Is a high head the sign of a disobedient horse?

Is a horse, carrying its head high, a sign they are resisting you?

Is that resistance then disobedience?

For a long period of my riding career exactly that. I thought a horse flexed through the neck and soft in the mouth was submission and anything else was resistance.

A horse that worked with its head up or out was being disobedient.

And then I became a trainer and rode professionally…

And I quickly learnt that a horse could still work with its head up and have submission and that initially green horses and green broken horses do need to lift their head and work for periods of time with their head up.

Whether their head was in the air had nothing to do with how submissive they were.

A horse that works with its head up can still listen perfectly to the halt aid and the steering.

In fact in my experience I have found more horses with better submission working out of a frame then in a frame.

Think about it - how does a horse differentiate between the aid that asks it to tuck their nose and the aid that ask them to stop? The aid is essentially the same - (preferrably) a light, backwards pressure on the reins.

An experienced rider will say seat, of course.

But there are a lot of riders that don’t yet know how to ride with their seat, that can tuck their horses head into a false frame and then the horse has now lost its brakes. So they put on harsher bits and nose bands to try and get the brakes working but what is truly missing is the communication.

But its not just the rider, sometimes it’s the horse.

It can take a little bit even when using the seat for the horse to differentiate between a frame aid and a halt aid, especially if they have been trained without that differentiation previously. Even if they have had that differentiation trained in, with a different ride who doesn’t use their seat the same the horse can still get confused.

So the type of riding that is typically called resistance under saddle I would say is more closely akin to limited musculoskeletal development than actually resisting and challenging the aid.

My green horses on training these days have far better submission to the aids while working hollow than the horses I trained for frame equals submission in my younger years, because submission has to do with communication whereas frame has to do with musculoskeletal development.

And it isn’t easy to get there. It doesn’t happen over night.

I remember as a kid my idealised instructor got a new horse that was green and was not yet ready to work in a frame. I saw her riding it hollow and thought well maybe she isn’t as good of a rider as I thought. Maybe it was just the horse that was not good.

It takes a green broken horse with no injuries or trauma at least 6 months to 2 years to work steadily and consistently in a working frame that positively compliments the musculoskeletal system - and that’s something we don’t talk about enough.

It’s not an easy process to develop the forwardness, engagement, swing, elasticity, core, topline elasticity and postural skills for the horse to work in good self carriage AND understand its aids well that perfectly primes it for the balance needed for the career we are hoping to follow with our horse.

This is why we developed a whole course for it.

If you are not sure what a healthy working frame, self carriage and good aids should look like so that you are ready for collection, then check it out.

What the toss? 8 Reasons Why Your Horse May Be Head Tossing

We all see beautiful images of horses working in a self-carriage frame, and then come across a horse that tosses his head or needs to hold it high. It can be frightening, frustrating and unbalancing when we ride these horses.

Understanding why this might be happening can improve our chances of correcting this unwanted behaviour.

Dental and bit issues

Mouth pain created by an incorrectly worn bit or dental issues can lead to head tossing, particularly when you put the bridle on or apply a reign aid – strong or soft. The best way to see if this is the cause of your horse’s head tossing is to have a discussion and examination with your dentist.

Development Issues

A horse that is working hollow is generally going to carry his or her head higher (unless being forced into a frame, which will be uncomfortable and limit the development of your horse). A horse that has poor strength and elasticity through their top-line will also need to use their shoulders and neck to lift, which will bring their head high. Ensure to work through the training scale to maximise your horse’s capability for self-carriage is the only way to fix this, and it will take time.

Anxiety

Horses that are anxious are naturally inclined to have their heads held high on the lookout for danger. Some horses may have anxiety related to one particular issue, and others may be living in a chronic state of anxiety. The best way to deal with an anxious horse is to help them get past the ‘fight or flight’ stage of the anxiety to where they can begin to mentally process their decisions, while at the same time encouraging them to follow you as their calm leader – if you are not anxious, they shouldn’t be either. This may require professional assistance.

Training Issues

A horse that doesn’t understand or becomes frustrated may toss his head to communicate his confusion. They will usually attempt to do what you ask but become repeatedly confused as we continue to not give the release they were expecting. You may have to work with your trainer to ensure the aids you are applying have been developed from the very basic to the more advanced (as they learn).

Conversely, a horse that knows the training but is trying to avoid putting his head down will react opposite of your aid and lift his head. This may be because the head in frame is too hard to maintain too long, or because he is testing us. Use the pressure/release method to encourage and reward the correct behaviour, and gradually increase the number of strides he has to maintain this.

Saddle Fit

Sometimes, an incorrectly fitting saddle that pinches or rubs may create a number of ‘naughty’ habits, including head tossing. A poorly fitted saddle would be like wearing a bra that is 3 sizes too small in one cup and 2 sizes too big in the other. These naughty behaviours are your horse’s way of telling you they are uncomfortable.

Poll Pressure

Some horses, particularly as they develop, or if they have dental issues, may have a sensitive poll. This is usually due to a tightening of the neck and/or the jaw muscles. Ear twitched horses may also be extra sensitive to this area, as ear twitching creates pain and can damage the muscles in and around the ear. Some great stretches to release poll pressure include low carrots stretches and between the knees carrot stretches. It’s also not a bad idea to review this at your horse’s next chiro visit.

Insects

If you are in a particularly high insect area or time, you may notice your horse tossing his head a lot more. Use some insect repellent on a grooming mitt to gently apply to the areas of the face, ears and neck to help reduce this.

Learned Behaviour

Unfortunately, some horses may have figured out that when they toss their head high, they can scare their rider or owner out of doing what they are asking for, and therefore it has become a learned response to get out of something they deem unpleasant. It takes some time, patience and consistency to break this behaviour, and a lot of pressure/release practice. But persevere – I promise that with the right approach it can be overcome!

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