A horse in pain, in the back, neck, shoulders, hind end, won't do
this. And lots of other things play a part, especially the rider. A
tense unbalanced rider creates a self-perpetuating problem of a tense,
spooky horse with the usual result being head in the air and back
hollowed out.
On the other hand, I recently found a quote from Lady Wentworth, an
importer of Arabs from North Africa to England. "An Arabian that
doesn't shy at everything that moves close by or in the near distance
isn't a good Arabian. He should shy at the movement of a butterfly.
He's been bred to carry his rider in safety day and night: to do
this, his eyes must scan the horizon for the approach of danger."
Can't do this if he's rolling peanuts. To find the balance is the
quest . . .
Gail in New Hampshire glawson@lr.net