Q: My new pony holds his head so high in the air. What could be causing it? Is it something to worry about?

A: Ponies can hold their head high for a number of reasons:

• Conformation: A pony whose neck naturally arches upwards will have a higher head than a pony with a lower set neck. This is just the way the pony is built, and there is not a lot you can do to fix it!
• Training practices: A showjumper, for example, is schooled to keep his weight back on his hindquarters so he can more easily lift his front end over the jumps. This means that some ponies hold their head higher all the time because they have been trained this way for showjumping. You will need to ask your instructor if your pony’s high-head carriage is a problem or not in this instance.
• Poor saddle fit: Poor saddle fit can cause a pony to lift his head and hollow his back to escape the pain caused by the saddle. You should chat with your saddle fitter if you are worried about this.
• Learned behaviour: Over time, rough hands or an overly hard bit can cause a pony to become protective over his mouth. The pony has learnt, in these instances, that he can either avoid the effect of the bit or the rider’s hands by lifting his head. Fixing this issue will need a lot of retraining, as these ponies can take a long time to trust their rider again. In the case of a learned behaviour, the first step should be to give your pony the softest and best-fitting bit. We would advise that you get a bit fitter out to help you choose a bit that is suitable for the anatomy of his mouth and doesn’t cause discomfort. Once you have made sure that your bit is suitable, you should work on flatwork exercises involving lots of bends, like figure-eights and serpentines. When riding the bends, press with your inside leg behind the girth, so you have the feeling that you are pushing your pony towards your outside rein. You should reward any softening by pushing your inside hand forward towards his mouth to give him the bit. This ‘give’ will encourage him to stretch forward even more towards the bit, lowering his head carriage further. If you remain patient and consistent in this work and do not over-face your new pony, you will ultimately help him to trust your hands, but be warned that this can take many weeks and months of consistent work!