Misconceptions about the Horse's Headset

Often I talk about what I call "the Conversation" with the horse. This applies throughout any interaction with the horse. 

Recently I was asked about correct head postion and so many words, phrases, etc. thrown about... Here's my thoughts.

Think of the head position as the "final" piece of the picture. It will reflect the quality of the engagement in the horse's hindquarters, the lifting of his spine through correct usage of stomach muscles, allowing a lengthening of his topline from his tail to his whithers to poll, and finally he can soften his head and his jaw will melt into your hand. 

 The old saying is to ride the horse from the rear forward. But this requires time, patience, and practice to correctly develop the horse's muscles to build balanced movements and soft self-carraige. Lateral work can be a tool if presented in a manner that doesn't cause the horse to be defensive. Haunches-in and shoulder-in can help him learn to independently move separate body parts, and develop and engage muscles, in to find the ideal movement without fear, flee, or containment. 

 But most folks want instant gratification or quick "fixes," as you can see when you open any tack magazine. Many riders are imbalanced in how they sit in the saddle, are unaware of correct aid usage to develop a horse, do not have independent aids, and offer frequent unintentional and chaotic communication. 

 So instead of first addressing themselves, they try to create a "pretty picture" with reins, leverage, and gadgets. They attempt to "yield" the horse's head into position without ever realizing that leveraging it in that manner causes the horse to hollow or drop his back, with his hind legs "out behind" him, are are contributingto the physical break down of his body .

 You'll see the results of this type of riding with overdeveloped muscles behind the horse's ears and in the underside of his neck behind his jaw. You'll notice things like the front end being very muscular while the hindquarters look almost gaunt. Depending on the frequency and severity of this approach, and the individual horse, it can eventually lead to lameness, arthritis in the spine and much more. 

 First thing to help develop in the rider is to learn how to feel, things such as where/when he is drifting, when and how the hind legs are leaving and landing, changes in energy, imbalances at the halt, and bracing throughout the horse's body. Then learn the timing and aids to influence his thoughts, movements, and energy. These are crucial in building the foundation for finding quality "head set." 

 Though this picture was intended regarding the myofascia, it is a great visual for folks so see how influencing one area will affect elsewhere in the horse's body.