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Expert
Posts: 2685
   
| At what point do you look at an arena and go NO WAY. LOL
we have a local arena where a 14.5-14.7 usually wins it. To me, its tiny. There's anoth local pen that I have been to but never ran in nor seen anyone run in that is even smaller. Would you attempt this? At first I thought OMG hard on your horse but then I got to thinking and honestly, if its a 18 sec pen or a 14 sec pen your horse still has to haul you know what and put its butt in the ground to turn just as hard but maybe with a smaller pen if your horse isn't good at straightening up and changing positions fast for the 2nd you could injury your horse, or you..ect.
What do you think??? |
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  More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
 
Location: Riding Crackhead. | If the ground is good I run. We have some places with 12's and 13's winning and I have no problem with it because the ground is good. |
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 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | I've never had a problem with small arenas. We have several around here. You will likely have more of a problem with your reaction time than you horse will have with making the turns. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| CYA Ranch - 2014-01-02 3:35 PM
If the ground is good I run. We have some places with 12's and 13's winning and I have no problem with it because the ground is good.
thank you. The ground is amazing in this arena. I rode there and did slow work once but never hauled butt in it. Just wondered about other peoples experience/ OPs |
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 Expert
Posts: 1236
Location: NE Oklahoma | One of the only indoors close to where I was in IL was a 12- 13 second pattern and I never had any problems running in it. If the ground is good it'll be fine. |
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| Come to the great white north where we run in hockey arena's. Yes, 11 second pattern CAN be ran!! |
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 Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Posts: 2409
Location: Wisconsin | Amen Bingo!! If the ground is good...they will come and run!! |
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Veteran
Posts: 159
Location: Central TX | the lincoln NE PRCA was ran in like an 11 sec. pen. I ran it one year and was like WTF!! you literally had 1 stride between the barrels. not sure if its still ran there. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| I think the smallest arena in my neck of the woods is low 16. I couldnt imagine a 11-13 sec run. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 447
Location: New York | We have a pen around here that has quite a few $5000 added shows that is usually won with a mid 13, and 2 others that it usually takes a 12 to win. Personally, I like the littler pens. 
Edited by Spark572 2014-01-02 6:28 PM
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I've run some places where 12s and low 13s win, and you have to really hustle MENTALLY to make good runs in those little pens. There is no margin for error like there is in a 16-17 second pattern. Those bigger pens allow you to make a bobble and run fast enough to make up for it but there is no such thing in the small pens. Smooth is key in a 12-second pattern.
14.5 to 14.7 is not a tiny pen. It's a small pen but not tiny by any means. My rodeo horse doesn't like those little bitty pens and therefore I try to avoid them with him. My old horse does well in them because he's super solid and makes a smooth run every time. I think you just have to know your horse and choose arenas where he/she can excel. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | I have run in an 12 sec pattern arena in the past and it was an absolute blast. My ole horse did awesome in those patters as he could bounce off the walls. I don't think the one I have now would do well in a pen like that. You definitely do t have time to think, it is all automatic and muscle memory. As long as the ground is good and your horse likes he set up I say go for it! |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | The one in my area is lucky to be twenty by twenty five feet it is so tiny I freaked. I've been used to large arenas
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Regular
Posts: 87
| RoaniePonie11 - 2014-01-02 3:29 PM
At what point do you look at an arena and go NO WAY. LOL
we have a local arena where a 14.5-14.7 usually wins it. To me, its tiny. There's anoth local pen that I have been to but never ran in nor seen anyone run in that is even smaller. Would you attempt this? At first I thought OMG hard on your horse but then I got to thinking and honestly, if its a 18 sec pen or a 14 sec pen your horse still has to haul you know what and put its butt in the ground to turn just as hard but maybe with a smaller pen if your horse isn't good at straightening up and changing positions fast for the 2nd you could injury your horse, or you..ect.
What do you think???
Pfft that's nothing! Up here in Alberta and especially Saskatchewan a lot of the rodeos are in hockey rinks where the winning times are low 12's or 13's (in October I ran in an arena that a 12.3 won the ladies barrels and from the first barrel to the second there was maybe 2 full strides) All I had time to do was think, crap it's RIGHT there! LOL. I don't think they get much smaller than that though, and I was perfectly fine running there. I actually prefer running in the little pens, I ride better in them than large outdoor pens. I haven't noticed any difference in any horse because of the shorter pen if it's on good ground. Your horse doesn't get running the same across as they would outside (at least mine doesn't, maybe that's not right then) But I don't think it makes any difference to injuring your horse. |
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 Best of the Badlands
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | LOL a mid 14 second pen would be a "good sized" indoor pen where I live! 12-13 second indoor pens are the norm in my area. Most of the indoor pro rodeos up here in the Badlands Circuit aren't much bigger than that.
Edited by rockinas 2014-01-03 8:57 AM
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 Desert Diva
Posts: 4946
Location: The birthplace of Honest Abe | I ran in a tiny indoor in Ft Dodge Iowa, I want to say an 11 won it but dont remember for sure LOL
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Veteran
Posts: 296
| I ran on a 12 second pattern for the first time on New Years Day...neither my horse or myself loved it!! He couldn't figure out why the 1st was in the middle of the pattern lol  |
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 Expert
Posts: 1552
Location: PA | Most of our indoor arenas around here are the mid/high 14's to win them. I don't consider them small at all. Now the 11/12 sec. patterns I avoid. They to me are more like an obstacle course! Our outdoors are a bit bigger.
Edited by BRLRCR1 2014-01-03 9:59 AM
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how small is to small? (arenas)