I believe the cause is he has
not used the correct muscles for years. If holding your head
correctly is hard, then of course you will do so incorrectly. Or at least
that is what my vet (well both of them), my farrier, and my trainer agree
with. The more I work with him, the better his muscling becomes, the
easier it seems for him.
I think Dr. Newells comments were meant to suggest (I am cringing here)
that you identify the 'cause' of your horses high-headedness, not just try to
'fix' it. Often times, if you look at a problem from your horse's
perspective, the answer becomes clear and all the problems you listed will
become a non-issue. Just a thought....going back to lurk mode.
jennifer.
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.
