Hi

First of all, I love your website. Secondly, I'm hoping you can offer some advice.

I have a 16 year old Standardbred, off the track, that was shown as a roadster to bike for several years and as a roadster under saddle for one season. I bought him 5 years ago and have showed him in a couple pleasure walk-trot classes. I like to work him in the jog cart, but he has a nasty habit of keeping his head turned to the outside. He keeps his head straight when under saddle, and having worked racing Standardbreds some, I have a suspicion that his head tilt stems from his racing days. My question to you is do you have suggestions on how to fix this, short of using a head pole?

Thanks!

Thank you for your question. You have hit upon what might be my biggest pet peeve. Although a seemingly minor issue, the consequences of a horse that is not straight in the bridle could form an extremely long list that would encompass problems such as soundness, "flight" path interference, muscle atrophy, canter deficiencies, mismatched diagonals and general gait inadequacies, to name but a few. I am perplexed by supposedly educated horsemen who not only ignore the problem but continually and consistently develop a right or left "handed" horse and think nothing of it. Whether they purposely do this for some reason or they are not aware they are doing it, they do not seem to understand that "straight is great" and a "crooked" horse can come with some costs.

I must concur with you on the development of this habit in your horse's racing days. It seems many Standardbred trainers take the easy way out and choose not to correct this issue. For me, getting beat by a nose a time or two would encourage me to keep that head out front! To that end, let's talk some options.

It seems pretty unusual that the horse is straight under saddle and one sided in harness but I trust your assessment. First, as with ANY issue involving the horse's bridle, make certain his dental issues have been addressed. A horse whose teeth are in need of a "float" is simply a horse not prepared to wear the bridle correctly. Time after time, this first step has proven almost miraculous in solving biting problems and has taught many of my clients that there is no substitute for floating the teeth twice a year.

It would help if I knew if he was always one sided to the same direction or was "ambidextrous". I'll just assume he is simply one sided to the left. Going on that assumption, a stall bridle with his head turned comfortably to the right for twenty or thirty minutes before jogging can be very helpful. This not only softens that side of his mouth but will stretch muscles and tendons that have not been used for years thus making the straightening of his head a more comfortable proposition for him. One thing in your favor, the jog cart is the very best place to correct this issue. You can be very subtle with your hands; can see the attitude of the head in relation to the body, and the shafts serve as a guide. You cannot correct this with draw lines so use a rather long running martingale and straight reins. I feel a four ring, straight bar bit is indispensible for this task and by sliding and "bumping" rather than pulling a side, you should notice some correction at the walk. To declare yourself the winner of this "war", slight pressure should turn the horse's head equally over his right or left shoulder both at the halt and at the walk. He should back in a straight line and trot with his head in front of him including around a turn the second direction of the ring.

Some may find a bit burr to be of help in this quest and depending on the particular horse something like my Lavery Convertible Bit, can be a great tool for the one sided steed. In reference to the head pole, I am a fan of it for some horses and have used them with good results for over 40 years. They are fairly non invasive and an old pool cue makes a good pole and a very cheap addition to your training equipment.

To be sure, the best way to approach this problem is to never have it. That can only be accomplished by insuring the horse's head is straight on a daily basis.

I hope this has given you some ideas and feel sure that if you take your time the correction will come very easily. I wish you good luck and good riding.

LFLavery

Mr. Lavery,

OK, here goes. I got a rescue ASB gelding last year. While he was at the rescue, the trainer there used a smooth snaffle on him all the time. I got one and used it for a while. I switched to a twisted wire because there were times I needed a bit more bit. He is a go-forward type of horse, and sometimes I need him to WHOA on the trail and need to back it up.

I figured out eventually that he hates to have contact, even in a smooth snaffle. Even light contact seems to tie him up and make him fretful. We have sort of figured each other out, and he will let me have contact as long as I let him have his head most of the time. I generally ride him with light contact.

I'm wondering if it's the joint in the snaffle that he doesn't like. I've tried the Cash Lovell slow twist mullen mouth? (I think-it has no joint and floats in the rings) and while it's a bit large for his mouth, he seemed to like it better. I've tried kimberwicke bits and other bits, but they were a curb effect and he didn't like them. That Cash bit is a bit pricey for a trail horse, though I've thought about showing him.

What bit would be a good work bit to try, that isn't real expensive? His teeth need done, though they were done last fall and really there's been no change in his head tossing when the bit is applied.

Thanks for the help.

Thank you so much for a great question. I am very impressed with how well you have analyzed the situation and the conclusions you have come to. Although I am certain you are not aware of it, the basic premise of the question has been asked since Roman times and, incidentally, it has made millionaires out of thousands of bit makers! Severe or not severe? Smooth or sharp? Frankly, there is no iron clad answer…it depends on the horse and more importantly, as in the Tip of the Day, on the rider.

To illustrate, I quote from two of the finest and most successful horse trainers it was my privilege to know (ones even novice ASB owners would have heard of) as I was learning my craft. In answer to my question about how a horse's mouth should be, Trainer #1 said, "I bit ‘em sharp and ride ‘em very light. You can ride with a razor blade if your hands are soft." Now that he cleared that up for me, I asked Trainer #2 the very same question...His response, "I just push them up to that bridle and take my best hold." So there you have it, hope that clears it up for you... Seriously, that should give you an idea on how diverse opinion is on this subject and that there is no definitive answer. (I chose to follow Trainer #1's biting philosophy throughout my career and although it might vary some on a per horse basis, I always found "pitching" much more rewarding than "pulling")

Getting back to your question, everything you describe sounds like a red flag for dental issues. At least 75% of all horses I am asked to look at because of biting problems can immediately be improved or completely corrected with the assistance of a professional equine dentist and his "floats". Teeth that are not attended to at least once a year can easily develop those sharp edges and other problems that can cause enough discomfort as to make some horses not only unridable but dangerous. As in your description, though the head tossing might have other impetus, unwilling to accept even light contact is not normal behavior and raises the question "why", which can be explained by the discomfort already mentioned. Address dental issues first.

Back to the bits. A smooth snaffle, when slid forcefully left and right, can be quite severe. A sharp twisted snaffle, when strongly held with no movement, can be less severe than the smooth snaffle. We go back to the rider's hands. As far as the "4-ring straight bar bit" , broken snaffles work more on the corners of the mouth as straight bar bits distribute pressure, evenly, on the bars of the mouth. (Much like a curb) In my opinion, a straight bar bit is an indispensable training tool especially when working in harness. Going on that "per horse" basis, I have had horses that resent and then get strong and pull on a severe bit whereas they are light in a smooth snaffle. Taking all of this into consideration, I would go with whatever your horse "tells" you he likes so both of you can have a pleasant ride.

I hope this has been of some help to you and I again thank you for your great question. I wish you good luck and good riding.

LF Lavery

You spoke about how to care for tails and tail feathers. Here's another question: My horse likes to move her tail out of her crupper. She has a large and long tail bone. It fits into the crupper fine. I place cotton in the crupper, wrap the tail carefully, and tie ropes to stabilize the crupper. Once it's in place and wrapped she likes to try to move her tail out of the crupper. Yesterday, she was able to get the crupper off her tail and wrap it around her leg. I may not have had the ropes crossed correctly. Thankfully, no damage. Do you have any ideas or recommendation for a horse that plays with their tail?

Thank you for your fine question. Like the cobbed Clydesdale and Hackney tails, the cropped Doberman ears and tail, the shortened Jack Russell tail, the Poodle, tail and clip, etc, etc, the elevated flowing tail of the American Saddlebred horse is an important and very identifiable characteristic of the breed itself. As a signature of sorts, it helps set the horse apart from pretenders. Further, improvement of the locomotion of the hind quarters and a more pleasant driving horse are often other, non cosmetic, benefits. To be sure, there is nothing more beautiful than a properly turned out and cared for tail and nothing worse looking than one that has not been cared for. Although the surgical procedure for setting the tail is much more "ear piercing" than "appendectomy", the after and then continuing care makes the difference between perfection and the rest. I must very much doubt that your mare "enjoys" moving her tail out of her crupper but she is expending that energy to be more comfortable. To retard this behavior, your task is to insure she is comfortable. With nearly no exception, horses that rub their sets off are doing it because they itch, the set is too tight, the "binding" has made the tail hot or the stall offers places making the action very easily accomplished.

There is absolutely no substitute for the number one rule in taking care of a tail in a set. Cleanliness! The tail bone, hair and dock (including under the tail… where it signifies the horse is from "O"-hio) must be kept clean at all times. Washing the dock every day, conditioning the hair daily or several times a week and shampooing and moisturizing once a month, is a simple program that will give you remarkable results when religiously followed. There are a myriad of wonderful conditioning products out there, I even manufacture an extremely popular one myself, but steer clear of products containing alcohol as they tend to dry the tail and promote itching. Heavy and oily products should also be avoided as they tend build up a greasy residue on the tail and the pores and follicles. No matter how thorough you shampoo the tail, it is to no avail if you do not rinse the soap out completely. A perfectly clean tail should not itch!

You would be surprised how often I am asked, by those who are tearing their own hair out over the loss of their horse's tail hair, what they are doing wrong. If the tail is clean, many times, it is not what they are doing wrong but simply trying to do too right. The two most often made mistakes are too much padding in the crupper and a surcingle that is located improperly and too loose. The standard tail set crupper is constructed to hold the tail at the proper attitude. It is a trough designed to contain the tail. Although padding is necessary for comfort, too much padding interferes with the design and function by raising the tail bone too far out of the trough and narrowing the channel thus pinching the tail, a case of trying to be nice ends up being wrong. Whatever padding you use, cotton, diapers, patented products…make certain they breathe, keep them clean and do not over pad.

Although the tail set harness is often described as fitting like a pair of suspenders, the surcingle should not be falling off the horse. Further it should be more towards the wither than the middle of the back to prevent rolling and fastened snug but not tight. The rest of the harness, "Y" straps, crupper turn backs and breast collar should be evenly set and not too tight with at least a two inch gap easily produced by a fairly light pull from your hand. The best way to put the set on is to fasten the belly band only after the crupper has been applied and secured so that all is fitting evenly.

In the stall, watch for tail boards that are too high (should hit the horse in the center of the gaskin), Hay racks that are too low and water buckets and feed tubs that are tail height. All make it way too easy for the horse to get in trouble even when you are doing all else correctly. For a chronic "rubber" in a flat walled stall, several tail "cages" are on the market and although more costly, certainly a better choice than the heat generating but cheap and too often used, plastic bucket.

One further note and a pet peeve of mine, the tie down straps you mention. With a clean tail properly secured in a well fitting and adjusted set and crupper to promote comfort, retard the itching and a stall free of handy, dandy set removers, those ropes should not be necessary. If you watch a horse pass manure, you will note his tail lifts high. When he manures in a set that is tied down by the ropes can you imagine what is happening to that tail in that crupper? Comfort!

I think that about covers most facets of your great question. I hope you have found this to be of help and can assure you, from past experience, that if follow these suggestions, religiously, you will achieve the results you desire. Good luck and good riding,

LF Lavery

Hi

I have a five year old Arab gelding that I am training for hunter. He was started "late". So he has only had about six months on him and is still really a youngster that is still learning.

My question is concerning knee action. He has the action but there is no curl if that makes sense. How can I get him to curl? He is also completely barefoot.

So is the curling action more of a rear end driving function or could it be helped with weight on the front feet? If it is a weight issue would weighted bell boots help him and what would be your thoughts on that.

Thanks for the website...it is great to be able to ask a trainer for advice

Thanks so much

Thank you so much for your question. Your excellent description of the way your horse is moving is referred to by trainers of other breeds in terms such as, "shooting beans", "floating", "foundered going", "toe flipping" and many, many more such non-complimentary terms. To an aficionado of the Arabian, however, this action is simply that of the Arabian horse, one of the oldest known breeds. Picture if you will the horse in his native habitat, the deep sands of the desert. Seldom would you find his rider asking for the trot in such footing but to cover the most ground the lateral gallop would appear to make them virtually float across the desert sands. Head and tail raised high, it is the stuff beautiful paintings and sculptures are made of. Extension of the legs rather than elevation insures the most length of stride for this relatively short legged horse thusly making him not only ground covering but light footed. Trotting with such extension also limits the depth to which they might sink in that deep sand. Additionally, being shy one set of ribs, they are more close-coupled than any other breed, helping their weight to be more evenly distributed front to back on footing so soft. You are certainly correct in your assumption that propulsion from the rear can affect the motion in front but unlike most breeds that were actually bred to do some sort of work, the Arabian has never been known as a breed that pushes off the hocks and again this probably has to do with traction issues of their formative environment. As you can see, what you are observing and would like to change is a part of his genetic heritage, going back several hundred years. As in the Tip of the Day, you are asking to change the way this breed of horse has been bred to perform. Not an easy task.

To affect such a change as you wish might be accomplished with some sensible shoeing and even then it will not be miraculous. There are prescribed shoeing regulations for Arabians in competition. Basically, they limit the toe length to 4 3/4 inches and a prescribed width and shape of the shoe. That being said, the usual procedure for changing the "flight path" of the hoof from extension to fold would be to quicken the foot up. This can often be accomplished by raising the heel and rolling the toe. Here, a good farrier and some experimentation will work well in your behalf. Be apprised that even with the very best horses in the nation in the open Park National Championships, more display the motion you describe than that which you desire. It is simply the motion of the Arabian horse.

Thank you once again for your question; I hope I have been of some help. I wish you good luck and good riding.

L.F.Lavery

I have an acquaintance that has been taking lessons under a classical dressage instructor. The horses work on low head carriage and raising the back. She has expressed to me that My saddle seat riding is doing physical damage to my horse! What? She said a high head carriage hollows the back and weakens their core. Parking out weakens their hindquarters. Please help me explain saddleseat horses intelligently. I'm kinda feeling assaulted.

Thank you so much for your wonderful question. Being a fourth generation horse trainer and having spent my entire life in the horse industry I am quite aware of the plethora of ridiculous statements such as this that abound through all disciplines. A proponent of one style pointing a finger at another is truly a sad thing as the bottom line is, no matter what your style or discipline, the true reward is the interaction with the horse. To "muddy the water" for an equine enthusiast with such an ignorant statement is certainly not in anyone's best interest but, it does happen. To make a statement such as this the instructor sounds to me like a REAL classic. Promoting one's style by criticizing another is a technique often used by insecure and uninformed trainers and instructors to try to better their lot when their "talent" is not enough to speak for itself. Is there ANY truth here? Yes.

The dressage horse is worked for lower head carriage and to be heavy on the forehand. He is encouraged to round his back. Classical dressage, when performed by a well trained horse and rider is truly a beautiful thing to behold. A good dressage horse's conformation lends itself to this type of head carriage. The neck does not come straight up out of the wither as an ASB's but more straight out. The shoulder is not as laid back as an ASB's but more straight to accommodate extension rather than elevation. The hind legs are straighter than an ASB's and drop quicker from the croup as the balance point is more to the front than the rear. The dressage horse's back might well lean to a shorter "hog" back. These conformation differences although seemingly very subtle, would easily allow you to look at black silhouettes of the two types standing still and easily identify who was who. These conformation differences are what establishes the laws of "Form to Function". In other words, how the horse is conformed dictates what job he is best suited for and most comfortable doing. ASB's have been bred to "ride uphill", they have been bred to distribute the weight to their haunches to allow for the elevation of the front legs and they have been bred to "settle" in their backs to give the most comfortable ride and perform the lateral gaits.. A well conformed, good example of an American Saddlebred would have a great deal of difficulty performing the tasks of a dressage horse as if the tables were turned the dressage horse would be at a loss to perform as an ASB. Form to function.

On another note, the basic training of both is quite similar with correct emphasis on a rider's legs, hands and seat working in unison to affect the proper response from the horse. Training differences occur with the subtleties of each discipline. A rider of either discipline, however, should be able to make a fairly good accounting of one's self riding the other.

My advice to you...keep riding "Uphill" and enjoy the ride, your horse will.

I hope this has been of some help to you and I thank you again for you great question. I wish you good luck and good riding.

LF Lavery

Hello,

I have a half Arabian mare that has a light mouth. I have been trying to keep light hands and just keep steady/light contact with the bit (s) and bump her to keep her up in the bridle and collected. I am fine at home, my problem is when I get to a show my hands freeze and don't work. Even when I try to "use" my hands at the show it is like I completely can't do it or forgot how. It sounds like a simple problem now that I've typed it out as a question. I just want to make myself a better rider...what can I do to get better with my hands?

Thank you so much for your question. Light hands are perhaps the single most important skill in training, riding or showing a horse. It pleases me that you are so aware of this. Yes, it does sound very simple but I assure you it is not, as you are not the only camper at this picnic. This happens all the time and occasionally even a professional can have a touch of this "disease". To be sure, the culprit is most often nerves. Any horse trainer charged with putting horse and rider combinations together for the show ring can go on endlessly with stories about riders' nerves that are peppered with quaint expressions. Some I like are: "She had that deer in the headlights look", "I finally said. Use the other snaffle", "I don't know how, but when he gets in the saddle, I think he sits on his ears.", "She looked right at me but I know she wasn't seeing me", "She actually said, Did I get a ribbon?", "He is president of a large company and an extremely intelligent man, but something happens when he puts his foot in that stirrup" . I could go on and on. You are not alone!

Well, congratulations. From what you have described in your letter, you are conscious of this issue and therefore are on your way to correcting it. Being comfortable in the show ring takes a great deal of effort. A rider must be concerned with: Setting the horse's head, executing the correct gaits, maintaining the proper speed, finding the correct placement on the rail and in traffic, maintaining light contact with the bridle and strong contact with the saddle while looking up where you are going, sitting straight with your heels down shoulders back, on the correct diagonal and lead as you listen for your trainer, smile and have fun! Wow…Makes me a little nervous. Like an actor not knowing his lines, a singer not knowing the words, a dancer not knowing the steps, a rider who is not comfortable with this class "routine", will invariably display some stage fright. Only when the majority of this becomes second nature to you (practice, practice, and practice) will you begin to feel that comfort in the show ring. It just takes time.

The time tested way to insure light hands is lunge line work. Riding in this fashion, without reins, separates your hands from your seat so that working independently your hands have nothing to do with your balance and are only concerned with the correct cues to the horse's mouth.

There is also one other variable that might be involved here, akin to the Tip of the Day, your mare might well be getting a touch of nervousness as well and manifest it by "hogging" the bridle. If so, practice and time is my suggestion for her as well until she gets more comfortable in the show ring.

I guess that about wraps this up. I hope I have been of some help to you. I wish you good luck and good riding.

LF Lavery