Hi Judy, >>>When the horse ventroflexes, if too much, he can have kissing spines. That would hurt.
Interesting thought. I know lots of non gaited horses with kissing spine but don't actually know of any gaited horses with it. Kissing spine has also become a rather broad diagnosis (the way navicular can be for non-specific foot lameness). There is some thought that many many horses have kissing spine and depending on how they are worked function quite well. >>>The sidepulls may also be too tight, if fitted by the icelander-style method of fitting a noseband... also if the sidepull is fitted normally with room, that room gets taken away with heavy contact, I don't fit my sidepulls tightly and with the jowel strap you don't need to have help from the nosepiece to keep it in place. But there is no question that if a horse has sharp points on their molars then any kind of hackamore or halter can cause discomfort. I would think there is some expectation of being pulled on if the mouth opens but I can't be sure. It is interesting that so many rodeo bucking horses open their mouths - I was trying to think if I have seen it in both saddle bronc and bareback bronc?? They don't all but some certainly do. Robyn Icelandic Horse Farm Robyn Hood & Phil Pretty Vernon BC Canada www.icefarm.com
