"Hi, I've had my youngster since July - he is now three years and three months old. I have recently broken him in and he took everything in his stride. As he is quite young, I am taking everything very slowly with him, just walk and trot. He is very responsive when you ask him to halt or come down from trot to walk. However sometimes he gets very stroppy and snatches the reins out my hands by throwing his head to the floor, and then when I try to get him back up together he throws his head around a bit. He has never done this and then bolted or anything at all. But he is prone to bucking on the long lines and so I worry that his stroppy behaviour might one day result in him throwing a buck in and with his head on the floor it would be quite difficult to stay on as his bucks are huge! He has only ever done one very small buck when I've been riding him and I am unsure why he did this. However the same day I then took him into the indoor school and he then had a complete bucking fit and bolted round the school - so I think this was just a bad day!

His saddle was professionally fitted, his teeth have been done recently, etc. I just wonder whether it might be his bit that makes him stroppy? Or a different bit I could try that might help. He currently has a snaffle. Just really wondered whether there was any advice to try and stop him throwing his head to the floor as I don't want it to result in a bucking horse. Or one that gets in a mood when he is asked to wait when he doesn't want to listen. He is a 16hh Belgium Warmblood and is very strong! Although he is usually a gentle giant. I think that the head thing is what he reverts to when he is not getting his way. As when being led he will sometimes shake his head around if you ask him to stand when he wants to go out. Any advice would be great. Thanks, Jo."

H&c blogger and Olympic event rider Sharon Hunt replies: "Hi Jo, well as it seems he only does this when halting and hasn't bucked yet, I shouldn't be too worried about it. However, what I would do is try and prevent him from throwing his head to the floor. For example, I would try and slightly leg yield him into the halt, so if on the right rein move him off my right leg into the left hand and use this hand to half halt to stop and have him with some right bend so, hopefully, he'll not be against your hand into the transition. I would also bend him once in halt, whichever way is easiest before he grabs the reins from your hands so that you are in control of him, even if this is quite a quick proceedure and then move off softly. Better to do this and train him to be soft in the halt and then the length of the halt can be extended as he gets better and softer.

You could also work on some halts on the lunge with side reins just quietly asking him to halt and stay soft and then move off again. I would be careful of making an issue of this as it seems just greeness and lack of education/balance, but when we keep trying to improve it, too often this can then result in more tension and then become much more of an issue. Sharon."