Why Your Horse Is Tossing Its Head

Is your horse tossing its head while you ride? Head tossing can range from annoying bobbing to dangerous head throwing and shaking. As your horse is throwing its head you may have poor control. In the show ring youll be passed over by the judge if your horse is tossing its head in many performance classes like equitation and pleasure.
Why Horses Toss Their Heads
Horses toss or bob their heads for a number of reasons. Its important to find the cause before resorting to a harsher bit martingale or tiedown. Its very unfair to your horse if youve tied its head into place so it cant escape pain or discomfort. So lets look at the reasons

Dental Often a horses teeth wear unevenly and can form uncomfortable hooks and edges that cause the horse to scrape his cheeks or tongue while he chews. Dental problems like this can make holding a bit very uncomfortable. Most horses need their teeth checked and rasped called floating at least once a year while some horses may need to have their teeth checked as frequently as every six months. Dental issues are the first thing to look for when trying to solve head shaking or tossing problems. Extra teeth that grow in front of the chewing teeth called wolf teeth can also cause problems with the bit. Your vet can advise you on how to deal with this. 
Bits Check to see that the bit fits comfortably in the horses mouth. Is it too narrow and pinching too thick or too much of a mouthful? Is the curb strap too loose allowing a curb bit to rotate too far in the horses mouth? Is it too high and tight against the horses gums or lips or too low and clanking on its front teeth? Is the bit

too harsh or does it have harsh edges or rust and the horse is trying to avoid it? Some horses might object to the taste of certain metals or the weight or shape of a bit. Try different bits to see if there is one your horse accepts without the head tossing.
Insects Some horses toss their heads because they get frantic about insects around their ears. This can be a big problem on trail rides with a horse trying to rid itself of annoying bugs. Consider using ear covers and insect repellent. Some horses go absolutely loopy about biting bugs