should i try rings/martingale?

Jarred has been throwing his head up a lot and today and hearly whacked me fair in the face. I know we have no pain issues etc and he's only just had the chiro out and been give the all clear.

Im wondering if I should put some rings on him while we are in the training stages. I don't like to put a lot of 'gadgets' on my horses but I can't have him smacking me in the face with his head. He doesnt do it that bad very often but his head carriage is very high a lot of the time.

Is there anything else other than rings that I can do to help with the problem or will they be ok to use just for a little while?

Read my post in the other thread asking for a critique, for the answer is there.

Mechanical gadgets will always work...that's why they're the "easy quick fix" - that said, if you just use them as an aid (with a plan to lose them eventually) and not as a crutch, I don't see any harm in it.

Does he toss his head at the same point/transition/gait every ride?

i don't use any gadgets long term...i rather find the problem or use them for learning purposes.

Its not a pain head throw as that is all fixed now. There are two things that I have noticed make him throw his head:

- he pre-empts me. If we go from walk to trot in one spot once the next time we get to that spot he will automatically try and do the same thing. Because he thinks he's doing it right he gets annoyed when I half halt and throws his head up and shakes it around. I have to circle him and calm him and head on again. I always try and transition and different places so he doesnt get used to the one thing but every time he remembers.
- if he is heading back towards the end of the arena where the gate is he thinks he must get there as quick as possible. He will be all calm and trotting nicely and as soon as we are heading in the direction of the gate he tries to get there as quick as he can. As soon as I ask him to come back and calm he throws his head up and starts shaking it. If im really lucky he wont take hold of the bit and take off

As I said he doesnt this all the time but I want him to start waiting and listening for my aids rather than thinking he knows what I want him to do. And I don't want to pull on his mouth very much as he has a soft mouth and I don't want to ruin that. I just need him to learn that he can't put his head up there.

I do also do a lot of small circles to calm him but even if he only throws his head high once a day it could be that time where he does smack me in the face :) and we all know how little control you have when you horses head is way above the bit

I would use a German martingale for his head, the only time you touch his mouth is when his head is out of position and for the running to the gate, I would work him in a small series of circles in both directions and then head out to the middle of the arena and stop and let him rest, then do the same thing again a few times. He'll quit, and if he goes back to it, just do it again. I cured a barn sour horse that way and I think its the same thing/different situations.

Thanks trust me, we do plenty of circles ;)

I decided to take him out on a trail today as he hasnt been for a ride off the property since we got there 7 months ago. He has been off the property being led but not ridden so me, rich and my friend decided to head off on a nice trail.

I was nervous about taking him off the property but I also knew it would do him the world of good to get out. I put the rings on him and we set off. We had the best ride :) the first time we went to canter he got really excited because my friend has an arab mare who is in season and she went past doing her silly arab thing and he tried to take off after her and I wanted him to wait for me to ask him to go which is a classic moment for him to do his thing. And he did but felt the pressure from the rings once he got his head high enough and got a bit silly for a second then calmed down. He didnt toss again for the whole ride and we went for a few canters. I didnt have them very tight. He could still come well above the bit if he wanted he just couldnt bring it anywhere near high enough to smack me in the face :)

All in all it was much better. Ill see how he goes with them doing some work in the arena.

If you are using a running martingale and it is fitted correctly it won't affect him when being ridden and he is behaving, only if he throws his head up, so I don't see why not. I used to use one on Kai when I first had him but he stopped throwing his head around pretty fast and then it was pretty much just a decoration after that because he never threw his head...

It ws a running martingale and was fitted correctly. It didnt effect him at all when he was relaxed. It was only went he pulled his head too high that it effected him.

Im hoping he continues to learn quickly and I don't have to use them for long

You have a stallion ?

Jazzy what bit are you using?
How are his teeth?

Does he just do it when you correct him (using half halts or something with the reins)? No other times?