Could you PM her number pls.

Don't know if this makes a difference but he will do it on the lunge with no tack but mainly when he gets bored and can't be bothered anymore.
 
I will give you the number in a while - could also be worth physio having a look - I know a good one of those too lol. Otherwise could also be he just feels the need to stretch his muscles especially if coming back into work or using muscles differently
 
My lad always does this after a long hack or hard schooling sesh :wub:

He will throw his head down and drag his nose along the ground, i always just thought it was him stretching his back out and relaxing :smile:
 
Before my shettie Surprise was backed he did this all the time out on in hand walks...was like taking a sniffer dog out :biggrin: he did grow out of it.
 
I'm definitely not an expert but just a few thoughts on the different things it could be possibly be...

He's stretching his back out, but as he's a baby he will be on the forehand so he's not yet stretching forwards. Inca sometimes does this once she's starting to relax, it's the first thing she does before starting to stretch herself out towards the bit.

He could be doing this as he gets used to carrying a rider again, so helping himself balance and adjust to carrying tack and a rider. Does he do this after a particular length of time? Puz does this when she's a bit tired.

- It probably isn't this, but Puz used to use this as a slight evasion, she used to put her head right down in a way that meant she wasn't actually stretching her topline (it's really difficult to explain in writing!). Her head would be pretty much on the floor but if you looked carefully she was still poking her nose a bit and you could see that she was using the muscles on the underside of her neck and not working over her back. It's also always been her way of disconnecting herself, particularly if she's worried about something or not sure of what she is being asked to do.

....and where are the pics of the handsome boy!!!!!! tut tut tut ....

:giggle:
 
Caymen was doing this and I thought it was his teeth. It wasnt. His saddle was not fitting.
The svelte one had gone from a wide/xwide gullet to a M/W and saddle needed adjusted. I would get saddle cheecked too, just in case.
 
My lad always does this after a long hack or hard schooling sesh :wub:

He will throw his head down and drag his nose along the ground, i always just thought it was him stretching his back out and relaxing :smile:

Rusty does this too, I didn't think it was anything other than a nice stretch out.
 
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