When I canter my horse, he does lead changes without me asking, and when I don’t want him to - he just does them out of the blue, when we’re going straight. For a while he only did it going one direction, and now he does them on both sides. He also sometimes tosses his head up when he does them. Any suggestions? I try to canter him with his head bent in a little, but that doesn’t always stop him from doing a lead change.
Definitely consult a vet. This seems like a pain response. Could be SI disease, stifle pain, back pain, neck issue, or something else. I find that in 99% of situations where horses are doing a weird and/or undesirable behaviors, there’s an underlying issue of pain somewhere.
8 Likes
I think many possibilities could be causing what you are experiencing. A horse who is uncomfortable, fatigued, weak, experiencing inappropriate rider aids/weight shifting, anticipating a change, etc may all be potential causes. Get an experienced and knowledgeable trainer and vet to watch the horse go with you on it and without a rider to advise you.
9 Likes
On question is: is this a new behavior or is it something that the horse has done since you bought him/started riding him? If it’s a new behavior then it definitely could be a result of fatigue or pain.
If the horse has done this from the first time you rode him, you might get your coach or another good rider to ride him and see if they have the same issue. It may be that you’re inadvertently cuing to change, basically pressing a button you didn’t know he had.
15 Likes
what posting trot said exactly.
If it is on one lead only think pain and fatigue, particularly in the diagonal limb to the leading foreleg.
if it is both direction, you possible have an equitation issue where you are using a sensitive cue like weight shift or leg slide, but it might be a sign of hind end pain in general
7 Likes
Does he do it with other riders?
3 Likes
Maybe get a neuro exam.
What if you really try to keep the aids on, like dressage riders do, so give a constant nudge to hold the lead?
He is not technically mine, so I will have his owner do this.
I would consult with an equine vet that has the time to watch you ride so they can see if happening.
I would also suggest a chiropractor for yourself. Because the behavior has evened out to both sides, that gives me some inclination that your body or equitation may be at least part of the cause.
I rode a horse who came off lease from a very very big eq barn on the east coast and when he came back he was very in tune to your leg. The slightest motion back with your inside leg he would swap to the counter lead.
Could be pain, could be your leg and that he is just trying to please. Without knowing the horse or your riding level, of course it’s hard to say over the internet 
2 Likes
“Tipping his nose in”, could be bringing his nose in, forcing him to counter balance by pushing his shoulder out, and causing him to break at the withers rather than bend through the ribs. If you want to use continuous bend to hold the lead, think of a shoulder fore. Do not hold the inside rein as it will also block the shoulder from swinging.
Hopefully his owner can help you sort out if it is rider “error” or a soundness issue, but my guess is that you are riding a horse that may be more sensitive/broke than you are used to.
I agree to consult a vet to rule out a physical cause (unsoundness, neuro, etc). However, I have known some very sensitive horses who will absolutely tell on you if you’re unbalanced by swapping leads, as well as others who will change with the slightest of aids (for example, when steering around or passing a person or object). So, rider imbalance or rider error can also contribute if medical issues are ruled out.
5 Likes
OP is not the owner and does not control his management. Vet suggestions are a good suggestion but only owner can act on them and only if they choose to.
Sometimes when riding a borrowed horse, our skills don’t match the skills of the horse and we don’t get the responses we are expecting. Especially if we only ride it once or twice a week. He may well have buttons you don’t know about.
Place to start here would be talking to the owner and ideally having them ride him while you watch them then you ride and they watch you. That may be to source of the lead changes- you are getting what you are asking for.
Don’t feel bad, happens to everybody on unfamiliar horses. For that matter, happens when you get a new car too…takes several hundred miles to figure out the tech…most dealers even spend at least an hour teaching buyer and answer questions for several days or even weeks. OP needs to get with owner.
3 Likes
