How to train your western prospect to lower its head

Western pleasure horses, especially western pleasure horses that are considered stock type breeds (Paints, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and Pintos) should be shown with a lower head set then when they compete in Hunter classes. When they are competing their head and neck should be carried in a straight line from their back, if their head drops lower then their spine it becomes something called peanut rolling, and the horse will be marked down. You should look for a horse that naturally carries their head in a lower head set, otherwise you will have to train your Western pleasure prospect to lower their head.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lounge line
• Western riding tack
• Side reins

1. Start out on the lounge line. Once your horse knows how to lounge quietly, attach a pair of side reins to both your saddle and your bit.

2. Make sure your side reins are attached to the saddle at a low enough point, so that your horse will be forced to lower his head, but not so low that he is going to get tangled in the side reins, trip, and rip his mouth to shreds. When you first attach the side reins they should be loose enough that there is hardly any pressure at all on the bit. As your horse grows accustomed to working with the side reins you should gradually tighten them.

3. Make sure you lounge your Western pleasure horse in both directions with the side reins in place. Also make sure that you lounge in all three gaits--walk, jog and lope. While lounging you should also practice lots of transitions. The more you work with your Western pleasure prospect on the ground the more likely she is to maintain a low head set when you ride her.

4. Ask your horse to lower his head by gently playing on the reins and massaging the bit back and forth in your horse’s mouth when you are riding. Remember that every time you touch the reins, you also have to use your legs to drive them forward into the bridle. When your horse lowers his head, loosen the rein contact. When his head comes up, start all over again

Tips & Warnings

• Working with young horses takes a great deal of time, patience and experience. If you have never taught a horse to lower its head you should seek the advice of an experienced trainer.
• Horses, by nature, are unpredictable and even the most experienced rider gets thrown on occasion. To avoid serious head injury you should always wear an ASTM/SEI helmet when you are working around horses.