Comments on: Your Horse’s Head Position

By: Self-Carriage, Part 1 – America’s Horse Daily

Self-Carriage, Part 1 – America’s Horse Daily — Wed, 04 May 2011 10:02:02 +0000

[...] horse falls behind the bridle, a lot of people think they have a good feel, but it only affects the head and the neck and not the body. In reality, the horse is on the forehand. If he has got his weight [...]

By: Downward Transitions, Part 1 – America’s Horse Daily

Downward Transitions, Part 1 – America’s Horse Daily — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:12:04 +0000

[...] a good downward transition, the horse’s head and neck will stay balanced and his poll soft. He sort of compresses himself from the back end, [...]

By: What to Look For, Part 1 – America’s Horse Daily

What to Look For, Part 1 – America’s Horse Daily — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:02:16 +0000

[...] still must be broke and quiet, functionally correct, have soft and smooth transitions and steady faces. They have to be beautiful, correct movers with a four-beat walk, a two-beat trot and a three-beat [...]

By: bill rousey

bill rousey — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:11:02 +0000

martin, by the end of the first week in june ill be back from fishing trip with my youngest grand boy, silas. a dang sure candidate to carry on the tradition great basin. yes i did end up with my own brandig crew. quite a remarkable story really, it is still unwinding to reveal how incredible trails together we journey to end up in same camp. id like to keep in touch for alvord help. bill rousey…i heard my self referred to as the sun valley kid, a little late for the kid part,,,,sunvalley .p.s. dean tobias was the namer.

By: Ann Copeland

Ann Copeland — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:48:12 +0000

I was fortunate enough to learn my early horsemanship from M R Valdez and chief Rojas and Don Burt! All used their hands, time and an occasional bit change. The foals were started in the hackamore for Mr Valdez with lots of miles and cows. From Don came the snaffle. My grandfather and father would yell a lot at the use of a snaffle on a fresh mouth. But times and methods do change. You should’ve seen the Irvinw Ranch horses work with a string in their mouths. Feed and teeth play a large role in a horse being able to “carry” his head. And some just can’t.

By: Janis Otti

Janis Otti — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:33:11 +0000

If the horse is moving badly even without a rider I would definity have him checked by a chiropracter or osteopath. It may take just one session to fix the problem. In any case you can usually see a difference after the first time. I’ve had my mare “overhauled” from back to front over a period of three years(she was a real tough case with a problem since foal-age) and with every session things got better and she has now finally let her neck and head down. Make sure you get someone with lots of experience and good references and maybe read some books on this topic.

By: Patty Wilber

Patty Wilber — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:25:17 +0000

How about a visit from a chiropracter? I haven’t looked at Martin Black’s stuff, but i am guessing he has exercises that involve circles and bending and pivots and sideways movements that might increase the flexiblity of the horse, thus leading to move drive from behind and a more level way of going for the horse.
Stuff like tiedowns (in my opinion) can help a horse figure out where we want the head, sometimes with less fighting, and can sometimes help the horse build the muscles needed to hold the position requested.
On the other hand, taking more time and doing it without the tiedwon could produce more permanent results. I have also found that the “gimmicks” can help make up for less than perfect timing. In other words, people who are very good with their cues and release quickly and at the right time will be less likley to need extra tools.

By: Rachel Smith

Rachel Smith — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:50:20 +0000

I’m 38 and have a 4-year old filly with a pretty rough trot. She has a nice head-set at a walk and lope, but it comes up for the trot. Bear in mind that while I had horses for several years growing up I had no lessons or opportunity to learn from other horse people, so while I can stay on a horse pretty good, the more I learn about horses and riding I realize that I am really a novice and in need of lessons. My friend has been helping me some with the training of my filly and she has used draw reins on her with some improvement. She thinks the filly just needs to learn collection. I don’t want to ignore any possible health issues or the fault being my riding. She gets seen by the vet a couple of times a year and he keeps a good check on her teeth, so if you could point me in any other directions I would appreciate the advice so we can get to a more comfortable ride for both of us.