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Veteran
Posts: 119
Location: NeverLand | I will try to post a video soon! but my first barrel is killing me. its so frustrating i have gone down to very slow work (walking trotting slow lope) the trot and walk are fine but if if i lope or even try to add any speed, he blows his shoulder out way bad in the second half of the barrel. coming in he rates good starts turning good then right when he should power off to head to the second barrel he blows his shoulders. hopefully that all made sense. any advice would be greatly appreciated! |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
  
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | hes sore.....would be my first guess.............
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Thorough vet check first |
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Veteran
Posts: 119
Location: NeverLand | I have had a vet look at his as well as chiropractor. and nothing wrong. his 2nd and 3rd are good. he has no problem. just the 1st. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
 
| My mare did the exact same thing. It turned out to be ulcers. She is the calmest, most reserved horse ever. Even walks up the alley on a loose rein so I never even thought about ulcers until a month ago she went off her grain. On a last ditch effort I started her on gastrogard and TADA! Whole new horse :) |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | what do you mean by, "blows his shoulders?" bowing out? does he lose fluidity through his body? does he get past it? does he throw himself on the forehand? etc..
Without knowing that answer, I would say get another opinion and have a vet look into his hocks/S.I.'s/loins/croup area. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2258
| I had one in to ride this summer who was doing the same thing He had an ulcer and a saddle that was pinching. He was treated for ulcers and a new saddle on his owners part and he stopped doing it after a little time of letting him know he felt better. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| Crowned Image - 2015-01-07 12:16 PM
what do you mean by, "blows his shoulders?" bowing out? does he lose fluidity through his body? does he get past it? does he throw himself on the forehand? etc..
Without knowing that answer, I would say get another opinion and have a vet look into his hocks/S.I.'s/loins/croup area.
I think the OP is talking about the horse rates, turns and when the horse is facing the 2nd and is ready to take off to the 2nd he bows to the left towards the alley. And comes out way wide instead of coming on around and finishing and heading to the 2nd in a straight line. |
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Veteran
Posts: 119
Location: NeverLand | RoaniePonie11 - 2015-01-07 11:28 AM
Crowned Image - 2015-01-07 12:16 PM
what do you mean by, "blows his shoulders?" bowing out? does he lose fluidity through his body? does he get past it? does he throw himself on the forehand? etc..
Without knowing that answer, I would say get another opinion and have a vet look into his hocks/S.I.'s/loins/croup area.
I think the OP is talking about the horse rates, turns and when the horse is facing the 2nd and is ready to take off to the 2nd he bows to the left towards the alley. And comes out way wide instead of coming on around and finishing and heading to the 2nd in a straight line.
That is exactly what is happening. on the side of the barrel closest to the alley he goes really wide towards the alley. he isnt trying to take me to the alley at all. that is just the direction hi shoulders fall too. |
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Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | im still sticking to my first guess.......
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | Is your pocket too big? If your pocket is too big, he will not have the room he needs on that off side to get around it and fire straight at the second. He is basically turning the full turn on the front and back of the barrel and trying to come straight right on the barrel, so he has to bow out to stay off of it? A video would be very useful. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| mruggles - 2015-01-07 12:39 PM
im still sticking to my first guess.......
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I agree with you! Stifle or hocks, maybe even his sacrum being out. |
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Member
Posts: 7
| Try this: whenever he starts getting too close at a lope, stop do a reverse arc in the opposite direction so you are in the position to come into the barrel, back way up and start over, this really helps with mine when they drop their shoulder in! I would do a vet check and chirp exam first just to make sure there is no soreness! |
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Member
Posts: 7
| *Chiro |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | You've ruled out pain/discomfort as a possible catalyst to this. Are you riding one or two handed around the barrel? If you're dropping your outside rein, what if you either stayed 2 handed (for now until this bad habit is corrected), or picked the outside rein up as you're on the backside of the turn and put your outside leg in him. If I don't ride with my legs on my noodle neck, she bows out on the backside of the second barrel, so I understand where you're coming from. You can also try to counter-arc him once he reaches the spot where he typically starts to bow off. Use your outside leg though. It's amazing how much I forget to use my legs to cue for things other than to go faster when making a run  |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | makes sense, thank you roanie, I couldn't put the words to a visualization! lol :))
I agree with mruggles, and then ACEINTHEHOLE if you've had another opinion and your horse is solid. I was having the same problem. "quick fixed it" with a solid mouthed bit per a suggestion. helped him out as he has a tendancy to get strung out and then run with it, turns out he was having pretty aggressive SI pain, took care of that and then started back on the pattern. Fixing his pocket helped him. He was a big guy so I was always giving him way to much room leading him to get strung out and then gravitate to the alley on the backside of his first.
in the end it was a combination of pain and rider error. He's a big ole tough guy and dealt with me.
Edited by Crowned Image 2015-01-07 1:58 PM
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I've got one that does this when his front fetlocks need injected. I can ride him through it, but it can't be very pleasant for him.
I would get your horse to a lameness locator like I did mine. We as barrel racers overlook the front end a lot, and front end lameness can be tricky for vets when they're focused on common barrel horse issues.
Lameness locator and a thorough evaluation of your riding and how you're setting up your horse for first by a professional are probably needed. |
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Expert
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When I start hauling my mare again this year I'm going to try 2 handing the 1st and not being in her face and see how she does. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | RoaniePonie11 - 2015-01-07 2:11 PM When I start hauling my mare again this year I'm going to try 2 handing the 1st and not being in her face and see how she does.
There's so much we over analyzer's think and want to do in a run. If you lay the correct foundation on one, you just have to sit back and let them work. But that's the problem - learning to trust them that they know their job and staying the hell outta their way! The struggle is real! |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| Dreamingofcans - 2015-01-07 2:24 PM
RoaniePonie11 - 2015-01-07 2:11 PM When I start hauling my mare again this year I'm going to try 2 handing the 1st and not being in her face and see how she does.
Yessum. I got to looking at all of my stuff after I had laid her off due to an injury and I thought good lord I pull on her at the first barrel. I wonder what she would do if I didn't lol on the 2nd and 3rd I just guide her on the backside. |
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 Go For It!
Location: Texas | The reason that a lot of horses do that is because WE rate too early. If you are picking up on him too early then he shapes his body for the turn, but since he has already slowed down a bit, he needs to round himself out to keep from hitting the barrel. I like that kind of horse! Your pony isn't a barrel hitter and he is aware of where the barrel is during his turn. By trying to avoid hitting it with his hip he has to over-bend his body and it makes him loose his snap on the backside.
The way to fix this is to ride further to the barrel, so that his hip is at the barrel before you ask him to slow down and turn. Congrats on having one that doesn't want to hit the barrels, some horses won't make up for our mistakes like that. You just need to be brave and run all the way up there and trust him to turn it.
Edited to say... after you get by that barrel pick up that outside rein and use it to "balance" him out and get him in position for the second barrel. You will have to get really quick to do it in time!
Good luck!
Edited by grinandbareit 2015-01-08 8:34 AM
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1 st barrel :'(