Profile of a tongue hanger

Rubesca was given to me for free, a petite eighteen-year-old brown thoroughbred in a host of bad clothes, one of them with her tongue hanging out. That big muscle hung from the left side of her mouth almost nonstop: she looked ridiculous.

Who would have thought that he would become the best horse I have ever had, winning countless one-day events, dressage and show jumping competitions?

About a year into our relationship, she had kicked the habit of sticking out her tongue, which made me wonder why horses stick out their tongues and if my way of ‘curing’ Rubesca is common.

Reasons for hanging out the tongue

In her article “Help For Tongue Resistance,” Jessica Jahiel, PhD, physician and speaker, states that ‘a lolling tongue is often a reaction to pain.’

teeth problems

The causes of mouth pain vary. Brenda Imus of Brenda Imus Gaited Horse Services suggests having the teeth examined and floated, as it is possible for the teeth to cut into the horse’s tongue when the bit is inserted. The animal hangs it to avoid pain.

the bit

Both experts point out that a horse’s tongue is very thick. There is little or no room for the bite, a contraption that makes you salivate. You should be able to swallow that saliva comfortably. If the bite is too big, if you hold it too tightly, or if the noseband closes his mouth too tightly, he will have to remove his tongue in order to swallow.

Horse mouths differ, but Dr. Jahiel recommends finding “the thinnest, softest mouth that is most comfortable for your horse.”

My own experience supports this. At first I swapped the Rubesca’s thick knuckle steak for a thinner, smoother Happy Mouth. I used this soft rubber bit even though she was enormously strong cross country. Since it didn’t hurt, she listened to her, and I think this contributed to her eventually forgetting to leave her tongue.

I ride his son on a fairly thin French link, which Dr. Jahiel recommends for horses with thick tongues and low palates. He is happy with that and does not hang his tongue at her.

rider’s hands

Once the teeth have been checked and the correct bit inserted, we pilots need to be careful with their hands. Dressage judges treat tongue lolling as ‘resistance’ because it is often a reaction to the rider’s hands.

It is important not to use the horse’s mouth for balance. It helps to imagine how we would feel if someone rested on a shaft inserted into our own mouths.

Dr. Jahiel emphasizes the importance of maintaining even contact with both kidneys: sometimes a lolling tongue is a reaction to too much pressure on one side of the mouth.

Stress

Brenda Imus lists stress and boredom as causes of tongue lolling in horses, and suggests varying their work in areas with room for them to stretch and move. To this I would add taking the horse out as much as possible with friendly companions, and reducing his downtime in the stall.

Ms Imus also says the habit can be “so ingrained that even after all stressors are removed, (the horse) will need to physically hold the tongue in place until it gets used to it.”

That is a point of view that I cannot share.

Do not obsess

I doubled Rubesca with daily TLC and rode her like she had no quirks. His workload was varied, with several trail rides a week.

I didn’t obsess over her tongue hanging out (or head bobbing, snatching bites, etc.) and focused on riding her as sensitively as possible, with constant contact and even rein pressure. I took it slowly.

Over time I noticed that his tongue stayed in his mouth for longer periods. As Dr. Jahiel says, this problem does not go away overnight. But he left. I removed anything that could cause my mare pain, stress or boredom and stopped worrying about his tongue.

I’ve talked to trainers who have tried various ways to prevent horses from hanging their tongues out. After addressing potential physical issues, they found that artificial attempts to hold the horse’s tongue exacerbated the problem.

These men and women riders use the same simple method I stumbled upon: keep the horse happy, ignore its habit, and it will go away.

Means:

Jessica JahielDoctor Help for tongue resistance

http://equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/english/dressage/eqjahiel3496/

brenda imus, My horse is hanging his tongue out of his mouth

http://www.gaitsofgold.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=453:my-horse-is-hanging-his-tongue-out-of-his-mouth&catid=24:horse-training-with step- items&itemid=5