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 Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Savannah, Tennessee | What are some good techniques and exercises to get your horse to keep running around the barrels. My gelding doesn't continue running well around the barrels, he stalls out, especially on 2. Would love some tips and ideas for what you do.
He is forever in the 1D/2D crack, and I'd really like to pull some checks...on either side. :D
http://youtu.be/zXcI1re42ZY
http://youtu.be/oHLyUtzciOU
This video probably shows it the best
http://youtu.be/dsm_ccwwpQY
Edited by Poohb10454 2015-01-11 9:05 AM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
  
| I don't see the horse stalling out on two, I do see when he turns to face third he is having to move around the barrel. To me it looks like he needs to be driven deeper 3/4 away around the turn so when he sticks his inside leg and pivots he will be able to run a straight line up to third.
If you watch when he leaves his second barrel he needs to switch leads to the opposite one to get around the barrel then he has to switch back when he gets to third.
I also see more time being lost on first, the last two runs, he has poor shape going into the second, he is dumping on his front end to slow down, his back is arched and he is popping up in the air. I would work on collection and getting him to drive with his hind end instead of sticking his front end in the ground to slow down. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | My first thought is his momentum around the barrels pretty much matches his pace in the straights. He looks like a young horse who is ready to speed up. He sets and turns really nice! I didn't think he was really dumping, just looked like a few minor bobbles, but it's easier for me to feel those things than to see them in a video. I'm not super good at analyzing video, but he looked like he was up and his turning style might just make it look that way on video. How old is he? How long have you been running him on the pattern?
e.t.a.: I did agree, try riding deeper in the turn. But, that won't speed him up. Hard to say without knowing more about your training regimen and where he's at in his training/seasoning.
Edited by Nita 2015-01-11 9:41 AM
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Savannah, Tennessee | Thank you for the input. When you say driven deeper you mean push him into the turn farther before letting him turn? Also, specifically what in collecting him, slow work the pattern and try to get him to use his hind end?
The first barrel was a big issue for me over the summer, I couldn't get it right. Which is when those last 2 videos were taken, I have been doing a lot of slow work with cones trying to get into the 1st better. The first video was our most recent barrel race. |
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Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Well, I thought "Awesome first barrel!" in that first vid. |
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Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | I had a super front endy horse, we backed every time I stopped him and did some slow pivots or roll backs. Got him thinking about his rear end more. That was away from the pattern. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Savannah, Tennessee | Nita - 2015-01-11 9:37 AM
My first thought is his momentum around the barrels pretty much matches his pace in the straights. He looks like a young horse who is ready to speed up. He sets and turns really nice! I didn't think he was really dumping, just looked like a few minor bobbles, but it's easier for me to feel those things than to see them in a video. I'm not super good at analyzing video, but he looked like he was up and his turning style might just make it look that way on video. How old is he? How long have you been running him on the pattern?
e.t.a.: I did agree, try riding deeper in the turn. But, that won't speed him up. Hard to say without knowing more about your training regimen and where he's at in his training/seasoning.
He's actually older lol 11 but we had him as a trail horse for 9 years...he's been on barrels about 18 months. He is one of the fastest horses I've ever sat on, just working or breezing on the track, yet, I can't seem to get it to match up in the arena. I too am new to barrels, we started together. I grew up hunter/jumper and had never sat in a western saddle until 2 years ago..Just decided to send my husbands QH to barrel training and here we are. It's a learning process, so I appreciate the advice. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Poohb10454 - 2015-01-11 9:38 AM
Thank you for the input. When you say driven deeper you mean push him into the turn farther before letting him turn? Also, specifically what in collecting him, slow work the pattern and try to get him to use his hind end?
The first barrel was a big issue for me over the summer, I couldn't get it right. Which is when those last 2 videos were taken, I have been doing a lot of slow work with cones trying to get into the 1st better. The first video was our most recent barrel race.
To work on collection and rate, I start out riding in the field, I start at a walk, i will extend the walk then collect the horse up, extend then collect, move up to a trot, extend and collect, then at a lope, hand gallop, and sprinting.
I set up about 10 pylons in a big circle about 50 foot diameter. I will start at a walk and work my way up to full out running. I will walk around the large circle pick one pylon to turn, stop, shape, then walk around the pylon collected. I will move to a trot, extended on larger circle, at the beginning I will stop, shape then trot around collected, when they get this principle I will go from the extend to collect and shape at a trot. I will continue to do this at all gaits.
If the horse does not have a nice shape and is not driving with the hind end around the pylon I will circle the pylon at the gait till I can feel them driving and the circle is perfect.
For the second barrel I would drive the horse about half a stride farther on the backside, so when the horse is facing the finish line this way when he comes around the barrel won't be in the way.
The pylon circle will also help with the second barrel, remember whatever you do one way do it the other way.
If you have any other questions feel free to message me |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Savannah, Tennessee | Cheryl, looking back at the video I can see what you're saying about the 2nd barrel and how it is in his way, hence not being able to run around it without moving out of the way.
He is really adjustable as far as collecting and lengthening out in the field and on circles. However, I don't work on it too often with him. That is something I can start doing more frequently. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Your rating to soon and you need to work your circles for the same number of times such as 10 circles to the right 10 circles to the left. Because you rate too soon his hip moves out on you so he has to change leads to keep balanced. Use both hands to rate so he keeps upright till you get to the barrel. He needs more muscle so he can handle those turns. Your doing great and your time reflects this. In practice ask him to stop and back up so he learns to rock on to his butt and keep it straight. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| Look at that first video full screen. Notice that the horse's head is tipped out until he gets to the back side of the barrel then you you pull hard to get the horse to turn. This is throwing him off. You need to practice starting at a walk in shaping your horse around the barrel. The horse follows his nose. The horse also goes right where you are looking. Lindsey Sears does the best job shaping a horse around a barrel of anyone. Find a video of ner riding Martha. Also if you can find a good clinic in your area you will find that is a great help because they can tell you right then how to improve. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | He doesn't look like he's doing a traditional stall out but more of using his body incorrectly. IDK if anyone else noticed but he seemed like he was pretty stiff and didn't have a whole lot of bend. looked like he was kind of slabbing off the barrels 3/4 of the way around instead of keeping his body round and finishing nice and tight.
The perfect circle by Dena Kirkpatrick has really helped me in these instances. if you google that it will give you plenty of results if you want to give that a go.
He looks great though, don't be too hard on him or yourself. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Savannah, Tennessee | I can see what everyone is saying and gives me some things to work on, I do some clinics and lessons when the weather is warmer, not a whole lot going on in the cold but have one coming up in April. Thank you |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | He looks like he's doing my type of turn.....staying pretty straight and making a big move to leave. What I work on with my horses who turn this way is getting just a touch of bend in their ribs so that they have a slight arc in their body through the first 3/4 or 7/8 of the turn. Literally at the last millisecond as their head turns to face the third barrel, I want them to straighten out and leave like they're shot out of a cannon.
Here's a couple videos that I think show the "ideal" second barrel for a horse with this turning style. It is insanely fast if your horse can do it correctly because you can take one less stride than the ones who run all the way around the barrel.
http://youtu.be/-uePWlINZoU and http://youtu.be/BH5GYt1q0Bo
To teach this in slow work, I focus on moving them off my feet and going around the barrel with an arc in their ribs. I don't want to lose my forward momentum, so I want to be able to move my horse diagonally to the left by pushing his ribs with my right foot. I also want to him to keep his hip & nose to the right while bending his ribs away from my foot, thus creating the shape I'm wanting when turning a barrel. Though mine run with a pretty straight turning style, I tune them really round. I want way more shape during slow work than I ever expect to get in a run. When we get to our rate point, I push his hip to the inside of the turn with my outside foot, guide his nose in towards the barrel just a little and push his ribs out away from the barrel with my inside foot. I want the horse to carry that position around the barrel until the very last instant when we have to decide to circle the barrel a second time or straighten out and head for the next barrel. When we're at the "straighten out" spot, I slide my inside hand & the reins farther up his neck, and use my outside foot to push his shoulders and ribs in towards the barrel. When you straighten their body out just before they really dig in to leave, you allow them to maximize that big push away from the barrel, and I think a lot of times that's where the race is won - by the horse who really leaves a barrel vs one that kinda stalls out leaving.
If your horse is getting too setty at the second barrel - or any barrel for that matter - my all-time favorite drill is to walk up to the rate point, then trot around the barrel. It gets them thinking about moving their feet through the turn rather than gettting "stuck" and stalling out. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | What's the actual title of the video? dumb links wont work on my work computer :( |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Savannah, Tennessee | Thunder PPP open. 12-13-14
Britt and Thunder open barrels
Britt and Thunder - Arlington, Ky - Adult Barrels |
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Getting your horse to RUN around the barrels