kramerica - 2014-09-29 5:51 PM Have you had a good lameness vet take a look at her?  Trained barrel horses don't just refuse because they wake up and think, "Screw it, I'm done!"  I'd bet good money she is sore.

HannahRodeoCowgirl - 2014-09-29 5:49 PM Can she pick up a lope from a stop? Lope her to the barrel, stop. Wait a few seconds until she isn't "hyped up" then ask her to pick up her right lead from a stop and turn the barrel. You can ask her to stop farther away from the barrel with time and get some speed going. Maybe it could help her calm her mind a bit before the turn.

Dreamingofcans - 2014-09-29 6:05 PM Yes, the guy I went to is very reputable. I knew when I got her that she was really sore - had it all taken care of. Had her teeth done by my dentist, chiro work done. I had her off the pattern for a good 5 weeks while I got her to gain some weight and just worked on the basics - flexing at the poll, lateral flexion, disengaging her hip and shoulders, really getting collected at a trot and lope. I immediately slowed her down when working the pattern bc she just wanted to haul butt in there like a freight train and not rate down, get collected, and set for the turn. I got her to where I could slop lope around it and she would turn. Did that about once or twice a week for a few weeks. Gradually started adding minute amounts of speeds but then she gets all spazzed out and it's like her brain quits working. I'd ride her through it and once I got her mind refocused, she'd work it. Anytime I would add a small amount of speed, she'd get all cray cray (half-a$$ attempts at rearing) and not want to turn the first barrel. So, after weeks and weeks of no improvement, I switched her to the left. Well, guess what, my second barrel, that dreaded right hand turn, she's refusing to turn it. She'll turn the third fine though. I'm at a total loss.

rodeomom3 - 2014-09-29 6:14 PM  I would say keep looking for soreness, suspensory, stifle.  It seems like if she just didn't want to work she would refuse at her first barrel whether it is to the left or right.   Since she only has issues on a right turn I would think it is physical. I went throughs this same scenario, took him to 3 great vets, they all put him through the paces but he was never lame or had swelling.  Turns out he had a suspensory bothering him.

slowrunnin - 2014-09-29 10:31 PM Have you had her front feet/legs examined? My mare doesn't like to turn left and was just at vet today and he found her sore in her front feet and ankles. Hoping the injections will help.

Dreamingofcans - 2014-09-29 6:07 PM


Yes, she can. I can try it, I'm willing to try anything. I really don't want to give up on her, but jeez. She's got to earn her keep around here and she's not. 

Illinoiscowgirl - 2014-09-30 9:32 AM I went through the exact same thing for years with my gelding. Took him to several vets. All had different opinons.  Had his stifles injected, internal blistered, whirl bones injected, hocks injected, chiro and teeth done nothing worked. Took him to Oakridge Equine  he had a bone cyist in his stifle. He had surgery a year ago. He is sound now. But since I tried running him so long hurt it is taking him a long time to get over it mentally.  I feel so bad for not taking him to Oakrighe right away. 

JagsLuck - 2014-09-29 11:45 PM I would make absolute sure your horse isn't hurting somewhere. Try seeking a good Vet that specializes in all over lameness and not just legs... Also something to keep in mind, a lot of times what happens is if a horse has developed a habit from pain it becomes a mental thing.. Even After the pain issue has been dealt with horses will continue the habit thinking that turning that certain barrel will cause them the pain they were experiencing before. Especially if the horse was being ran over time in a lot of pain. So all it takes is TIME and patience showing the horse that turning the barrels is not going to hurt them! It's not a quick fix.. Hope this helps

ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-09-30 12:30 PM Don't forget to look "other" places.  Could be she has sore facets in her neck, sore SI joints, whirl bones, if she's ever been a puller backer.. she may be sore in the Atlanto-occipital joint at her poll (between the Atlas and Axis)...  Don't just look for typical hind-end lameness.

Dreamingofcans - 2014-09-30 3:48 PM After I initially had her hocks done, I had a chiropracter out and he went over everything - she was incredible sore all over. After all that was done is when I noticed she still felt off loping to the right. Went back to the vet and her right front pastern was sore. She gets stretched out, cold hosed after workouts, she's never in the stall except to eat. I can take her to another lameness vet for another opinion or take her to Kathy Brown for whirlbones and stuff . . . ??

Rodeo_Queen_21 - 2014-09-30 6:01 PM

 It sounds exactly like my barrel gelding. He is not lame or sore, nothing. Perfectly fine. Had so many vets check him and get chrio, teeth, and feet work done, all pretty much for nothing. 
He did the same thing as your horse, he would trot and do a nice slow lope fine to the barrel, sit and turn it nicely. But once you added speed, he would come flying in (He is a VERY powerful horse) and just blow past our first barrel. 

I have come to the realization, I cannot push him. I had to let him get comfortable working and running around the barrels at his own pace. Yeah, probably took him longer to get up and going, but now we are frequently running 1D times (130+ people), and I only kick coming home because as soon as I start kicking and asking for more speed throughout the pattern, he blows barrels.

This might not be whats happening in your case... it just sounds fimilar as to what went on with my horse. Wish you the best of luck on finding out what the root of the problem is. 

Dreamingofcans - 2014-09-30 5:14 PM

What if they can't find anything and she's just being a terd? Do they ever get over the memory of being sore?

Dreamingofcans - 2014-09-30 8:02 PM Yeah she wants to haul butt in their like a freight train and will just blow right passed it. How long did it take for your guy to finally get comfortable? I'm having to hold her back bc she wants to just bolt in there.

Rodeo_Queen_21 - 2014-09-30 10:45 PM  That is exactly what my gelding did, haha. It actually took a couple months (to get him to 1D times) of me just not kicking at all and pushing him forward with my body weight. (Like leaning up and forward inbetween barrels) I wouldn't kick to ask for speed, I just took whatever he gave me for speed. Better than getting a no time with a broken pattern right?



He caught on to the hang of things quickly, in just a few weeks I noticed a difference in his turns. (He felt like he was getting down and working better for me) When I was doing slow work, I would work at slowing down at the barrels though. Like for example if he was slow loping to the barrel, I would bring him to a trot around the barrel to emphasis rate, especially since I was letting him choose his speed between barrels.



All in all, it took me about 2 or 3 weeks to get him to where he was running to the barrel and we were actually gaining speed each time with the pattern. 



Hope this helps somewhat!  Good Luck! 

 I've been doing that for about 7-8 weeks and haven't really seen any improvement. I noticed while going slow if I stay 2 handed she does better, but if I drop my outside rein she'll be more inclined to blow passed it. She gets sooo amped up at barrel races and all she wants to do is run. Last weekend was actually the first time I got her to walk into the alley - she usually starts running in place and does that little half rear thing a billion times, so I guess that was an improvement. I just want to see MORE improvement. I feel like we've gone nowhere fast. Since she gets sooo amped up and loses her mind, do you think giving her a little chill out juice would help? Maybe I should stop doing exhibitions and just do the open, but lope her to the first and then let her cruise at her own pace to the other 2?

 

Spiked-Kat - 2014-10-01 6:53 PM  I'm sorry if someone already said this, but my mare would fly to the first and then flip me the bird.. found she was a bad bleeder, never showed one sign. Now with lasix a new horse. No issues at all.

Rodeo_Queen_21 - 2014-10-01 8:01 PM  I know what you mean! I would deffinatly try not doing an exhibition, that might just get make her ancipate the next time you take her out, and end up not listening to you throught the run. I have to stay two hands with my gelding all the way around the pattern as well. 



Walking in the ally is a big improvement! Mine would aslo do the little prance with little hop/rears to going in the ally.  I would deffinatly try just loping her, maybe even trying to trot her to the first barrel during a race (I know how hard it can be to try and make them trot in when they want to fly in.. lol. ), and let her do her own pace through the rest of the pattern and see how that affects things. 



Let me know how she continues to do, I hope you can get this problem fixed and start kicking butt soon! 

Spiked-Kat - 2014-10-02 8:05 AM The vet can preform a test where they numb the throat and then flush the lungs, when they pull the fluid back out, if any of it is red or pink colored that means they have bleed. Scoping doesn't give a very good reading.