The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Youngster keeps sticking his head up in trot?

1K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  EdmontonHorseGal 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I currently have a 5 year old gelding who only started proper ridden work in the Summer (backed as a 3 y/o and then turned away as no rider) and he's been riding away nicely so far. However recently he's been sticking his head up in the air and trying to evade my contact in trot. In walk and canter he works in a lovely, consistent outline and he has always had to be 'ridden in' so to speak before he would drop onto the bit in trot, yet recently he's been doing it no matter how much bending/ transition and schooling work I do. He has recently had his teeth and back checked so I know that they definitely aren't the cause.

What does everyone suggest I do? He's ridden in a loose ring snaffle with a lozenge currently.

Thank you :)
 
#4 ·
I think he's just saying "hmmm does this work? how about this?", With young horses I find they often "regress" in a sense. They understand the concept, do well for awhile, then start to wonder about "what else" (sort of like people lol!)

Not an expert but have some experience and am currently working on basic contact and such with my project. Curious what others have to say. Sometimes when something's not working (obv not always) it's not because it doesn't work but just because the horse is trying different things. Just calm and relaxed and riding through it is the best thing to do in those situations.

What have you been doing?
 
#5 ·
Yes that definitely sounds like him, he's always trying to find ways to do things differently or test me when I'm riding!

We've been doing lots of transitions (walk to trot, trot to walk, walk to halt etc) and lots of circles, serpentines and similar exercises to encourage him to bend. I've also been doing lots of work where I have allowed him to stretch down and use the muscles along his back by lengthening my reins. In addition to this we've also been going on rides out with other people just to prevent him from getting bored.
 
#6 ·
How were any issues with back ruled out? Anything less than ultrasound or other diagnostics won't show you much.

Photos of saddle fit, as well as bridle would help, could be all sorts of things, as well as your riding mechanics are bad.

Do you have video of you riding this horse?
 
#9 ·
three things that i'm thinking:

1. saddle fit isn't ideal and the bars are pinching shoulders as his shoulder blades move on each side.

2. he's getting 'strung out' in trot and falling onto the forehand and hollowing his back. the head comes up and out naturally as a result.

3. you are doing a rising trot? possibly coming down a bit hard/heavy on his back when you sit after rising? this will hollow a horse real fast.


i would do circles in trot, spiraling in and out as much as his training, conformation, and balance allow. sit the spirals instead of posting as long as your sitting trot is good and you aren't going to flop around/lose balance. will help him use his back end and have impulsion. once that happens, the hollow back/head up and out position should go away. be sure to keep a steady contact but don't 'hold his head'. let him figure out how to shift the power to his proper rear engine. holding his head tight with the reins on a heavy contact will teach him to curl his head in and evade the other way!
 
#10 ·
Does this horse understand how to give to the bit from the ground? If he does not, I would suggest working on that first. Then you need to ask him to yield at the walk, then when it is consistent at the walk, comes the trot, comes the canter....And it would be the first step to teaching him suppleness, which with proper riding turns into collection.
 
  • Like
Reactions: klstarrs
#11 ·
Try some groundwork and then half halts once you're on him... got to give a green horse time to understand and know what all the aids mean.. half halts should help him collect onto contact but gentle/slow approach is best.. reward any softening/drop of head instantly via voice and pat if needed, try to ignore the worst, if he's good in walk and canter.. try asking for only a few strides of trot.. walk-trot-walk-halt-walk trot-canter-trot.. keep mixing up.. trot 4 strides then canter 6, trot 4, walk 8, halt etc. Speak to him too, ask with voice! Bit of perseverance he should come round.. might also be just testing his boundaries ;)
 
#12 ·
Kinda confused, as you say he only does it at the trot, and thus, since you say, has a'great outline' at the walk and canter, have to assume you are perhaps posting and using the reins to balance, thus hitting him in the teeth
I would also think he does not know how to give to a bit correctly, except you indicate that he does give correctly at the walk and canter
That somehow is contradictory , as a horse either understands how to give at all gaits, or he does not
At any rate, you first worry about correct movement from behind, and once that is in place, you can start to contain that energy from behind, by asking the horse to give in the face and poll, thus moving with shoulders up.
You don't do this by pulling, but just holding abit barrier, and then using LEGS to drive him, hard as it takes, for him to give, indicated by him being light in your hands. You then reward by lightning your aids in turn
When the horse tries to raise head, stick nose out, prvoiding he knows how to give, and there are no physical reasons for his reaction, you have to hold so he can't do that, WHILE DRIVING with your legs
As I was once told:
You can hold a horse (not pull), for as much as it takes, WHILE driving with your legs,, until he softens, just never jerk on a horse, or you soon will have a jerk for a horse'!
 
#15 ·
Yes, all the usual things can be at play, including saddle fit, lack of training, far as knowing how to give to bit, suppleness, except, for the fact that the OP states the horse only does it at the trot, and is great at the walk and canter!
Thus, all I could think of, if that was the case, is that the Op might be posting, balancing on the reins.
Anyone else have a suggestion why the horse only sticks nose up and out at the trot, but has lovely 'form' at walk and canter?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top