# Sticking the tongue out!!!



## Mamamia (11 June 2008)

Morning

Not sure if this is in the right place, but I hope so. 

My mare has recently started sticking her tongue out to the left when ridden.  It's always there flapping in the breeze.  Not only does it look horrible but we get marked down in dressage tests.  I hate it 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I've had her two years and this started about 6 mths ago, then stopped and has started again recently.  Initially we found that she was doing it with me but not with the girl who events her for me, so assumed it was my cr*p riding and I have worked really hard on releasing the left hand, playing with the reins, soft contact, strong contact ..... it goes on.  

Now she does it with everyone (except for eventer), including top dressage rider who rode her this week.  

Vet has checked her teeth, we've tried different bits, tight flash, loose flash, no flash, bit burr, facial massage.  Last night I even put honey in her mouth at recommendation of international eventer - it just ended up all over her bridle, her face and me 
	
	
		
		
	


	




  The tongue was still out!!

Does anyone have any ideas why she might be doing this and what I can do to stop it? 

Sorry it's so long - I needed to get it off my chest before I chop the bloody thing off (her tongue that is, not my chest!)


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## Baileyhoss (11 June 2008)

soorrry, no suggestions, but have a funny picture in my head of the happy honey monster with her tongue hanging out.

We had a mare that did this at my old yard, tried everything you have, tying the mouth shut just caused tension etc, it's not going to be something you can force.  I would persist with trying different bits

F x


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## Rayado05 (11 June 2008)

HI,

You say she is doing this with everyone except one person?
Is that person different in some way with their hands?

Is the mouth piece/ conformation of her mouth not ideal - therefore nowhere to actually put her tongue when you take up the contact. If the eventer is riding on loose (I don't mean washing lines) contact then perhaps the horse doesn't have to do this.

This may be worth investigating, we had a showjumper who looked like he was carrying a trout stuck to his muzzle, flapping about,  for awhile with this problem.


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## Mamamia (11 June 2008)

Interestingly, the person she doesn't stick it out for (that sounds a bit rude  
	
	
		
		
	


	




) tells me to take a stronger contact than I normally have.  She's watched me ride and other than that can't see any difference.  

I do think that her lower lip looks slightly fatter on the left, which might have something to do with it, but the bit she's normally ridden in she's had for about a year, initially with no problems.  

I'm thinking of trying a drop noseband and then comfort snaffle.  Failing which nails on the inside of the flash have also been recommended to me 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Has anyone managed to "cure" this??


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## RuthP (11 June 2008)

Have you tried no noseband? 
Or myler bits (if her tong is large or strange mouth conformation?) 
Could you try taking astronger contact but wrapping your legs around and pushing her up into a contact- sometimes people take a stronger contact but fail to use any leg.


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## 0 (11 June 2008)

One of the horses I used to compete (22 years ago 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 !) did exactly the same thing.  Tongue out on the near side no matter who was riding, no matter what she was doing. 

We wondered if her mouth was too small for the bit and tongue, so tried her in a hackamore, she certainly kept her tongue in her mouth, but was obviously very unhappy in it so I didn't have her in it long enough to know if she would eventually have stuck her tongue out, so we went back to a Fulmer which she'd always worked absolutely fine in.

And because you've reminded me of her (and I absolutely loved her), although the picture doesn't show her tongue out, and she was just coming back into work, here's a pic





Thank you


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## Mamamia (11 June 2008)

[ QUOTE ]

Could you try taking astronger contact but wrapping your legs around and pushing her up into a contact- sometimes people take a stronger contact but fail to use any leg. 

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what we thought but I assumed that dressage rider person would be doing that and she was actually worse with him than with me (which made me feel good in a sad sort of way 
	
	
		
		
	


	




).  I wonder if he would marked down for it in a test?


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## Mamamia (11 June 2008)

Aww, she's lovely.  

Funny that it seems to be a mare thing.  I often wonder if its just her expressing what she really thinks of me but is too polite to say to my face


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## lucygunson (11 June 2008)

horse i had last summer to educate did exactly the same thing - she still does but now she is only hunting so it doesnt matter as much, but when i did dressage on her i used to put the bit up higher so she couldnt get her tounge out rode her in a JP loose ring snaffle (curved mouthpiece and about 8 quid) also tried her in a happy mouth both of these snaffles were ok, she just had a normal nose band as she didnt like her mouth being shut i found that the more different movements i did whilst schooling she would stop doing it as she had to concentrate and not get bored - it does look funny and because she gets so throthy in the mouth she would have this right up to her eye where her tounge is so long!!!!


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## Box_Of_Frogs (12 June 2008)

My RI said it was a sign of stress in the horse.


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