Head-tossing when slowing down

Tossing his head when I slow down. I ride a horse at my riding school who tosses his head when I slow the pace down in walk. My instructor says he does it because he wants to walk on. But I don't want to "give up" on getting him to walk slowly without loads of head-tossing. Has anyone got any tips on how I can get a slow walk without the horse tossing its head about?

Answers from HayHay's experts

As a rule, tossing the head is the horse's way of telling you it is not happy, for example when the pressure in the mouth becomes uncomfortable. If you want to shorten the stride in walk, look for ways to do it other than pulling back with your hand. Try using some lateral work, and reduce the movement in your seat as you do so. The horse tends to follow our seat, so by practising this you can, in time, use your seat to lengthen and shorten the stride.

Elise Lindman

Sports Psychologist