# Horse dropping nose to ground when asked to trot



## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

I'd be inclined to think this horse is testing you to see what he can get away with, if he is not limping or exhibiting signs of soreness.

May also be contemplating rolling, bucking or just has found new way to have one on.

Does he do this when he is in field, or at play, or only when you are working with him in some fashion?

If it is ALL the time? Something may be wrong, if it is not, then you are being played like a fish.

And by babying him along, worrying about his prior life, you may have taught him to do this too, not literally, but figuratively by not demanding much of him, or expecting it.

Video would help here.


----------



## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

One of my geldings does this. Whether hes ridden of lunged, he'll lower his head and nearly drag his muzzle on the ground. He doesnt place a foot wrong, the sweetest boy. Tack fits properly. Its just...him. Its his way of stretching his neck and lifting his back.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Renomama (Aug 1, 2012)

@Palomine Thank you for the advice, but it's not like that at all. There's no buck or attitude attached to it. He doesn't even pull at the bit when doing it. @ClaPorte432 Thank you for the reply. . . it's wierd because he's never done this before - do you think it could be age. .or WEATHER related? It's been sooo HOT and HUMID here - he's well hydrated but it's uncomfortably hot although I've been waiting until later in the day when it tends to cool off a bit to work with him.


----------



## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

He is stretching his back. Lots of horses do this.. and if you are training a horse you often encourage it. 

What discipline are you riding? 

You are likley riding with your reins too loose unless you are not going for something specific (like stretching and ecncouraging him to lower his head and use his ring of muscles to raise his back). You are likely not pushing him forward into the bit and asking him to use his ring of muscles.. shifting his weight off his forehand to his hind quarters. He may have been taught to do this on a loose rein at some point in his training. 

A horse that CAN do this when you are riding means you do not have him on the bit and he is not really working. Shorten your reins and push him forward with your legs and he can't do this. 

If he does this lunging when you first start out, that is good (he is warming up and stretching). After 10 minutes put loose side reins on him and continue to lunge him.. he won't be able to get his nose on the ground. Lunge him in a proper lunging cavesson.. not just the lunge line hooked to one side of the bit (NEVER!) or to the near halter ring. 

Of course this response is assuming his tack fits correctly and he is not over loaded.


----------



## longshot (May 30, 2012)

quickly enter western pleasure events and listen to the praise of your training regimen! lol kidding Just keep pulling his head up when he does it, if he fights the bit then you gotta work that out. Just make sure that everything your horse does while you are aboard is your idea not his..


----------



## Renomama (Aug 1, 2012)

Elana said:


> He is stretching his back. Lots of horses do this.. and if you are training a horse you often encourage it.
> 
> What discipline are you riding?
> 
> ...


Thank you, Elana. We actually think he may be sick and having some stomache issues as the problem has progressed slightly and he now is showing signs of diarrea - perhaps he's had a stomache ache all along. Vet is coming to check him out today.


----------



## Renomama (Aug 1, 2012)

longshot said:


> quickly enter western pleasure events and listen to the praise of your training regimen! lol kidding Just keep pulling his head up when he does it, if he fights the bit then you gotta work that out. Just make sure that everything your horse does while you are aboard is your idea not his..


That's funny! LOL


----------



## TexanFreedom (Apr 2, 2012)

Could you try grass reins? 

I went to a horse camp once, and they took us on a trail ride, and the mare I rode had grass reins, I think they were more of a saftey precaution than anything, because then I and the others were young beginners, but anyway, it was thin cord rope clipped to the snaffle ring, and ran through a ring in where the browband and crownpiece meet, and wrapped around the horn- of course, if you ride english, you can tie them to the breastplate ring. I've heard of them to keep a greedy pony from eating grass, or to keep a naughty horse from lowering his head too far below his withers to buck. 

It may work, but like most training aids of this type, it's probably only temporary and it's best to do it right.


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

I have a horse that does this too.

I stopped worrying about it and used it to my advantage, he is stretching. He only does it during warming up and as soon as I pick him up he knows its time to go to work.


----------



## Renomama (Aug 1, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I think I'll go with the Vet on this one and give him a couple of days off, see if he starts feeling better.


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

He has always done it. 
Even when I started him as a colt he would try it. I wouldn't let him then because I thought he was playing and was thinking about bucking or rolling like Palomine suggested. But he has never offered to do either. He really loves to do it in a freshly worked up arena or if we are riding in a new place. 

But like I said before, as soon as I pick him he goes right to work.


----------



## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

My gelding used to do this and occasionally will just because. One thing I would check would be his teeth. My gelding really needed his teeth floated when he first started doing it. He was always terrible with the bit and very mouthy, and after I got his teeth fixed all of that stopped. His teeth were sharp and uncomfortable and he tried to evade the bit. 

If that isn't the problem, next thing I would think of is the tack. I had been between saddles and he would lower his head and raise his tail along with somehow managing to hollow out his back. Even if you have a saddle that you've been using for a long time, have someone experienced check the fit. My first few years with Moe we had a saddle that didn't fit but we rode in all the time. I got bucked off enough to learn my lesson. Then of course it could be the bit, make sure it is right for your horse. Make sure to you are asking softly with your hands and make sure you make listening to the bit a pleasant experience.

If it isn't any of the former, it could simply be him testing to see what he can get away with. I've had every one of these be a problem with the same horse. If he is just doing it because he thinks he can get away with it, softly take one rein and ask him to pick his head up. When my horse had sharp teeth, however, we wrote it off to him just being his ordinary obnoxious self. Make sure to get him checked out before you make any rash decisions. But make sure not to baby him in the process. Good luck. ;3


----------



## Beling (Nov 3, 2009)

My horse does this occasionally when she feels a cough coming. (I try not to give her carrots before I ride--she doesn't do a good job chewing them!) The thing is, the stretching sometimes clears her throat, so the cough doesn't happen. It doesn't sound exactly like what's happening with you, I'm just agreeing the possibility he's feeling something uncomfortable and trying to relieve it.


----------



## horsecrazymeetsjustcrazy (Dec 10, 2012)

*Horse puts nose to ground- even in a canter.*

My horse does this too. Drops his nose to the ground at a walk, trot and now even at a canter. I saw a few videos where racehorses were retrained and they let them do it to stretch there backs, but I was not sure how long/ when it was okay to allow it. I started to try and prevent it and urge him on into the bit when he did it for a while. As a newer owner, this type of thing can be confusing to figure out when to push and when to not.

I recently had the DVM out (because my horse bucked, bolted and reared in one week after being an angel for a year) who also evaluates saddle fit- he said his saddle was too narrow at the withers. The saddle was also low in the back and high in the front and unbalanced. He hated were the billets were as they kept the girth in the slightly wrong place. Since my horse is a bit downhill, it exacerbates the issue. This is the saddle that came with the horse.

I thought the new explosive behavior might be due to a small paddock injury on a very sensitive part of the leg/foot- it was kind of a large sore under the fetlock near where the digital cushion is.

I am looking for a new saddle now and will report if there is any change with a better fitting one.


----------



## Suedaven (Mar 6, 2013)

I have a similar problem. My horse likes to trot or canter with his nose 6" from the ground. Usually it's to put his head between his legs and buck around the ring. He also like me to hold his head up. He can be heavy in the turns. I have had a hard time finding the right bit. I want to have light hands but he leans so much that it becomes me holding his head and hanging on his mouth. I put my leg on and it works until I give and back goes his head in my hands. Any suggestions? He also likes to go fast to avoid the bit. Trot fast, canter fast, gallop and buck. He doesn't do this with other riders usually.


----------



## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm glad you had the vet out. Whenever there is any _sudden_ change in a horse's habits it's almost always due to some health issue. Taking tack away a piece at a time was very smart to be able to see if any particular piece was causing the trouble.

If this doesn't turn out to be tummy trouble I would look into a chiropractor or massage therapist. They aren't as expensive as they sound. If a horse _suddenly_ feels the need to stretch their back and have trouble moving they could have pulled something or misaligned something in play.

Good job


----------



## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

Suedaven said:


> I have a similar problem. My horse likes to trot or canter with his nose 6" from the ground. Usually it's to put his head between his legs and buck around the ring. He also like me to hold his head up. He can be heavy in the turns. I have had a hard time finding the right bit. I want to have light hands but he leans so much that it becomes me holding his head and hanging on his mouth. I put my leg on and it works until I give and back goes his head in my hands. Any suggestions? He also likes to go fast to avoid the bit. Trot fast, canter fast, gallop and buck. He doesn't do this with other riders usually.



What type of bit are you using? I find very often bits with just a single joint can hit the horse's pallet (roof of their mouth). Many horses will lean hard into the bit so all the pressure will hit their bars and tongue and not hit their pallet. They'll also often drop their head to the ground so the bit is tilted in a way that it doesn't hit their pallet as easily. They will also often run through the bit as it hurts and stopping doesn't work so they push through it instead. 
I would look for something like a french link or lozenge style bit (like the KK ultra). This should help a great deal with his leaning. I typically prefer a more structured ring like a D or full cheek for the added lateral pressure (pushing on the outside of their lips to help push their head correctly). But if you find the horse still leans you might want to look into a loose ring. 
Have you had this horse's back and teeth checked? Saddle and Bit fitted?
If he does this only with you something in your communication is missing, are you bouncing too much and hurting his back? Are you using your hands to balance and driving his mouth crazy? You don't need to answer on here, just think about it and decide if there's something you're doing that could be bothering the horse - if he doesn't do it with other people there is a reason. Are you relying too much on the bit for turning? 

If you find you're relying too heavily on the bit for turning and slowing start practicing using your seat more. Start by riding the horse doing several different figures in the ring, switch it up constantly so he never knows what you're doing. Figure 8s, big circles, little circles, diagonals, tear drops to reverse directions, cut the center line, do circles in the middle of the ring. The more you change things up - using your entire body to steer more than your hands - the more he's really got to pay attention. Changing gaits the entire time up and down constantly - all this will fine tune your horse's listening skills as he'll always be ready for a cue and listen more closely when you begin to shift your weight and seat for the next cue.


----------



## iRide Ponies (Aug 10, 2012)

All the advice you have been given so far is very sound advice. Pain is definately another element you want to consider. My first horse used to drop her head, we got her saddle refitted and she never did it again. My instructor suggested that she had been previously punished from bucking/baulking because of a poorly fitting saddle (we brought the saddle with her) and had learnt over time that the only way to relieve the pain without a growling was to scrap her nose along the ground.

Perhaps your horse has recently gained/lost muscle/fat and now his saddle no longer fits? I'd definately check on that if nothing else works, or if he gets worse.


----------



## horsecrazymeetsjustcrazy (Dec 10, 2012)

Oh! Now that would make sense. My horse has gained quite a bit of muscle as I needed to condition him from scratch which would confirm what the DVM said about the saddle being off/even though the saddle seemed to have fit him when I first got him. The DVM is also a chiro and did a small adjustment and we had the masseuse out. The masseuse was very fun to watch. At the end of his session my horse put his head to the ground again and just hung it there for a bit like "oh, i need to stretch myself out after this. He seemed to feel/ look like it was sooo enjoyable doing it, and we were in the barn aisle. It makes me feel bad to urge him on while riding if he really needed to stretch out. Hopefully I'll get the right saddle soon and continue our training. Finding a saddle pro these days is a little bit challenging. Seems like an old-world job title with not too many left....


----------



## Army wife (Apr 29, 2012)

I know a mare who does "long and low" on her own. My 2 year old does it on the lunge line also (hasn't been started under saddle yet.) I do it with my mare when I warm her up. It helps stretch and work those back muscles. I don't think it's a bad thing at all. But if I pick up on my mare, she knows it's time to go to work. But she likes stretching, and apparently her daughter does too! lol


----------



## horsecrazymeetsjustcrazy (Dec 10, 2012)

*Nose to ground- got a new saddle*

So- we got the new saddle. Even when free lunging him (only with a halter), he puts his nose all the way to the ground. I got some video of him at a walk and trot. Canter was hard. He was suspicious of what I had in my hand and would stop as soon as I brought it up to capture it on video.











After the vet, masseuse, and chiro came out- I am happy to report- (knock on wood) that the buck-bolt-and rear have not occurred again. We chalked it up to a small paddock injury that may have been bothering him more than the vet thought, or the ill fitting saddle.


----------



## TheAQHAGirl (Aug 10, 2012)

Interesting what people are saying...

When a horse lowers his/her head, its usually a sign of being submissive. A horse who isn't submissive would have their head high in the air and a lot of other factors but I won't get into that.

But my filly does that, only lunging though. 
Usually it just means they're calm, submissive, relaxed, etc. Its a good thing.

Here is my girl: 



(If you want to skip the intro just go to 0:30 in the video)
Also kinda helps that Faith is bred to be more of a laid-back, level headed horse.


----------

