Interpreting Head & Neck behaviors Under Saddle

“When assessing head tilt, even if you are viewing from the side where the whole head isn’t visible, you can tell by the fact that one ear is lower than the other that the horse must have a head tilt.” ~Dr. Sue Dyson

“Moving with the head consistently above the vertical is something that we see commonly in horses with back problems or hindlimb lameness, perhaps a little less often with forelimb lameness. There are often give-away clinical signs that the horse is moving in this way by the development of the muscles of the neck and back. And we know that if we take away the pain with nerve blocks the horse will immediately be more willing to put its head into the vertical position, so it’s not habitual but a response to underlying discomfort.” ~Dr. Sue Dyson