Posted 2014-08-15 7:47 AM Subject: getting strung out on the 1st
I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882 Location: MD
have a big appy 16.0-16.1 ish. started him back to the barrels this week after some lameness problems have been resolved, He's a lefty and I know he's out of shape, but I'm finding he will go into the 1st collected and get strung out finishing it. at this point I'm not having him lope more than one barrel at a time because of the shape he is in and the ground I have to use. I'm keeping it slow easy and correct for a long time before I start asking him for too much. I'm doing the barrels primarily to give him something to be excited about and give him a "job" other than walking the trails.
any exercises to help him? or help me keep him collected?
Was considering getting him into the first and asking for a stop, then a roll back. but I don't really have anything else on my mind to fix the issue. Thanks ladies:)
Posted 2014-08-15 9:54 AM Subject: RE: getting strung out on the 1st
Expert
Posts: 2457
maybe go back to a trot - then exaggerate the hip as you come around the barrel to really get him to keep it up under him? Also, think about when you are asking him to turn - where is your leg? Before the barrel, at the barrel or after it?
Roll backs on the fence will help a horse remember how to use their rear ends more. Have you worked on any breezing in the arena? This helped my young mare figure out how/when to extend and shorten her stride.
I'm sure others on here have a much better idea of what to do!
Posted 2014-08-15 11:30 AM Subject: RE: getting strung out on the 1st
Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511 Location: 31 lengths farms
I have a really big mare who also doesn't have a low hock set that I would like to see. She would get strung out too on the backside of the turn. I did a few things to tweak her turn to try to help her out, first we worked on a drill where you rate them but more of a half halt as she is a ratey mare to begin with, I used the actually stop on the backside of the barrel to exaggerate "short stride here" to her and then would back her in an arc back to the rate point and then go ahead and trot the turn collected and correct. The other thing with her I kind of blended Ed Wrights 4 wheel drive turn with the straighter longer approach so that she was running an arc for only 2 strides rather than 3 .
getting strung out on the 1st
