Is your horse head shy? This can be problematic for many reasons and I’m sure you have experienced some frustrating moments because of it. One of the main frustrations is probably bridling.
When I was a kid, we had this really tall horse, and he was head shy. I wasn’t too horse savvy back then, so I never knew how to fix it. Therefore, I just compensated and stood on something like a bucket and then on my tippie toes to reach his head. How often do we just compensate rather than addressing the issue? Let’s change that!
Why may your Horse Head Shy?
Now that I’m older, I like to ask why. Why would the horse be head shy? Maybe the horse has been hit in the face that caused him to be that way. But it’s more likely he has trust issues. Trust goes both ways and if you trust the horse enough to bridle him and ride him, don’t you want him to trust you enough to lower his head and let you do that easily? For a horse to lower his head around a predator puts him in a vulnerable position. And horses who are on high alert and ready to run will keep their head high. Therefore, it’s hard for some horses to relax and have enough trust to put their head down for you.
It’s our job as the owner to gain their trust and help our horse overcome being head shy. That’s what I hope to help you with! These are practical tips you can work on in just a few minutes. I guarantee if you do these on a regular basis, your horse will overcome his head shyness.
Tips for the Head Shy Horse
Lower the Head/give at the poll
Teaching your horse to give at the poll and lower his head is probably the most vital step. I would do this before doing any other. If you get this really solid, then it will make the next steps even easier.
To begin teaching this, I would use a rope halter and grab the knot under their chin and begin applying pressure on their poll by pulling down. Your horse may even fight this and pull back or shoot their head up. If this happens, I suggest adding the slightest pressure before they go into a flight or fight response. Because if they are responding with fear, they are most likely feeling trapped. But if they remain calm, then continue the pressure until you feel even the slightest amount of their head lowering.
Spend about 5 minutes a day on this or until you feel like they can do it really well. When you can lower their head to the ground you are doing amazing! Keep in mind it may take you a long time before you get to that point. That’s OK! We are looking for progress, not perfection! I wouldn’t expect my preschooler to spell words, only know the alphabet.
One of the reasons this is such a vital skill is because once a horse lowers their head below their withers, it signals their body to relax by releasing endorphins. So it is an important skill, not just a step to get through. It will be an important tool to have in the toolbox for you and your horse.
Touching your Horse’s Face and Ears
Maybe your horse hates his ears touched or his face rubbed. Well that can be a problem, especially if they need veterinary care in that area. In this case I actually recommend the “get in and get out” method. Focusing on duration of the touching than where you touch. For example: run your hands across your horse’s ear as quick as possible. Then, they don’t have a chance to get upset. Don’t get rushed if you feel they don’t like it, don’t linger. Make it quick! But increase the duration incrementally. If they are OK with one second try two seconds, and so on and so forth.
Stand Above Your Horse’s Head
This is a great exercise for green horses or for horse’s that are really unsure with you being in different spot or looking at you from a different angle. I’ve got three ways to try this and I recommend trying all three. But if you don’t have another horse I understand.
1. Stand on a Mounting Block
By standing on a mounting block you are essentially making yourself bigger and taller. Which in turn can make your horse nervous. Don’t try to get on. We are focusing on their head, remember. Walk them up to the mounting block and step up. If they start to back up try to encourage them forward. As soon as you see some signs of relaxation step off the mounting block and pet them. You don’t have to pet their face until they are ready. But repeat this until it is easy for the horse to stand there with you on the highest part of the mounting block completely relaxed. Remember it’s Ok, if it takes a while! Progress over perfection!
2. While Riding another Horse
If you have another horse to ride, this is a great time to try and bring your horse’s head close to your body while you are on another horse. I would not do this step until you’ve really worked on some of the previous steps and gained much confidence with them. If that is the case, this shouldn’t be too scary for them. Use caution and wear a helmet if necessary. This is going to give your horse the opportunity to see you from a different vantage point. But I am confident if you’ve completed the previous steps, it will be a breeze.
3. From the Fence
Lastly, I would suggest sitting on a fence rail and bringing your horse over and using this unique vantage point to gain even more confidence with your head shy horse. All of these things are going to help. As you are on the fence, remember to reward signs of relaxation and let them get some distance away if needed. Or even getting off the fence all together and walking them around if they need a bigger reward!
Tilt the Nose In
At this point, I hope you have gained some real ground in helping your horse to overcome his head shyness. If you can put your arm around his neck, you are doing awesome! At that point, I would say it’s important to work on them offering their head when haltering and bridling. This is done by using your hand or halter to apply pressure on the side of their face so that they tilt their nose in to you. This is something you can work on throughout, but it is a sort of icing on the cake for me. You can be as nitpicky with this as you want. But it’s a great way to establish respect and softness.
Up the ante
Do you really want to see if you’ve made some progress with your horse’s head shyness? Do all these things at liberty. If you have a round pen, great. If not, don’t let that stop you from trying. But if your horse will allow you to touch their head and ears at liberty, you’ve made some amazing progress! Well done!
I hope this article has helped you! If so, leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
Many horses who are head shy are also hard to catch. I have another article that may help. It covers ways to help the hard to catch horse.
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