It sounds like you already did, but I would always check the harness first. I have seen most of my "movement" issues arise from collar pressure right on the top of the neck--often due to the horse's weight/shape changing over the course of a long, hard season and the collar needing a better adjustment. There may be no visible sore, but the area seems to get a bit tender to touch over the course of the season. If this is the cause, you will find the horse tends to do all sorts of things to relieve pressure on that one spot--head shaking, increased neck movement, moving side-to-side, etc.

Second, check that your evener is the same length as your yoke, or that can encourage them apart.

Third, check your line adjustment to be sure it isn't pulling their heads toward the inside. It can be subtle, but can cause this to happen over the length of a carriage season.

If all those check out, try simply switching the side the horses are on. Every now and then, I have one who starts to pull outward. It seems to be caused first by an attempt to look at/play with her partner when bored (not allowed, of course), and then it almost seems to become a matter of her finding some type of security in feeling the trace on her thigh. As soon as I switch them to the other side, the problem goes away. Nowadays, I just try to regularly switch sides to prevent the problem altogether. It seems to work well for me.

Hope that helps!


4 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Did you figure out anything with your horse spreading out.


4 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum