I have a 4 year old TW/Quarter X gelding that I have had since he was a yearling. We have introduced him to the Parelli horsemanship program over the past few years, but did not want to ride him seriously too soon. Recently I have started saddling him and riding him in our corral for short periods of time. He does decent with a hackamore, halter, bridle %26 bit,english, or western saddle. But when he gets going he starts to throw his head down. In the western saddle it isnt as bad because you have more to balance yourself on, not to mention passenger pushing, but the english is a bit scarier. I am actually wanting to get him to be a western barrel racer, but like I said, am just starting to ride. ANY ADVICE
Answers:
If you feel you require a western saddle to have something to "balance against," then you don't have an independant enough seat to be riding young stock or green horses.
You may be a GREAT rider for the trained horse -- this is probably the case! :-)
But when starting a horse you need to be able to balance your seat independantly so as to not interfere with the horse's movements.
Relying on a western saddle just to have more to balance against usually means that you're not able to balance on your own. A good young-stock starter can start in ANY tack - western or english - and not interfere with the horse's movements.
I would work your horse in an english saddle- My gelding is the same breed as yours (TWH QH x) and western tack REALLY interferes with his movement due to his conformation. The english saddle (if it fits right) will be less likely to put pressure on the spine and shoulder and teach him bad habits of avoiding the pain by moving improperly. The english saddle will work better for training.
You didn't mention what type of bit you're putting into his mouth?
Sometimes when a horse throws his head down, he's trying to adjust his balance- I'd switch to a double jointed snaffle and let him figure it out. Work less iwth the Parelli games and more on practical things such as lunging for short periods of time, and basic mastry of gaits from walk to just 1 or 2 steps of trot, back to walk, etc.
:) Good luck! You guys will do great.
Natural horsemanship is great. I would find a local trainer first. And research--find a good one that knows what he/she is doing and can handle your specific needs.
And good luck!
While I have my dislikes about Parelli etc, I do think its an ok training maneuver for animals that haven't been trained before and are brought up solely in parelli methods.
If the hackamore is a mechanical, I have seen head throwing caused alone from that. It becomes a vice and gets carried over to bit pressure then. I do not recommend mech. hacks. Head throwing can also be a sign of pain. Make sure you check your tack for fitting and have him evaluated by someone that knows.
I would first have someone evaluate him for the head throwing, vice vs pain issue. After that you will need to deal with that first.
Having someone train your horse is a great idea. Or at the very least haul your horse to a trainer and you take lessons on it that way. You learn so much more valuable experience doing that. I highly recommend it.
Good luck and I hope it works out for you
I'm using PNH as well and it's going great. Try riding bareback (native style or with a pad) but be ready to jump off should anything happen.
You shouldn't be relying on the saddle to help you balance.
I would suggest calling a parelli professional instructor
http://parelli.com/info_page.php?page=in...
Pretty much, just follow the home program (starting with level 1 -- get the new one if you don't already have it. it's worth it!) and things should work out! :D
Do NOT try riding this horse bareback. That is a great way to get killed. Only a very broke and level headed trained horse that is trusted should ever be attempted to be ridden that way. Staying in a western saddle until the horse is trained will not inhibit his training in any way. As long as you train the horse LIKE you would in an English saddle (same rein cues, leg pressure, etc) he will be fine. When you are comfortable, you can move to an English saddle and give him some time to adjust to the new seat, balance, and pressure points of both the tack and leg position, but it wont take long if the training is understood. Now, as for the hackamore, they do NOT usually CAUSE horses to throw their head. They were simply made for horses that either have irreversible mouth/teeth issues or need more "rate" and stop to their movements. If you want a collected supple horse, I would move to a GENTLE bit for training purposes, as hackamores are usally for western horses and LOOSE rein.
I DO agre with having his teeth checked. Regular teeth floating is a must and is overlooked by a ton of horse owners. If he is throwing his head down and tensing up hi s back at the same time, that could be his version of "crow hopping" (I know some horses that are too lazy, too fat, or too scared to BUCK, and they do the same thing) and you need to turn him in a tight circle with good flexion of his head/neck to the side and a lot of pressure with your outside leg. he will associate this with his tension and it will PREVENT him from being able to buck and will also supple him up at the same time.
Also watch your hands! Only apply the pressure needed to get the response and if you are pulling very hard, then you need to go back to basics with him, slow your speed, etc. A gentle curb bit maybe needed instead of the direct pull/contact of a snaffle. Good luck!!
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