Your thoughts or advice? · Get Good With Horses Courses

Your thoughts or advice?

Hello everyone, I’d really appreciate some thoughts on my pony, Shady. He tends to shake/nod his head up and down when there’s interaction with a halter and he seems cross/worried/tense rather than excited.

I’ve been trying the head-down exercise using very light pressure on the lead rope. If I simply touch the rope with a fingers and thumb or progress to all four fingers, he starts the head movement and will try to nip my hand too. But if I hold the rope softly and slide my hand up the rope to just under the clip/snap with two fingers, he generally stays calm and doesn’t do it.

I’m wondering if this could be confusion or sensitivity?

Has anyone come across this before? Does it sound like confusion, sensitivity, anxiety about cues, frustration, or something else? Also, how should I progress the head-down exercise from here without triggering the worried response or the nipping?

Thanks so much 😊

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