Hello, I ride an Arabian mare and she always carries her head high and not in her proper way. I’ve tried many things people around my barn have told me to such as a lot of circle work. But, she still seems to resist. She carries her head wonderfully when she is walking or cantering, but at the trot its not good. I think this may be because she is excited, for she is a very spirited mare and likes to go, go, go. Please help me:) Thank you for your help!:lol:
Head position come from engagement. Find a good trainer, one that doesn’t even own a set of draw reins or a training fork, and get lessons on getting that hind end active. You can’t fix “headset” by messing with the head or front end, and anyone who tells you different is lying.
[QUOTE=tinah;7536171]
Head position come from engagement. Find a good trainer, one that doesn’t even own a set of draw reins or a training fork, and get lessons on getting that hind end active. You can’t fix “headset” by messing with the head or front end, and anyone who tells you different is lying.[/QUOTE]
I agree. I do not have a trainer, I don’t live in a very horsey area. But I’ve been finding some great YouTube channels to watch. Check out ArttoRide and Evention TV, I’ve heard DressageInMotion is good too but haven’t looked at it yet. Many horses get antsy and nervous when the riders don’t let them go forward. For example your mare is exited and always wants to go. Make sure you are not holding the reins tight. I’d lunge before you ride, not to tire her out but to relax her, get her listening and get her to move forward without worrying that shes going to take off with you riding. As tinah said stay away from anything that ties her head down, it will most likely make her muscles more stiff as she fights it. Hopefully there’s something helpful in this post. I’m just learning about forwardness and rounding the back myself.
tinah’s answer is absolutely correct. In order to get her head down, she must relax and start using her abdominal ,muscles and relaxing her back. This cannot be done by holding onto the head,
Circle work is useful but only if you are able to do it without the reins. You need a good instructor.
Forget the headset and worry about getting the hind end engaged.
You will find the head ends up where it’s supposed to.
I REALLY don’t recommend Art2ride. (go ahead, ask me why ;))
But I DO recommend getting a good trainer. If that isn’t a possibility then at least try to go to a good clinic or two every once in a while. And read! Read and watch videos. For videos, I think Jane Savoie is brilliant. She has a lot of free stuff available, but also has a Dressage Mentor programme. Her book has rave reviews, also.
Janet Foy’s Dressage for the Not So Perfect Horse could also be right up your alley!
Heather Moffet’s Enlightened Equitation explains everything in a really thorough, simple manner.
But like everyone has already said, you do not want a head set, you want a horse set, if anything. For the horse who rushes, it helps if you post slower. Also, remember to keep the legs ON the hot horse (and off the lazy horse). Play with the bit gently, and remember to release. Do lots of stretch work, and serpentines. Also, transitions, transitions, transitions.
Okay, Pembroke, I will ask why you don’t recommend Art2ride.
In addition to what others have mentioned, you might want to make sure you don’t have a saddle fit problem that is causing your horse to be uncomfortable relaxing and engaging in the trot.
Everyone who gets their results in this way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83jYtsPHFxI
isn’t “teacher/trainer” material in my book. After all, he knew he was being filmed. There are many other trainers out there who don’t only say nice things about their training methods, but actually act that way too.
Plus, he has (still does:confused:) done porn.
I would absolutely second the recommendation for Janet Foy’s “Dressage For The Not So Perfect Horse”, although it could just as easily be titled “Dressage For the Not So Perfect Rider” as I find that re-reading sections of it helps ME to be more clear with my aids, timing and targeted exercises, which in turn helps the horse.
I ride a Morgan whose natural tendency (even when on a loose rein or loose, playing in a pasture) it to brace from the base of his neck and raise his head at the trot. I’ve found that lots of long, low stretching at an active walk (engaging hindquarters) has really helped him become more comfortable with relaxing through his entire top line at the trot. I also had to re-think my bitting strategy with him. Although it is easy to think of a thicker bit as being milder, he is noticeably more comfortable in the contact with a thinner bit as it simply fits his little mouth with a fat tongue better.
Thank you all very much. I do have a trainer and I do lunge her before I ride. Thank you for your tips and suggestions and I will try some of them!
I also like “Lessons with Lendon”. Very basic step-by step instructions, starting from square one.
OP, are you able to rise to the trot, without holding on to the reins or a strap? Are you balanced and strong enough to keep your rising trot rythym no matter what your horse does?
I suspect that you may be using your reins to balance more than you realise. This will make her hold her head high to get away from your rein pressure.
Get someone to lunge her while you ride her and practice trotting without holding the reins or touching her neck. Have her walk and stand in your stirrups without holding on - if you can’t, shift your lower leg back so it is more under you. Once you can stand balanced, sit down by bending your knee and keeping your lower leg in position. Now stand up again. Can you balance still? Good, lower leg has stayed put. Keep practising untill you can do it without thinking. THEN you can begin to think about working her from behind so she lowers her head - but I bet you won’t need to because she will be able to use her tummy muscles, lift her back, engage her hind end and then her head will come down with out you “making” it.
You can see her raise her back (weight-bearing posture) and lower and reach with her neck on the lunge line by putting her in an active trot, then spiraling her in until she is on a very, very small circle. So small that the hoof prints from her hind feet are one in front of the other, not on two separate tracks. Depending on your horse, this could be so small that you could reach out and touch her. Keep her active on this tiny circle. It will be difficult for her and she will raise her back and reach down with her neck to balance. She will not have the muscles to do this for more than a few steps, so let her spiral back out almost immediately. Ask for more over time.
This exercise not only helped my horses, but proved to me that I do not need to touch the reins to affect where their heads and backs were.
Michael Schaffer has two books (Right From The Start and Riding In The Moment) that explain this concept which he calls the horse’s natural circle. He also has an active forum where he will answer any questions or do video analysis of your lunging or riding. You can find both through his website michaelschaffer.com. He has helped me immensely.
First of all, welcome to COTH!
How old is your Arabian? What is your desired discipline with her? How long has she been under saddle?
I, too, have a high-headed Arabian.
The term “head set” and an artificial and damaging concept. Your horse’s “head set” comes from what her hind end and belly muscles are doing. Please, please, please throw that term and concept out of your mind.
First, make sure her teeth don’t need to be floated. How does she like her bit? Arabians often have low palates (roof of their mouth). How does her saddle fit? Does she do this when you ride with a grab strap or neck strap? Does she do this when someone else rides her?
Lots and lots of time trotting over caveletti (sp?) / poles on the ground tends to be very helpful. You also may consider teaching her to lower her head when you give her a cue. I taught Vee to lower his head when I say “down.”
Also, make sure that she’s not bored. A bored Arabian is a fractious Arabian. My boy does not tolerate repetition well.
I strongly recommend reading “True Collection” along with all of the other free articles on Dr. Deb’s website. You may have to read each article a few times, but the effort is well worth it.
This is the link:
http://www.equinestudies.org/knowledge_base_intro/knowledge_base_intro_choicepage.html
I know that it is counterintuitive, but lunging a hot horse before you ride may actually make your horse even hotter. Ask me how I know this. It just gets them warmed up and excited. If your Arabian is anything like mine, they simply don’t get tired. Ever. Just more and more ramped up.
Best of luck to you!
Amber
Longing my Arab before riding works wonderfully.
It depends to a some extent whether you let them run around like idiots, or, after a brief “get the stoopid out”, ask them to focus.
[QUOTE=Ghazzu;7537887]
Longing my Arab before riding works wonderfully.
It depends to a some extent whether you let them run around like idiots, or, after a brief “get the stoopid out”, ask them to focus.[/QUOTE]
I don’t let “mine run around like idiots.” Lunging my extremely hot Arab just increases his energy level, warms him up. YMMV. You do you.
I never said you did.
You do you.
I do, don’t I? 
[QUOTE=Pembroke;7536768]
Everyone who gets their results in this way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83jYtsPHFxI
isn’t “teacher/trainer” material in my book. After all, he knew he was being filmed. There are many other trainers out there who don’t only say nice things about their training methods, but actually act that way too.
Plus, he has (still does:confused:) done porn.[/QUOTE]
What about that don’t you like? He was taking a horse who didn’t want to stretch in to contact, use the whole length of its body and engage. The hardest part is what Will was working on there, teaching the horse where he is supposed to be which for his level of work was in a proper stretch. Once you achieve the stretch that Will bases his training around, the rest is conditioning and development until you get into extremely advanced levels of dressage with piaffe, passage etc.
He explains that when he is leaning back, he is lifting himself out of the saddle to take weight off of the horse and encourage a deeper stretch… which he does achieve and as soon as the horse does, Will softens with him. You’re watching the “breaking” point in this horses training, it isn’t going to be pretty and it isn’t going to be consistent because the horse hasnt had the proper training as to where its supposed to be and isn’t developed. Thats the whole point of what Will was doing in that video.
[QUOTE=DreamBignRide;7538101]
What about that don’t you like? He was taking a horse who didn’t want to stretch in to contact, use the whole length of its body and engage. The hardest part is what Will was working on there, teaching the horse where he is supposed to be which for his level of work was in a proper stretch. Once you achieve the stretch that Will bases his training around, the rest is conditioning and development until you get into extremely advanced levels of dressage with piaffe, passage etc.
He explains that when he is leaning back, he is lifting himself out of the saddle to take weight off of the horse and encourage a deeper stretch… which he does achieve and as soon as the horse does, Will softens with him. You’re watching the “breaking” point in this horses training, it isn’t going to be pretty and it isn’t going to be consistent because the horse hasnt had the proper training as to where its supposed to be and isn’t developed. Thats the whole point of what Will was doing in that video.[/QUOTE]
My issue with that video is that kind of “breaking” isn’t necessary to introduce the concept of stretching/taking the contact down to a horse. There is no need for ugly moments like those in that video. What’s more, that horse in the video had already been taught to stretch and had been in the program for awhile (if you look back in the owner’s channel). Either it was throwing attitude or being resistant, but per his own guidance from his channel, it should have been lunged. Pretty disappointing to see him going against his own advice and trying to force it instead. I’ve been involved with submissions and using the stretching techniques so often presented on Art2Ride for awhile (with great results), but I was very unimpressed to see that exaggerated lean back and hard contact with the mouth in that video. That does not encourage a horse to come through, if anything, it shortens the hind end. Once he releases and sits tall again the horse steps through more, but one can encourage more activity by staying patient and soft, riding leg to hand. Yes, the horse gets to a good place, but my problem is that you can get to that good place without the exaggerated movements he was demonstrating in that particular video. I can’t honestly justify that approach.
[QUOTE=GoneAway;7538152]
My issue with that video is that kind of “breaking” isn’t necessary to introduce the concept of stretching/taking the contact down to a horse. There is no need for ugly moments like those in that video. What’s more, that horse in the video had already been taught to stretch and had been in the program for awhile (if you look back in the owner’s channel). Either it was throwing attitude or being resistant, but per his own guidance from his channel, it should have been lunged. Pretty disappointing to see him going against his own advice and trying to force it instead. I’ve been involved with submissions and using the stretching techniques so often presented on Art2Ride for awhile (with great results), but I was very unimpressed to see that exaggerated lean back and hard contact with the mouth in that video. That does not encourage a horse to come through, if anything, it shortens the hind end. Once he releases and sits tall again the horse steps through more, but one can encourage more activity by staying patient and soft, riding leg to hand. Yes, the horse gets to a good place, but my problem is that you can get to that good place without the exaggerated movements he was demonstrating in that particular video. I can’t honestly justify that approach.[/QUOTE]
Yeah I have seen the owners videos before as well as her comments under then explaining she doesn’t believe in Will’s training anymore. I still believe that his theory and way of training is amazing. He has almost 200 videos of proven work, on AVERAGE horses. Ive applied it to my own riding and horses I work with incredible results.
Personally I didn’t see anything shocking. Is it unorthodox? Yeah, but a lot of trainers who have decades of experience in starting/training horses find weird habits like that, that work for them. Just my opinion, the evidence in his work is there. Not only can he make a fancy warmblood look nice, his work brings out an amazing, sound, happy horse in basically anything.
