Are you familiar with those soft plastic bits, called "Happy Mouths"??
Would one of these help? I'm using a light, stainless-steel loose-ring
snaffle at the moment, which my horse seems quite happy with. But
perhaps something even lighter would be more comfortable for her? Or is
it possible that her fidgeting is totally unrelated to the bit?
I look forward to reading your advice! Thanks!
- Louise
ANSWER:
I have ridden horses like that before. Usually they were hot, sensitive
(thoroughbred) mares. The head shaking is mostly a sign of discomfort in the
back. Often these horses have weak backs, either because the back is long,
or because the loin area is conformationally weak. Another possible
contributing factor in mares can be the ovaries. If they are inflamed or in
any other way painfully affected, that can make riding very uncomfortable
for the horse, which she will in turn let her rider know in no uncertain
terms. That might be something worth discussing with your vet. He could
palpate or ultrasound her, if you cannot solve the problem by training.
If the problem is caused by her conformation rather than her ovaries, you
will have to give the back more support through the horse's hind legs. They
will have to step more under so they can support and lift the back more. The
more of an upward arch the back shows, the more easily it can carry weight.
The more horizontal or concave the back becomes, the more painful the
rider's weight becomes. The fact that you have none of these problems in the
canter points very strongly in this direction, since there is naturally more
impulsion and the back lifts and rounds itself more in the canter than at
the walk and trot. I would actually take advantage of that and try to
strengthen the back with trot - canter transitions. Longeing with correctly
adjusted side reins will help as well - as long as the back is raised and
she works through the top line. All in all, horses with this problem often
need more support from the rider's legs, not in terms of permanent pressure,
but in terms of "electric" impulses that result in the hind legs lifting
more energetically up and advancing more underneath the center of gravity.
Horse like this are usually very sensitive in general. They will object
rather vehemently to any incorrect distribution of the rider's weight. The
next time she shakes her head and neck, check if you may inadvertently have
started to bring your torso a little in front of the vertical. Lean back and
see if the head shaking goes away, especially if you drive at the same time.
The hand, of course, has to release on the side where you drive, so that it
allows the hind leg enough space to step underneath the center of gravity.
Another thing I would check is if these protestations happen only on one
rein or on both. Due to the horse's crookedness, they may appear only in one
direction, probably the hollow one. If that is the case, you have to
straighten the horse out with lateral movements, especially shoulder-in,
counter-shoulder-in, travers, and renvers, and combinations of these lateral
movements.
If you have any experience with piaffe work, or a trainer who does, the
piaffe could be the perfect tool to bring the hind legs more under and lift
the back, if the horse is prepared enough for it. But if the piaffe is not
an option, the other things I mentioned should give you enough avenues to
correct the problem.
I have heard of the Happy Mouth bits, but I have never used one. Changing
bits very rarely brings a fundamental improvement, so I would not place too
much hope in that. If you try the training strategies I mentioned above, and
possibly consult your vet, you should be able to solve your problem with the
bit you have.
- Thomas Ritter
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Last Update: January 13, 2007