Ex racehorse, ex dressage, ex lesson

Question
Hi,
I am being offered a 20 yr old thorobred gelding with  some issues.  I am 57, have had horses of my own 1/2 my life, bred them, broke them, showed them, and rode endurance. This gelding is a good height, and very thin, and lanky as Thorobreds go. But the issue is that you cannot touch his sides with your leg, and he rides with his head between his legs. This is quite the oppsoite of what I have  been used to. The current owner rides him in a  double twisted wire, and you need to sponge his mouth constantly to get his head up out of his legs. Do you think  any of this can be corrected?

Sincerely,
Nina

Answer
Dear Nina

This is a hard one to answer without watching the horse or perhaps riding him.  I would suggest you watch him move without a rider.  Does he carry his head that low when he is free?  Either way you might want to have a vet check his back to make certain that the head carriage isn't a result of a sore back.  Some horses will dip their back away from discomfort, but other may drop their head and neck down which stretches the back muscles to get relief.

What do you know of his entire history?  Is there a chance a fan of the western pleasure style of the poll lower than the withers managed to convince him this is as it should be?

As to the leg issue. It rather depends on how severe it is. I have had horse who were exceedingly light sided.  Personally, I enjoyed their responsiveness to a light leg.  USUALLY, you can desensitize a horse with patience and holding calm light pressure until they cease being "goosey" about it.

I would be curious to hear what a veterinarian says about this horse.  Good luck.