# What does it mean when the horse bows its head down while riding?



## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

I switched to a different lesson horse yesterday, and she kept bowing her head down whenever I rode her. It wasn't a problem, just different. Does this mean anything or is it just the horse's style?


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

My mare carries her head fairly level with her back, and the pony my sister rides carries it with her nose in the air.

She may have been stretching and relaxing
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## futuredoctor (Jun 8, 2013)

Is it just a mare thing? Because the first two lesson horses I rode were geldings. They both held their necks upright.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

The trainer would have been able to tell you because (s)he actually saw it. "Bowing her head down" could be any number of positions, each meaning something different -- from proper collection, to low headset, to misbehaving, to stretching, to evading, discomfort...

No, it doesn't have anything to do with the sex of the horse.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I know my guy will do it sometimes after we transition downwards to a canter to a trot or a trot to a walk. For him it seems to be a stretch and a mental relaxation thing. Another horse I did lessons on loved to stretch his head down while he was trotting. It was an allowed release from being collected, but he had learned to ham it up a bit too.


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## katec1991 (Jun 25, 2012)

My gelding will lower his head all the way to the ground when he trots sometimes to stretch out his back muscles.
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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

It could be multiple different things. 

-relaxing or stretching
-uncertain of footing or going over obstacle
-getting ready to lay down or buck
-trained as in western pleasure to carry it's head low
-loss of attention or looking for something more interesting than what you are doing
-looking for something to eat

It's hard to say why she is doing it without seeing it. No it is not because of gender. 

A horse that carries it's head high is usually alert, nervous, or anxious. It could be also from its breed. A lower head usually means relaxed, which is good.
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