# Getting your horse to lower its head? Tips?



## Horsiezz (Oct 13, 2011)

When trotting, cantering, sidepassing, stopping, or backing up my horse raises its head and resists the bit. How do I get her to lower her head and "get into the bit" ? I have been told to try a training surcingle or a running martingale. Any other tips? Thanks!


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## mydakota (Oct 14, 2011)

Study "collection" and "self-carriage".  Forget you ever heard the word "headset".  True collection comes from behind. You need to get the horse driving from behind, working with his hocks well up underneath his body. His frame needs to condense and his back needs to round up into you rather than dropping out from underneath. As he does this his head will drop and he will break at the poll and soften his jaw.  You need to generate energy in his back end.  Drive it up underneath you with your seat and legs. Only use your hands to keep the energy from being lost by flowing out the front.  If the horse is trailing his back end out behind him, or if he is bracing up into you with his mouth or evading you by dropping his back out from underneath you as you move you will never acheive it.  A bowed neck does not collected make.  A horse with an arched neck, but a back end trailing out behind or a back dropped out of the sky is a picture of misery.  Don't worry too much about rate at first.  You can always slow them down later.  Worry about proper body position, suppleness, and frame.


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## mydakota (Oct 14, 2011)

I would  say that a bitting rig (or a training surcingle with side reins) could be useful to you  on the lunge line.  It is part of basic training for every horse I start.  The running martingale can also be useful ( I have used one on quite  a few horses) if you know how to use it.   The thing with the bitting rig is that it is always just.  It never has a bad day.  It is consistent always.  The martingale has to be used with some skill, but offers you a chance to drive the horse up into it with your seat and legs simultaneously.

A horse is naturally built heavier on the front end than on the hind.  Collection aims to transfer some of that weight backwards, freeing up the front end for lighter, more athletic/graceful movement.


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## PatchiePonie (Oct 14, 2011)

To lower your horses head and also make it curved my friends told me to jiggle the reins (when i say jigle i mean to slighty tug on one rein and the other numerous times and if the horse is resisting increase the pressure if needed) while you are walking and/or trotting  p.s i dont think you can do it while in a cantering unless you are using a martingale, a martingale is also good while at the walk or trot. I hope this helps but if you have any more questions on this issue feel free to email me cande277@gmail.com


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## Paintingpheonix (Oct 14, 2011)

ok this is the second time ive written this message cause it deleted the first time, but ive got the same problem as you but figured out a great solution to begining to fix the whole head up problem. firstly saddle up your horse and take her to somewhere fenced where she cannot get herself into trouble. then take the reins(make sure that there not joined together) and tie them loosley to the girth buckles, as so then she cannot get her head up the entire way but so she has room to still move it around and leave her for about half an hour, as she gets used to this she'll start to drop her head. As you do this everyday, slowly tighten the reins getting her to drop her head more and more. than after about a week ride her and see the difference. usually a week is enough so all you gotta do is tighten the reins and she'll drop her head.                       good luck


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## freemotion (Oct 14, 2011)

Pain will cause a horse to raise its head so make sure everything fits well and she is ok in every way.  Also, not preparing the horse for the transition will also cause it to raise its head.  If the horse is not through behind it will need to raise its head to get its balance for the transition.


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## currycomb (Oct 14, 2011)

JMO, and many others that have tried it, watch the natural horsemanship way, giving release from the pressure of the bit when you get the wanted response. i showed it to a girl that swore her horse could not back up, had paid good money to trainers to teach the horse to back. in 5 minutes her horse was backing. just hold the reins with pressure on the bit, when he rocks backward, release the reins.ask again, but wait for a hoof to move, then release. ask again, wait for 2 feet to move. once you get the backing and releasing going good, now hold until the head lowers. your horse is going to have to search for what you want, so his head will go all over, but the instant, (or a little before), he drops it, even a little, release the reins. hopefully you get the idea. it works. no stressed out horse or rider. watch chris cox, clinton anderson, even monty roberts, their methods work if you take the time to give the horse some good basics.


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## mydakota (Oct 14, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

> Pain will cause a horse to raise its head so make sure everything fits well and she is ok in every way.  Also, not preparing the horse for the transition will also cause it to raise its head.  If the horse is not through behind it will need to raise its head to get its balance for the transition.


I'll ditto this about the pain, especially if  the horse traveled well before and is now suddenly not traveling well.  If she is green, she probably just has not learned how to carry herself.  (of course, if other signs of pain are present, by all means check it out).


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## Horsiezz (Oct 14, 2011)

mydakota said:
			
		

> freemotion said:
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Theres no pain. Her teeth have recently been floated and checked, the curb chain isn't too tight, everything is well fitting, she has no health problems, and I don't yank on the reins(she neckreins well) she has always done this. We bought her as a 3 year old with only about 30 hours of riding. It was for my mom and her intentions were only trail riding, and she bought me a 12 year old paint mare. Well the paint mare had a horrible temperment and loved to buck. Turns out she was sick when we bought her and showed her true colors after she felt better. Gracie came from the same breeder and she is the most laid back horse(you can shoot from her and she wont even lift her head up from grazing) so she turned out being my horse, but now I want to get into showing more and doing more competetions. At the time I got her I was younger and very inexperienced(but she was the safest horse around despite her young age and not much training). So it leads me to where I am now, she is 6 and well broke. She just doesn't give into the bit, she resists the pressure and raises her head. Like when pulling back on the reins and asking to back or sidepass, instead of dropping her head and backing up, she raises it. I know some trainers and they said like above, training surcingle and running martingale. I just wanted to see what you guys think. I am taking mydakota's advice and studying deeper into collection and self-carriage. I was also given a training book by a friend of mine and I've been reading about the things mydakota was discussing.


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## Horsiezz (Oct 14, 2011)

currycomb said:
			
		

> JMO, and many others that have tried it, watch the natural horsemanship way, giving release from the pressure of the bit when you get the wanted response. i showed it to a girl that swore her horse could not back up, had paid good money to trainers to teach the horse to back. in 5 minutes her horse was backing. just hold the reins with pressure on the bit, when he rocks backward, release the reins.ask again, but wait for a hoof to move, then release. ask again, wait for 2 feet to move. once you get the backing and releasing going good, now hold until the head lowers. your horse is going to have to search for what you want, so his head will go all over, but the instant, (or a little before), he drops it, even a little, release the reins. hopefully you get the idea. it works. no stressed out horse or rider. watch chris cox, clinton anderson, even monty roberts, their methods work if you take the time to give the horse some good basics.


Thank you, I like this method and I am going to try it out!


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## macisherfield (Jul 17, 2012)

It could be your bit? it may not be fitting the horses mouth correctly. And like it was said before, it could be caused by pain. A suggestion i have is check out your bit and headstall to make sure they fit correctly. What type of headstall do you have? If its a one-ear it may not be putting pressure in the correct places.


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