I don't know, given everything you have tried it might be important to re-establish ground rules. Round pen, not allowing the horse to do his thing until you say so. That will establish your dominance.

Secondly I would never use a bit on a green horse, I always started a horse with a bosal. He may be head shy because of the soring caused by the bit the trainer was using. Keep in mind, for 90 days this animal was being trained by someone who, from all appearances, was abusing your animal. You have to gain his trust all over, and I would suggest doing that by not using a bit (what your horse probably views now as a torture device). You can go back to a bit later in conjunction with the bosal.

Have you lunged him saddled and bridled? Does he toss his head then?

Is there someone that can pony you from their horse so you can concentrate on riding without a bridle?

Personally I would not give up so easily. When I was young there was an Arabian Stallion that I worked with. He bit, struck out with his forelegs and was basically a brat. So much so, that I refused to breed my mare to him. I could have kicked myself! He went on to become the Intl. Arabian Stockhorse Champion in 1975... I could have had FREE breeding (a true V-8 Moment).

I became very adept at thinking creatively with him. I would watch him like a hawk and when he went to bite me would calmly grab his nose and twitch him. I wouldn't do it hard, but I wouldn't let go until he settled down. If he went to strike out with fore leg, I would make sure it met squarely with the TIP of my cowboy boots. He finally figured out I was smarter than him and stopped playing one upsmanship with me. But let me tell you, it was a rough 6 months to a year!

Arabs are a high strung breed and very intelligent. That also means they excel in getting into trouble! Also, understand that Arabs are slower to mature than breeds like quarter horses and thoroughbreds. For an Arab, 4 is a teen, not fully mature. And just like human teens, they manage to get into a lot of trouble at that age. Have patience just a little longer. If you use a trainer, be sure to use one where YOU are involved in the process!

Hope this is helpful, and I wish you the best of luck.

If you still own him and haven't given up.
Forget about the "training" he had its no good. And yes the twisted wires are very common bits for Trainers that don't know what they are doing or are after a quick fix[30 days of training that really takes 6 months] Once the mouth gets SORE horses aren't strong[pull on bit] have a good head set[low-western pleasure] Its a bully tactic and no genuine horseman would ever use it as a training method.
Head tossing is very common in young/green Arabians.
If you are confident[its all about attitude] Get a straight bar Rubber snaffle. They are about $5-10. Use a set of draw reins they go from the girth to snaps on the bit rings to your hands. Use these and your regular reins, just ride as normal if you can walk thats a great place to start. He will try to toss his head, but the draw rein will maintain a constant pressure which is what he is trying to avoid. Arabs are super smart and usually only need a few sessions with these. You do need the other reins as you really don't have brakes with just draw reins-they draw the head down and some horses are very content to continue traveling around with their nose on their chest. If he should want to panick, just release the pressure and start over in smaller increments.
The bit, straight bar only applies pressure to the bars[where teeth are]
rubber is soft and flexible to allow swallowing and tongue movement
The ends should be O-ring/full cheek/D-ring any end that doesn't create leverage.
The more quite, easy not really training rides you have the better riding horse he will become. Arabs are tricky- you must always ASK/SUGGEST never TELL them what to do.

Hi there,

I my horse does the same thing. I like the toss= work approach, he also had alot of behavior problems when i got him (from the previous owner) and that seemed to work well to change many of them (the "problem"=work) however if its a pain issue (which it seems like you have ruled out) this approach may not work.

best of luck
Karen

I think that trying a bitless bridle/hackamore/side pull would be a good idea. Of course, you only want to do this in a confined area, out on the trail is not a good idea. A twisted wire bit is definitely not something I would use on a green horse! Yes, any bit can be mild in the right hands, but it can also be a weapon. Sounds to me like this "trainer" solved the bucking issue but caused a boatload of more issues. If he didn't do it before, the striking and general disobedience on the lunge is yet another example of how this trainer treated your horse. It's so hard to find a trainer that you can feel comfortable with. I have yet to meet one that I would feel comfortable leaving Jackson with, and I know several rather well. It's going to take time to make up for the bad experience the trainer created for your boy, you'll need a lot of patience, but don't give up. I have found that often the horse you work the hardest with eventually gives you the BEST reward! Unequivocal love and trust.