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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
 
Location: California | Hudley_SK - 2015-03-04 10:10 AM ccarpe18 - 2015-03-01 10:46 PM So he goes perfect for time only but freaks for the run?
How to DO you feel before an actual run vs time only? Could it be that you are nervous & making the horse nervous?
I noticed you mentioned "pressure of the run". A horse is not going to know the difference between time only & competition other than one is going faster. The only different mind set is you. I tend to get nervous AFTER a run (lol I know, doesnt make sense) but I notice that in my horse... calm going in & nuts until I get off or relax.
If he was "blown up" I'm not totally sure he would want to run at all, time only or not? Maybe just keep the running relaxed & work on other things in the meantime. Okay so if it is me what are some ways I can help with my nerves before I run? I have never been nervous on any other horse I've run even when I was running for my saddle, it was no big deal. I've had a pretty stressful last 2 years and just finishing my degree in the next two months and a recent breakup has added stress as well. I think that I put it away in the back of my mind when I run but maybe I don't. Already thinking about it for the last few days I'm going to not touch a barrel for two weeks until the next chance we have to make a run. I'll warm him up and then get off and wait until just before I run to get back on and maybe this will help.... he is the only horse I run so I often will just sit on him the entire jackpot normally. I have found myself needing to take deep breaths in the alley/right before I go but I think I need somethings to do before that point. What are some tips I can use to try and mentally calm myself?
Hmmm. Well you've had the horse for a year now. Okay, so you have had lots of time to get to know eachother. I relate this to my mare & how I have grown up to notice things.
Example: She has almost always dropped her shoulder when loping on the right lead. I was always trying to correct her, bring her head up, etc. FINALLY it clicked. I realized my right shoulder always hurts, or always has problems. I am also right handed. I discovered I have scoliosis & my spine is slightly crooked-to the right. The whole reason all along for her dropping that shoulder was because that's how I rode. Heavier to the right. Lol.
Okay so how I compare this to you: You have ridden your horse many different times. He is going to know when you are feeling happy, sad, stressed, etc. Horses have amazing energy & they can feed off the energy we put out. He may feel your energy change & you don't even realize it.
It could have possibly come to a time where you know he tends to act up, so you almost expect it & it could show in your body language. Maybe you tense up or idk maybe something just changes before the big run (or who knows I could just be talking outta my ass).
If you want to try to mentally calm yourself, try to think about only ONE thing. (I am VERY anxiety prone & this helps). When you think about one thing for instant lets say your horse has his mane braided. Concentrate on just one braid. & take in every detail you can; the color, how the braid looks, all the hairs that might be sticking out; ANY detail you can. Here's the trick: When you realize other thoughts that flood your mind (which they will) just calmly go back to the braid (or whatever). It's easy to be frustrated with yourself, but the key is to not get frustrated & just go back to the one thought. OR another good way is breathing like you said you have been doing- feel every single detail of the breath, where it goes how it feels coming in & going out of your body. Try to do this randomly throughout your days & not only when riding.
On a side note, I recently saw an article that reminded me of you & your horse. The horse was an awesome champion shore mare, but suddenly she started acting spooky and was impossible to show, bucking and was always sore all over. She was vetted, chiropractor worked on her many times & nothing changed or was noticeably wrong. They put the horse on Magnesium Supplements & within 5 days, she started acting more like her normal self. It was as a post on the FB page "Performance Equine Nutrition"
Sorry that was super long. lol |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
 
Location: Kansas | I have been there & done that with a blown up almost beyond fixing barrel horse, so I am going to try and offer some insight.
If your horse is a finished solid seasoned horse and not having any problems on the pattern, there is really no need to do 500 exhibitions/time onlies. I do my tuning on the pattern at home AT A WALK. That way I can be precise and think about everything I have to do during a run but I'm not burning the horse out on the pattern. I might walk the pattern two or three times in a day then not do it again for a month.
I've got a couple horses who are pretty hot and both have had gate issues at times. With Joker, I don't get on until the person before me is running and once I head for the alley, I don't stop. He's solid enough to find 1st no matter what I do so I let him run from where ever he wants LOL. With Clifford, I step on a couple before and try to be really quiet & calm about putting my rubber bands on. If I can stand there and have a conversation until they call my name, that keeps me calm and therefore him calm. Horses feed off your energy and they KNOW when you're nervous. I'll ride him up to the alley one handed a lot of times just to keep my body language calm too.
Cliff is a very nervous horse and I've tried several different calming pastes.....AE In The Zone, SmartCalmUltra, Omeprazole, and I've even given him Maalox. Nothing has ever given us consistent results. I've had people walk up besides us on another horse, and that seems to keep him a little calmer.
It sounds to me like your horse knows you well enough to feel when you're nervous, and that makes him think "Oh crap she's nervous.....something bad must be about to happen......I want out of here NOW!!!!!" I would suggest cutting down on exhibitions & slow work, doing other things with him as much as you can, not sitting on him the whole jackpot (at least get off and just stand there beside him petting him if you don't want to leave him.....my horses LOVE it when I stand there and mess with them), and above all, RELAX AND STAY CALM!!! Good luck! |
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Expert
Posts: 1446
Location: California | My first guess, not knowing you or the horse, is the horse doesn't have confidence in you. I would go to a horsemanship lesson or clinic, someone with methods and ideologies that you like. Truly work on balancing your horse and freeing up his feet. You either aren't giving him enough room going into the pocket, or he needs to be shown how to make turns engaging his hind end and using forward motion. Maybe take him to the beach and breeze him, or breeze him in the pasture. Teach him it can be fun to run. Get him out of the arena and work him in the elements. Also, I know you have taken him to the vet, but you might want to consider putting him on Pentosan injections. It can help horses with stiff joints and soreness/pain. Good luck! |
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | Thanks for the tips! I will definitely be trying it out on our next runs in a couple weeks. As for riding out in the elements, I'm in Saskatchewan and we are in the middle of winter right now, it was -42C here yesterday making it pretty hard to get outside even if it warms up a little bit haha other years I've tried to get outside once a week but it just hasn't been possible this year with the weather really not cooperating! All spring/summer I rarely work in the arena, we've got a big field out back that I work on when I ride and was only in the arena if I was doing some drills that I needed a little better ground for. As for injections route, he had his hocks fused with his previous owner so that takes out most of that debate. I'm really looking forward to putting this to work :) On another note has anyone had any other experiences with Magnesium supplementation? |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | Is this the same horse you posted about last summer or a new one?
http://forums.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=453469&posts=37&mid=7041059&highlight=&highlightmode=1&action=search#M7041059
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| Hudley_SK - 2015-03-05 11:27 AM Thanks for the tips! I will definitely be trying it out on our next runs in a couple weeks. As for riding out in the elements, I'm in Saskatchewan and we are in the middle of winter right now, it was -42C here yesterday making it pretty hard to get outside even if it warms up a little bit haha other years I've tried to get outside once a week but it just hasn't been possible this year with the weather really not cooperating! All spring/summer I rarely work in the arena, we've got a big field out back that I work on when I ride and was only in the arena if I was doing some drills that I needed a little better ground for. As for injections route, he had his hocks fused with his previous owner so that takes out most of that debate. I'm really looking forward to putting this to work :) On another note has anyon
e had any other experiences with Magnesium supplementation?
I haven't read the whole thread thru so apologize if I missed it - but per the highlighted section, you need to realise that not only hocks need to be injected sometimes - so even if his hocks are fused, there may be other joints hurting him and needing injections? Just something to consider! Also how were the hocks fused and how long ago? If alcohol, this is not always a 100% pain free guarantee. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 814
Location: California | I had a gelding that would get very nervous going into the arena and would run up the fence at the first barrel 9 times out of 10. In turn, I got very nervous and it was making running barrels no fun for me. I decided one day to switch him to the left barrel first just to see what would happen. Low and behold, he inhaled the first barrel every single run after that. I don't know exactly why this happened, but it was like a miracle.
Have you tried switching your first barrel? Its a simple thing to try and it might possibly work.
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | MS2011 - 2015-03-04 11:41 PM
Is this the same horse you posted about last summer or a new one?
http://forums.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=453469&posts=37&mid=7041059&highlight=&highlightmode=1&action=search#M7041059
Yes this is the same horse. I tried him to the left in the fall, first run was nice and then when I tried at the next jackpot it was back to being a mess again. |
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | Update: Took him to the college rodeo this weekend. Warmed him up and then got off until right before I ran for both poles and barrels. He went in running every run BUT still didn't change first barrel (right). And blew off his right handed end pole which he doesn't do at home although we aren't moving quite so fast. The second day I ran him to the left just to see, I had nothing to lose... he inhaled first barrel but did the same thing on second and didn't have a very nice third either. his previous owner happened to be there this weekend and she had no idea what to say. The only thing she suggested was a pyschic because I pretty much have tried everything else! She was shocked at what he was doing and had never seen him act like that ever... Any other suggestions? It was finally nice enough to ride in the field today but still to wet to do any real work yet. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Your fellow Canadian already suggested that you check for ulcers. Do that first and then make sure you run that sucker and they check to see if he is bleeding. Third, have an experienced ultrasound person go over his legs. Rule all that can physcially cause him issues out and take care of any issue then turn him out on Doctor Green for awhile. When you bring him back do it the cowboy way work him till he has many wet saddle pads. Moving calves, riding fences... I will give one an anti anxiety med that is that bad for several months till he is as soft as butter in my hands. They can't work in a tight ball, they just are going to hurt themselves or you. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
Location: mi | The fact that he is only doing it on right hand turns would make me think something is bothering him. Time to dig alittle deeper with the vets. Take along your videos or presend them to which ever vet you pick so they can see his runs. Honestly it could be anywhere from up in his face or teeth to down in his feet or in his back. Good luck. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Haven't read all the other posts since I posted last but in your previous thread from 8/14 you said his neck was out. Have you checked that? |
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | UPDATE
Regular chiro work, nothing major has been out for 5 months. Vets say nothing physical. Feet are good, just got shoes put on again a month and a half ago (taken off for winter up here!). Alley issues seem to have almost completely disappeared (I warm up and get off until a few girls before me). Have been hauling him to practice nights at various arenas where there are a handful of girls working as well. Have tried working pattern and also just warm up and run. He works slow work perfectly. Even high loped a nice go through this week then when I went to run he went right back to his old habit. I am working/running him left and have been since March. Got another good rider on him this week and the first few slower runs were okay and as soon as she asked for more he was a jerk on that right barrel again!! She is more agile than me and got after him and worked him through it so it looked a little better. Previous to two weeks ago he had made about 3 runs that were leaps and bounds better than he had been working, even pulled a 3D check (which for now I was very thrilled about). Then two weeks ago he had a horrible second and third! Just as a thought he was coming around but still acting like he wants to run. The girl that got on him was very impressed but thinks he is maybe a one button horse and there is an extremely fine line where he'll work or not... but we haven't found it. I also have taken him roping two nights and he seems to love it hope to continue with that when I can, it's a nice brain break for the both of us. This horse has so much potential I don't want to give up on him yet but maybe I just can't find his button and someone else maybe can. Any other tips/drills you can think of that might help? I can circle him off barrels in nice circles but its just on the pattern he does it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| If he turns to the right bad why make two right turns and only one left turn? I think I would be running to the right first, then you only have one problem barrel and two great barrels.....  |
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | He had only been turning bad on that one barrel and only occasionally on third going to the right (probably more me then him if not happening all the time). Thought process behind not going right first was that he turns a nice left barrel and to start with that was seeming to be easier to approach the problem barrel rather than the problem barrel being first. Also felt it was taking stress off him if it wasn't the problem barrel right away, and it has helped his gate issues greatly. If that makes sense? haha |
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| Hudley_SK - 2015-06-05 2:41 PM
He had only been turning bad on that one barrel and only occasionally on third going to the right (probably more me then him if not happening all the time). Thought process behind not going right first was that he turns a nice left barrel and to start with that was seeming to be easier to approach the problem barrel rather than the problem barrel being first. Also felt it was taking stress off him if it wasn't the problem barrel right away, and it has helped his gate issues greatly. If that makes sense? haha
Oh ok. Have you had the vet check his stifles? |
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | Yes. They fine. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Why do you insist on making practice and time only runs??? Quit punishing him and go to the barrel race and make one competition run. |
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Veteran
Posts: 121
Location: SK | I've tried. The weeks I go to the practice I try to only do one run unless its not nice then I work him again, these are weeks we don't have jackpots. At jackpots I've only been entering one run. Haven't been working the pattern at home, sometimes drills with barrels but not on pattern. |
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