Question: It's finally stopped raining in Texas, and I'm back to riding fairly consistently. The problem is that my TB gelding had a small head carriage problem before, that is now very advanced and noticeable. He basically 'collapses' his head and neck to the right and exaggerates flexion when I make contact with his mouth. He is in a D ring snaffle with copper rollers, and was floated two months ago. The vet checked his mouth for any potential problems, but can't find a cause. I've been advised to lunge him in side reins with the left side much tighter than the right to force him to accept pressure on the right side, but just thought I'd ask your advice. Thanks! Also, if that advice is what I should do, would a chambon work as well, or do I need side reins to be effective?

Answer: A couple of things popped into my mind as I read your question. First, a horse that twists its head and neck or overflexes is often just an animal that is playing around by dropping behind the rider's legs, rather than obediently going forward to the bit from leg pressure. I would first try driving the horse forward to the bit with very strong leg pressure to see if the problem could be solved by pushing the horse straight.

If you are persistent about driving the horse forward with your legs, the animal should put weight on the bit and straighten out. If the horse puts weight on the bit, but still continues to "collapse its head and neck to the right," then I would consider other physical causes of this problem, such as a pulled muscle or a spinal injury. (Note: Check the pommel of your saddle to make sure it isn't pressing on the horse's withers, for this can cause nerve damage that results in odd behavior from the horse.) When a horse doesn't move straight, it is often avoiding pressure on some part of its body that hurts. The mouth would be the first place to look in this case, but don't rule out other physical causes.

Personally, I wouldn't try the shortened side rein. The horse is moving crooked for a reason, and if that reason turns out to be physical, you could cause further damage by forcing the horse to move straight. If riding more assertively with your legs doesn't prove to be the answer, then take the horse to a university veterinary clinic so that a group of vets who have access to large x-ray equipment can give the horse a thorough check-up and put their heads together to form a conclusion.