Head Carriage in the Gaited Horse

​Head Carriage in the Gaited Horse
By Gaye DeRusso
 
If you’re coming from a different discipline into gaited horses, one of the most confusing aspects is their head carriage. Where should their head be to get the best gait?
 
This is difficult for many to understand in the beginning. We are so use to riding horses with their heads on the bit (vertical) and rounded out and collected, that anything different makes us cringe. So, open your mind because you need it open, to understand this concept. 
 
So why are gaited horses different? Because they gait, and the other horses do not gait. To get the best gait, in some horses you have to bring their head up or down. Their head is connected to their neck (upper spine) which is connected to the rest of their spine (lower spine) and the way your horse uses its spine will affect its gait. 
 
This is why some horses will lose their gait when they are anxious, nervous, energetic, or tired, because they are carrying their head different, and it affects their gait. But each horse is different, it’s not one head set for that breed or for that gait. It’s what head set will help your horse the most. 
 
Now I said some horses, because some horses are so well gaited, it does not matter where their head is, they just gait. And their owners will not understand this because they never had to deal with their horse going out of gait. But if your horse is trotty or pacey you need to understand this concept. 
 
When your horse's head is down, it is usually relaxed and may also be rounding its body out. This usually brings a gaited horse more toward the trotty part of the gaited spectrum. When a horse's head is up, it usually inverts its back and gets tension in the muscles by its spine, and this will usually bring a gaited horse more toward the pacey part of the gaited spectrum. I say usually because each horse is different, so you need to play around to see what works best. 
 
So, depending on what your horse naturally does, and what gait your trying to get, will affect the head carriage you want your horse to have. 
 
You’re riding down the trail on your trotty gaited horse and he is doing great, your relaxed and he is relaxed, and he starts falling out of gait. Bringing his head up and half halting will usually help you get him back into gait or keep the gait. You’re riding him uphill or in deep footing, which makes him more trotty, slow down and bring the head up to help stay in gait. 
 
You’re riding your pacey gaited horse on the trail, and he is gaiting well, he becomes anxious, and you start losing his gait. Bring his head down and half halt to get him back into gait. You’re riding on the hard ground or downhill which makes him pacier, slow down and bring his head down to stay in gait. 
 
When we first hear this, we think that’s crazy, a horse is a horse and I will ride it like I ride regular horses, with its head down and collected. And then you lose the gait, and you think hmm, I wonder why? 
 
I get lots of calls for help, from people who sent their well gaited horse to a non-gaited trainer. The horse came back better trained but lost its gait because the trainer not understanding gaited horse's head carriage, brought the horse's head down and rounded the horse out. So now the owner has a trotting gaited horse or a horse that paces with its head down. 
 
It is a difficult concept to grasp. But it really does affect their gait. So, if you’re still asking if you should ride with their head up or down? Well, you need to read this article again. Because it depends where you are riding, the terrain, footing, and if your horse is trotty or pacey. Sometimes you will need to bring the head up and sometimes you will need it down and the more you understand and can apply what you need for that horse, the easier it will be to keep it in gait. 
 
So, now the horse is staying in gait and the next question comes. This is usually about the trotty horse. They ask, when can I bring his head down and low. And I say, well you can bring his nose in on the bit, but you can't bring his head down too much or he will lose his gait. And they say never? And I say, well I never say never but because your horse is on the trotty side, the chances are high that he will start trotting if you bring it too low. 
 
Now in time, some will gait so well once they are conditioned that it will not matter where their head is. But until that time happens, you need to keep a higher head carriage for the trotty horse and a lower head carriage for the pacey horse. 
 
So, does head carriage affect your horse's gait? Yes, it does.