People say its good, but not too much. They say it shows the horse is relaxed, its from the position of the neck, the pituitary gland, blah blah blah. But, does anyone really know, for sure, what causes foam? I just hacked 2 horses, in snaffles. They never came onto the vertical, and they certainly weren’t “through”, but both foamed. I’ve never read anything definitive on this…
It’s excess saliva from mouthing the bit. Varies by horse and by bit. If horse’s head is in a position that makes it hard to swallow you will get excess drool obviously.
You can also see foam sometimes when they are eating.
Some bit material like copper that have a taste might make some horses salivate more.
Yeah, I’ve wondered about this from time to time. I’ve ridden one horse that is tough. Very stiff, resistent, and doesn’t really give or truly become through, but foams like crazy. Other horse, very soft, through, and works well, foams, but just enough so it is noticeable.
My personal horse foams, but almost doesn’t like it on his lips or something. If he has the chance he prefers to lick or fling it away.
It has nothing to do with the bit. It involves the hyoid apparatus, atlas, serratus, rib cage, etc. Getting the right amount of foam has everything to do with relaxation.
Excerpts from an EquineLogic article (with edits to clarify):
“There is a connection from the riders legs to the tongue, neck, jaw and poll. Via the hyoid apparatus, the serratus muscle, which makes the connection between the rib cage and the base of the neck, can be influenced by the lower legs and consequently involves the muscle directly connected to the tongue. This sustains the coordination of stride and breathing. When the horse blocks his atlas-axis mobility, this is the whole muscular system and skeletal chain that the rider must unblock. The connection from the mouth with the rider is seen when the horse makes a soft clicking with motion of the jaws and with his lips closed. This action is a reaction to the acceptance of the riders aids, legs and hands. Since the horse is a nose breather, and the cantering stride is in time with breathing, a misuse of a bridle can interfere with a normal function of swallowing. For placing the horse on the aids softly and correctly, it connects the muscle and ligament of the tongue towards this soft “clicking” or movement of the tongue, allowing the contact into the rein and adjusting the neck vertebrae from convex toward the ground, to concave, producing an arched neck. Faults with the tongue are always linked to the hyoid apparatus. When adjusting a bridle, the horse must have sufficient room to keep his jaw mobile. If the horse flicks or sticks his tongue out, it is a sign that bitting or the use of the aids are associated with pulling hands. In conclusion, the tongue and larynx are both fixed to the hyoid apparatus. Any tongue movement results in laryngeal movement and would interfere with breathing. The hyoid apparatus is also as we just described, a crucial part of the anatomy involved in the effect of the aids from seat, legs and hands. When a rider can say his horse is in front of his legs and on the aids, and/or on the bit, it is because the muscles connected to the tongue via the base of the hyoid are relaxed and offer a soft chewing and swallowing of the bit.”
IMO, you see a dry mouth when the poll and/or the jaw is rigid, you see foam when they are both relaxed and you work like that long enough for the soft, rhythmically-moving tongue to create a little foam in the moist mouth, and you see a copious amount when the horse is stressed and consciously fiddling with the tongue a lot (whipping the saliva into merengue).
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It is due to complete relaxation in the jaw and tongue and everything those structures are attached to. This mostly happens when the horse is relaxed over the topline and in his/her body because that tension affects relaxation of the tongue and jaw. Because the horse’s head may be on or close to the vertical, they may not swallow and then drool.
I’m surprised that your horses foam and drool on a hack, because usually horses have a certain level of alertness on a hack. But good for your horses!
Some horses do foam if they overly work the bit, but that’s not a good kind of foam. Dressage riders want the kind of foam and drool that comes from relaxation in the body.
I had a horse that foamed on his own when I lunged him in a halter. A nice stretchy trot was his default position.
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It’s simple science - and a lot less to do with “relaxation” than commonly believed in the dressage world. I’m zipping my flame suit for that last bit.
Ever beat an egg white? Starts out a lot like saliva but the whipping action forces air into the viscous liquid and forms air bubbles. That’s what causes the foam you get.
Same thing happens in the mouth of a horse that is working the bit with their tongue. Air bubbles form in the saliva and create a foam. There is no such thing as “good foam” and “bad foam”…foam is foam, it’s all created the same way and is an indication of the same action/reason but may vary in amount.
I don’t care what anyone tells you, a horse that is drooling while being ridden is not being ridden correctly. Drooling happens when a horse cannot swallow. A little bit of light “lipstick” is fine and reasonably normal, but no foam is NOT an indication that the horse is tight or tense - you need to look at the whole picture. Excessive foaming, just like with an egg white, is an indication that the horse is both not swallowing and working the bit excessively. It has become trendy in the dressage world to want to see foam to the point where people will give their horses soap chips or sugar cubes to create it.
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You might want to rethink that and look into it more. There are many cases of the horse developing the lipstick foam WITHOUT having a bit in their mouths. Check with Uta Gräf.
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This.
Drooling and foaming is also not the same. Neither is excessive foaming.
Like everything, one specific reaction cannot/shouldn’t be judged separately from the whole ensemble.
Trying to activate the foaming process is not a bad thing in itself as it can lead to relaxation.
If it’s created through tension, it only leads to fake, excessive foam or drooling, and one shouldn’t delude itself believing it’s a sign of relaxation.
My mare does happily foam while being worked with a cavesson.
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Ignore the first abstract (no space between words) and scroll down: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240628990_Effects_of_different_bits_and_bridles_on_frequency_of_induced_swallowing_in_cantering_horses
Ok, firstly, I never mentioned drooling or swallowing. Secondly, it seems that, as I suspected, no one really knows for sure why this happens. It can’t be the bit if it happens without a bit. It can’t just be relaxation when you don’t see horses in the pasture doing it. Thirdly, being horse people, many of us are SURE we know why this happens! Thanks for a great discussion!
OP
OP?
Kinda weird @skydy … fancy.pants seems to answer as though she’s the OP dressagegirl123. Too confusing for an old duck such as myself. I like the topic, though and the various thoughts and opinions.
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Oh, oops. They are both the same person, me. Two different computers somehow ended up with two different Chron accounts. It happened so long ago, that I have no idea (or desire) to fix it. 
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Somehow it just happened…
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You are missing the whole point. They WON’’T do it in the pasture because they are not working in the pasture. Out in the field, do you ever see a horse in a relaxed working posture trotting and cantering around and around for twenty minutes? It takes sustained, relaxed work for the gentle, small movements of the tongue to Turn the saliva into fine foam.
But whatever you wanna believe.
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Maybe the OP forgot her login and just created a new/second account on the other computer, instead of trying to reset her password? That scenario really isn’t that hard to imagine.
I mean, I know this is the dressage board, but is this topic really one that would be worth houseguesting over? :lol:
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Considering that I know people who have like 5 different Facebook accounts because they stay logged in, have no clue what the password is, and just make another account every time they get a new phone or device… :lol:
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Oh, Sticky, you know me so well! And I have no idea what houseguesting is! I forgot passwords constantly, until I set up my computers to log me in automatically. I still don’t know what the passwords are, but I get logged in, so I don’t care. I don’t care that I have 2 Chron accounts, either…
