I am losing my mind and I am sorry for the posts but I need help. Yes I am a teenager, I have been riding over 10 years, and yes I have a trainer.I am not looking for training suggestions, I am looking for tack suggestions. TIA I sorry if that comes out as snarky, I am just fusterated.

I have been currently been using a nylon tie-down. This has helped my mares balance but I am looking for something to remind her that she can not throw her nose all over the place. I am looking at rope tie-downs, rope head setters, anything. She is perfect at a slow pace and even at a canter but during a run, she loses her brain. Thanks.

Sorry if you feel offended but TACK SUGGESTIONS will not stop your mare from "throwing her nose all over the place". The purpose of a tie down for barrel racing is to give the horse something to balance against if they have a running style that needs it. The purpose of a tie down is NOT to prevent a horse from throwing their nose. That is addressed through training. 

I'm sorry if you are not looking for training advice, but that is the type of advice you need if you wish to help your mare stop throwing her head. A horse needs to give to bit and/or nose pressure and they need to be soft. If they pull on you or fight you, that's when they throw their nose to evade/ignore the pressure. You can change her tack if you want to, but if you do not change how you ride and/or how you allow her to respond, the nose-throwing will always return. And pretty soon you'll run out of tack to try.

So then -- what has your TRAINER suggested that you do about the problem?

EDITED to add that it is also possible that a horse may have a pain problem that prompts them to throw their head - it's one of the ways they may try to tell you that something is wrong or that something hurts. Has she had a lameness exam? (ditto to the below question about her teeth)

When was the last time you had her teeth done? And are you being heavy handed? What type of bit are you using on her? post a video of you running her.

Thank you for your response. I do not feel offended, I understand what you are saying. I am not looking for the "magic tack piece" that will solve this. I am just hoping for something that can help my mare and I. I do realize that a tie down is not to stop a horse from throwing their head, I am sorry that I worded it that way. My trainer and I have been working as to get my mare soft in the face and poll.

To give some backstory on this mare, she is 21, raced for 2 years, and then for 18 years was ridden and allowed to get away with whatever she wanted to(at least from what her previous owner has told me. Her last owner had started to pattern her but did not give her the fundamentals of slow work and flat work period. We have been off any patterns for about 7 months and have just been doing groundwork and basic flatwork. She is 200% better but we are still working. My trainer has told me to use a tie down while going through patterns(introduced again about a month ago) because while going at speeds faster than a canter(i.e doing a run through, done about 4 times) her head becomes even with my nose. She has had a full lameness by 2 different vets, has been chiroed and massaged multiple times and has been scoped for ulcers. Her teeth were done 1 month ago and I rider her in a stubben 2-in-1 snaffle or go to a tendertouch short gag with the lifesaver in the middle and copper wrapped bars.

I hope that answered some of the questions. I am trying to make my writing as clear as possible so I am sorry if it does not come across as clear. Also, I am not trying to be pig-headed or anything of that kind. I an genuinely trying to get some help and I greatly appreciate the BHW wisdom. I am sorry if I come across as ignorant.

You could try her in a German martingale and see if that helps. 

Not to be rude, but whenever someone comments about their “trainer”, but they still need help...I become skeptical. Mainly because if a “trainer” truly knows what they are doing...their student wouldn’t need to come on a public forum and ask for help from total strangers. If you are smart enough to realize you need outside help...maybe you need to physically find better help as well. I’m truly not trying to be rude. But I’ve seen a lot of “trainers” that I wouldn’t give $5 to for a lesson. I’ve also fixed a lot of people and horses after a “trainer” screwed them up.

Thank you for your response! I don't find it rude at all, I totally understand where you are coming from. I really trust my trainer and if I need to, there is 2 others that I can approach if need be. I am just trying to get more ideas from other people because I know that one person can not truly know everything there is to horses and training. I have a german martingale and need to work in that more. Right now we have been working in a running martingale which I love but my german is easier to use but is just in the back of my trailer and I need to go and get it.

Running martingales tend to make a horse brace and lean into the bit. That’s why they are used at the track to teach a horse to run into the bit.

German martingales tend to work better on a barrel horse because they draw to a certain point, then turn into normal reins basically. I prefer a German over all other martingales when it comes to a barrel horse. 

I did not know that, thank you! I will definitely be getting out my german martingale then!!

If you have a trainer that can help show you, maybe try a pair of draw reins? I wouldn't use them on the pattern, but for some drills and slow work. They can be a little tricky to understand, but once you and the mare learn them, there would be a good foundation to go from! I also use a german martingale on all of my horses, I love that idea. Neither one of these will fix anything overnight, but they will help you both learn the correct positioning. Hope this helps!

Thank you! We have been alternating weeks on draw reins and the running martingale. She responds well to the draw reins. I now need to buy myself a pair of draw reins!

I just wanted to tell you NorweginPower, your a sweet young lady and so mature with you responses and a very respectful young lady, hugs to you,

Ahh, you just brought tears to my eyes! Thank you so much!!! I was trying to be as clear as possible as my answers and not take anything to heart because I know you all are just trying to help me so thank YOU!

Be careful with the German Martingale and how you adjust it. Incorrectly used they can make a horse heavy on its front end. Adjusted correctly they work great.

I have found that the mouth piece of a bit makes a lot of difference in how a horse carries its head. Have you tried different mouth pieces?

Also curb chains can make one toss their head. Too tight,  wrong material, to harsh, to much shank/purchace can give too much leverage when a curb is not adjusted properly.

A lot of the time the above combined with improper hands is the culprit. You really want to make sure your hands are soft and quiet and there are no teeth issues before you tie ones head down.

Thank you. There are 4 rings on my reins so I will experiment and consult my trainer on which ones wrok the best. As for the mouth piece, we have go through a broken 3 piece port, my stubben 3 piece that seems to work the best and then a 3 piece combo bit that has a copper roller in the middle with twisted side bars. I also have a once broken copper loose ring snaffle that she likes but she prefers the 3 piece bits. She HAS to have copper in her bit or else she plays around and gets bored. I hope that sounded right.  I will try loosening my curb chain. Her teeth are in great shape for her age according to my dentist(horse wise of course). For my hands, I try to keep the lightest tough possible becuase she can be over reactive if I mess with her mouth or with my legs too much. 

When you say head shaking, is the horse running through the bit, or is she fighting you because you are on her head trying to get her to slow down??  Does the horse understand rate (you sit down hard and she collects and turns) or are you having to really pull to get her to collect and slow down?   A tie-down or head-setter isn't going to help if the horse has no rate. 

My old gelding wears a loose tie down to keep his head out of my lap when we go in the gate, but he doesn't really need it on the pattern, I could run him in a halter. He just gets up and on the muscle going in. 

Videos might be helpful to see if it's you or the horse or combo of both.  

I have several suggestions

1.  If the horse has been allowed to do what it wants, it isn’t really broke. Thoroughly broke is essential. That means having control of the head and other parts of the body. The horse is probably race track broke and that worked for previous owner  

2.  If the horse is over 20 it probably needs its teeth done. If it has not been done on a regular basis it is probably too late to correct any problems. 

3.  If the horse is over 20, I can assure that the horse has some physical issues that cause pain, especially if is off the track. 

4.  Less is more when selecting a bit or other headgear.

I think if you will address these issues you will fix your problems.  I would start with teeth, but as I said it may be too late to do anything. Next, I would check physical problems. 

I have several suggestions

1.  If the horse has been allowed to do what it wants, it isn’t really broke. Thoroughly broke is essential. That means having control of the head and other parts of the body. The horse is probably race track broke and that worked for previous owner  

2.  If the horse is over 20 it probably needs its teeth done. If it has not been done on a regular basis it is probably too late to correct any problems. 

3.  If the horse is over 20, I can assure that the horse has some physical issues that cause pain, especially if is off the track. 

4.  Less is more when selecting a bit or other headgear.

I think if you will address these issues you will fix your problems.  I would start with teeth, but as I said it may be too late to do anything. Next, I would check physical problems. 

I have several suggestions

1.  If the horse has been allowed to do what it wants, it isn’t really broke. Thoroughly broke is essential. That means having control of the head and other parts of the body. The horse is probably race track broke and that worked for previous owner  

2.  If the horse is over 20 it probably needs its teeth done. If it has not been done on a regular basis it is probably too late to correct any problems. 

3.  If the horse is over 20, I can assure that the horse has some physical issues that cause pain, especially if is off the track. 

4.  Less is more when selecting a bit or other headgear.

I think if you will address these issues you will fix your problems.  I would start with teeth, but as I said it may be too late to do anything. Next, I would check physical problems. 

Thank you for your sugestions!! I do not know if before me if here teeth were done on a regular basis. She is now and was just seen 1 month ago and I was told  that she had really good teth for her age. I will talk to my dentist again though. I will get my vet out to do another lameness and complete exam. She had one about 5 months ago and has seen him since but not that through of an exam. I am trying to keep her head gear as minimal as possibile and use bits that fit her but are light in the sense of in her mouth. I never use a tie-down or anything other like that at home, they are just at races. 

Thank you! I will have to review my videos and ask my trainer about that because honestly I have no clue at the moment while I am think of it. My brain is a little bit jumbled so I will get back to you on that. She does do rate to some degree but in terms of running, she is more of a free runner and I shift my seat and hand and she drops/turns. I admit, I have been working on trusting her more bcause the horse before her was the oppisate. I feel like I micro manage at the beginning of the run and then thats it. Its the initial turn that I get scared of. I will think about the video, I really want to show you how I work with her but I am really insecure sharing my videos. Thank you all so much!!