Why try to set his
head? Because he rides with his head so high up he bonks you in the nose
every step. Because when he has his head up he hallows his back.
Because with their head up that high there is less control. Because I want my
horse to be well balanced and healthy.
Of course he was allowed rest
times. This is a horse that can go 8 hours a day and not get tired mind
you. Not some school horse that is never ridden more than an hour at a time at
the walk. I wasn't forcing his head between his knees, or holding the
reins so tight he couldn't move his head any were he wanted. They were just
there for encouragement.
First off, why would you want to "set" the horse's
head? Secondly, I'd not even consider riding in draw reins for that length
of time. Was the horse allowed numerous rest periods where he could
stretch?
You are likely correct that the tiredness is due to
enforcing a different carriage than the
usual.
