Slinging head

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flaboy-

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One more thing on Bronco Skip (his name is Skipper). He sometime wants to throw his head around. Usually when I am working on reining practice. I am using a full cheek snaffle bit. He sometimes wants to fight it. Other than that he carries his head in good position.

Should I put a German martingale on him or just wait until I work him more?
 
wait!!!! pull back medium effort on both reins equally, and wait until the mouth softens( head comes back andmouth opens) then drop pressure on the reins immediately....he just has not figured out what it is that you want from him yet....repeated tries will let him know that.
 
How does he sling his head? Had one would drop his head to l knee,swing left into big circle with head upsidedown over back,then down to r knee..... Stoped that with a trotline tiedown attached to snaffel bit....he would do this on lungeline,so let him hit it a few times in the pen...found out he had a "long"tooth a molor that needed cut down...
 
By slinging I mean he will toss the head high and to one side or the other. Usually when he is being pressured to turn one way or the other. I use as little rein pressure as possible at all times. When moving forward I use no pressure at all. He will sometimes bring the head high at the same time as twisting it. Does that make sense? Hard to describe motion.

He doesn't do it all the time. Seems when he gets bored or wants to go another direction.
 
Check bit sides--sometimes the horses lip gets pinched in the sidebar ,where the bit attaches--know that'd make ME throw my head:) Also check curb.it can also pinch lip..
 
Peg, I am using a full cheek snaffle with no curb. Size appears to be right and I have about two wrinkles on each lip at the side.

I think this guy just gets bored when not trying to buck me off. :lol:
 
Thats why you don't want a "smart" horse--Now you've gotta think up things for hin to do--walk over poles..count..liedown.stuff like that :lol: ..I'd check into what you're feeding him--Don't like to feed sweetfeed myself,too many calories make mischief..crimped oats,and grass hay leads to nicer horses
 
peg4x4":x8yp8fsj said:
Thats why you don't want a "smart" horse--Now you've gotta think up things for hin to do--walk over poles..count..liedown.stuff like that :lol: ..I'd check into what you're feeding him--Don't like to feed sweetfeed myself,too many calories make mischief..crimped oats,and grass hay leads to nicer horses
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course every body does it different i like my horses with a sharp edge that i dull in the round pen then take them out for a workout in the pasture. i can knock that edge off but i cant put it back without energy. and i hate too rob a young'n of that while their still growing course on a mature horse thats a little high strung thats different. i got one rope horse that i prefer too feed a low energy feed but he's all athelete
 
I don't think it is feed in this guys case. He is kind of laid back unlike my Idiot. :lol:

I knew when I got him he had been spoiled and I suspect that is most of his problem. I have worked on him and he is far better at knowing who is in charge.

Still have been unable to get back on him. I hate it when it gets dark at 6:30 and soon (this week end) to be 5:30. I will get on him this weekend though and see if he still wants to rodeo. :shock:
 
flaboy-":3scy2lzj said:
One more thing on Bronco Skip (his name is Skipper). He sometime wants to throw his head around. Usually when I am working on reining practice. I am using a full cheek snaffle bit. He sometimes wants to fight it. Other than that he carries his head in good position.

Should I put a German martingale on him or just wait until I work him more?
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You are reining him too quickly, and there is a real good chance the bit is pinching his cheeks between the mouthpiece and the ring, I see this as a very common problem. So turn much slower and maybe use more open and direct reining.
 
MrGale":2gqdx1l7 said:
wait!!!! pull back medium effort on both reins equally, and wait until the mouth softens( head comes back andmouth opens) then drop pressure on the reins immediately....he just has not figured out what it is that you want from him yet....repeated tries will let him know that.
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Hey Flaboy,

I haven't been on the horse pages much lately, trying to be a better cow man I guess. In my opinion Mr Gale has it right on. I assume your talking about your young colt. He is problably fighting the bit because he is not use to it. when he quits fighting the bit and throwing his head around release all pressure. Never use too much pressure,when he softens give him his head, it is all real new to his mouth.

I will start a horse on the bit by using just a head set with a snaffle bit and no reins and work him as I usally do, in the round pen. No pressure, just a bit in the mouth.

I hope I'm on the same page.

Alan
 
Alan, I 'm glad you are learning about those cows. :lol:

This horse is one I bought to replace the filly that had problems. He is a 3YO and is greenbroke. I use as little pressure as possible on him. I did ride him last night but did not try to get him out of first gear due to time and needing to take him into a bigger pasture. He did really well. He is responding to the indirect rein much better. I sometimes need to get some direct rein pressure but not too often.

Not much head throwing last night. Trying to make sure when he gets direct rein pressure I am not inadvertently pulling the off side and confusing him.

I DO appreciate all the input.
 
This doesn't quite sound like the same thing, but we got a green 5 year old a few years that would throw his head around. We came to the conclusion that he was just spoiled, and put a set of draw reins on him that we left looped over the saddle horn. As long as he behaved they didn't interfere, but when he got into tossing his head they would pop him in the mouth. It didn't take him long to realize what was going on, and I think after a couple weeks we removed the sidereins and had no problems with him anymore. I have used the same theory in a few other young horses that were bad for throwing their heads. The best part of it was that the "punishment" happened exactly when it needed to, my arms didn't wear out, and when he quit the reins quit.
 
Have you checked his wolf teeth? Sometimes that will cause one to sling their head?


Just a thought? Maybe it's been covered already. I've been absent from the boards lately and might have missed it but it's the first thing that popped into my head while scanning thru all this and trying to get caught up.

Other than that it looks like not much has changed here. ;-)

If I've missed something really good in the past few weeks someone pm me and update me on the latest.

Thanks....
 
Old Skip is doing much better now with the slinging head. I think as I said before he had been spoiled and allowed to get away with stuff and he has been testing me. So far I see a big improvement in him each time he tests me and fails.

Supposedly he spent a month at a "professional" trainers. From what I have seen he either didn't learn much or the trainer did not get his attention.
 
Could you call this trainer and ask what he did with the horse? Seems to be not much,but you could get a feel for what the trainer really knows..
 
peg4x4":2mys7jhm said:
Could you call this trainer and ask what he did with the horse? Seems to be not much,but you could get a feel for what the trainer really knows..
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I didn't aks who the trainer was but I know he/she is on the other side of the state. It really doesn't matter as I need to fix the problems now regardless of how good or bad the trainer was. I don't mind and it gives me something to talk about. :lol:
 
Flayboy, have a check in his mouth 1st check he hasn't got woolf teeth there really, small on a young horse but if the bit touches them it will be ugly for the horse and you. Also dose he side rein?.ie: direct rein, will he give to pressure? All these are steps most backyard trainers will miss. Also check your bit for sharp points. Cindy
 

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