facing the other way!

Question
our horse is 4 years old (5 this summer) we had him at two, and broke him ourselves. he is as good as gold and hasnt been naughty in any way whatsoever. but when he is ridden out, he always faces to the right slightly, and wont face the other way, (he is fine in the school), he is not in pain, and we had the chiro out not long ago. do you have any idea what it is, and how we could work on it?

Answer
Hi

There's two or three possible causes.  One is that he's teething, and the bit is clanking against his new teeth.  Two is that your bit is pinching, because it's too tight/too small for his mouth.  Three is that he's just one sided.

The first option needs to be checked out by a qualified equine dentist.  Sometimes, if a horse is teething, he may not show pain anywhere else, but his mouth can be sore, and having a bit in there will only make things worse.  

Option two just need you to check the fit of your bit, it should just wrinkle the corners of his mouth, if it's too tight (too high in his mouth) or too small, then he'll be in some discomfort, and will be unwilling to work properly.

Option three, after the first two have been either worked through or discounted, is just a question of schooling.  Just work more on his 'bad' side, doing transitions, circles, figure of eights, poles with one end slightly raised.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your boy.

Emma xx