whammo77 - 2015-04-05 12:07 AM

Ok, let me clarify so we can move on.... she is winning 2D races and 3d races. I guess i should have elaborated more...... my bad.

That's why we want her to speed up. She's taking home money in the lower classes on a regular basis, but she's not even trying. So yes, a 16 flat (and for those who want to be extremely literal about me saying 16 flat, I'm rounding numbers; Sometimes she runs faster, sometimes slower, depending on how lazy she feels) is NOT going to win 1D races. And that's the problem. The horse has a h*ll of a lot more to give, but she's just not. I've seen what she can do when she's "in the mood", but that is few and far between. Once in a blue moon she'll go in and blow the doors off the place, but doing that once in a blue moon drives a person nuts.

So to add more details... we have 3 barrel horses, and we are rotating them enough that they don't get out of shape, but enough that they do get some good time off and get to do some trail riding and things to keep them from burning out in the arena.

Oh, and another problem.... 2-day events... oh heck no, this horse has none of that. On day 2 she won't run to save her life.

And yes, I am very thankful for the horse she is, because she is very level headed, has no gate/alley issues, isn't spooky (for the most part), isn't crazy, etc, and I trust her with my daughter. That's a heck of a lot to be thankful for. And because of that, I don't want to give up on her when I know how dang good of a horse she is. (So that's why I'm here posting). But at the same time, she is capable of doing way better than what she is. And that's why I came in here; to see if someone has dealt with a deadhead horse that had ton's of potential (and wasn't living up to it) and to see what, if anything, they did to help cure the issue.

And no, I'm not p*ssed off. I'm just answering questions so that maybe someone can help answer my questions. AND I was responding from my cell phone which I hate doing (especially going down bumpy roads....) so I tend to keep it short when I do that, and save more "elaborate" responses for an actual computer. ;)

And yes, I do appreciate the thoughtful and helpful responses we have gotten thus far.

Chandler's Mom - 2015-04-05 12:17 AM


I don't have any answers but if she's trustworthy enough to take care of your daughter, maybe just be happy with the times she's running and leave her be??

whammo77 - 2015-04-05 1:51 AM


As I state above, she's not a national finals horse. We accept that. But my daughter wants to work her way up and someday ride professionally. This horse will never be the horse to go pro on. We know that. But at the same time, you have to work your way up, and this horse can take her a long way if we could just get her to try. We're not blessed with more riches that we know what to do with, so to some degree we have to make the most of what we have. We know, eventually, we're going to have to make a change to be able to reach that next level. But for now, we've climbed a few steps on the ladder, and if this lil mare can just reach her potential, we can make another step or two. So for now, we could really stand for her to be running at least close to what she's capable of.

hammer_time - 2015-04-05 1:35 AM

 Does she maybe just not have the heart for it anymore?

Chandler's Mom - 2015-04-05 2:42 AM


Then I hope she gets some pep in her step and picks up the pace some for your daughter!

whammo77 - 2015-04-03 9:34 PM We have a great little 10 y/o QH sorrel mare that we use for barrel racing. She has a very sound mind, good speed and great bloodlines. We've won a lot of races with her. The big problem is tho, she is a dead head. I have never seen a horse as lazy as she is. We've tried just about everything we know to try to give her some pep in her step. but nothing is working. Currently, she is on 4 scoops of Omelene 200 per day, 1 scoop of Ultium, 2 ounces of liquid 747, and 2 cups of Farnam Weight Builder, a little bit of alfalfa (plus regular hay and all day grazing) and she's STILL a dead head. We've had her blood checked, we've had her worm checked (and went ahead and followed up with a power pack even tho the results were negative), we've had her teeth checked, we've had her scoped, we've had her back checked.... I don't think there's much of any stone we've left unturned. There's just nothing wrong with her that any vet can find. When we got her, we knew she was a "push style" horse, but good lord. I've never seen a horse run a barrel race and then come out and want to go to sleep. Our other horses are all "amped up" after a race and their eyes are wide and all that good stuff. She just comes out and is like "Ok, that's over, time for a nap"...... One thing I might note is that her original owner found us on FB and was telling us about her and how she was from a colt up until she sold her around age 6 or 7.... rambunctious, liked to run and buck (playing), etc... and we were like "Are you SURE we are talking about the same horse???" We've tried so many (safe and all natural) concoctions that everyone SWORE would get the dead head out of her, and nothing works. The gentleman who helps my daughter train has been training probably longer than I've been alive, and came up with our current feed routine and swore it would 'bring her to life'. NOPE!!!! After several months of this regiment, STILL no change. Even he is baffled. I've seen a lot of people worried on these boards about trying supplements for fear of making their horses "hot". At this point I don't think shooting her up with speed would make her "hot" (even tho I would NEVER do that!). You can see in her eyes that she's a happy horse, We've had her checked from stem to stern and can find no sore spots or anything that seems to bother her. No ovary problems, no tenderness anywhere. So we're at our wits end. I will not give her anything unsafe (drugs or whatever), but I could sure use some recommendations from someone who has dealt with a horse like this. She has so much more to give, if only we could find a way to get her to kick it in to high gear. I have absolutely NO clue if this might have anything to do with it, but all of our horses are mares, and as it turns out, so are our neighbor's horses. Bring a male horse around and they all go nuts, EXCEPT her. In fact, I have never seen her demonstrate ANY signs of being in heat, which I find a little odd.... (she's never been bred either, by the way). Thanks in advance for your consideration!

whammo77 - 2015-04-05 2:59 AM


That's a legitimate question. However, this horse has the same attitude about everything in life. Even at feeding time, we go out and the other horses come running because they know what time it is, but she's just like "Ok, I'll be there when I get there" and she just meanders her way up to the barn. Once she's there. she's all about her feed... She dives in!

We jokingly call her Eeor because of her hum-drum I-don't-give-a-crap attitude.

I guess the most perplexing thing about it all is having this conversation with her original owner who described a horse that is completely opposite of the horse she is now. That's why I am very interested in her diet, because we just can't find anything else to explain it (after hundreds upon hundreds of dollars spent with the vet, chiropractor, etc), especially if what her original owner tells us is true. And yes, the horse has a VERY loving home. She's not being beaten or abused. My daughter does most all of the work with the horses, and she has the patience of 'Jobe'. I've seen people who beat their horses into submission, and that's just not the case here. My daughter is completely against "abusive training", and is so patient and diligent in her work. She has no training, she is just one of these people that have a 'knack' for horses. I've seen her (all the way back when she was 13) take horses that had extreme trailer issues and within an hour or so have them loading like there was never a problem. I mean heck, we have a 2 y/o horse that we just rescued, and that horse was yanked from her mother prematurely and put out on a 20 acre pasture by itself and NEVER got handled at all. We got it 1.5 months ago, it was emaciated, underweight, undersized, and scared of the world. My daughters have been working with her non-stop and this horse is now so trusting. She'll load in a trailer, pick up her feet, and do just about anything you ask of her now. The vet came out earlier this week and was amazed at just how happy and friendly she is, when just over a month ago she trembled and lashed out when someone got near her.

So getting back to the point, our horse's attitude isn't because of mistreatment or lack of love. She's just a dead head.

As much as I hate to say it, she reminds me of my brother. The man is as lazy as the day is long. He's a very happy person, doesn't drink, smoke, do drugs, or anything like that. Loves to joke, tell stories, etc etc. And likewise, he was/is very athletic and never pursued his potential. All he wants to do is eat and sleep. We've often kidded that if there were a job for just being a "mattress tester" (aka: Just sleep on it and tell us what you think), it would be too much effort for him. :D

But.... according to the original owner, the horse wasn't this way originally (unlike my brother who was ALWAYS this way). So we're just trying to find something that will help her out. I'm hoping if we can help her feel 'better' and more energetic, she will be more peppy and happy and likewise will perform better. ...

sodapop - 2015-04-05 2:07 PM Any videos of this horse running? 

whammo77 - 2015-04-12 1:16 AM Thank you all for your responses. I apologize to all of you for not responding sooner... it's been a VERY busy week. I DO realize that my original posting was somewhat "misinforming", and I DO apologize. As I said, the whole "horsemanship" gene totally skipped me.... So I am doing the best I can. I'm sorry, as much as I would like it to be different, I'm just a "mechanically" minded type of person. So I will probably say some stuff that is totally stupid. Sorry. I haven't gotten to thoroughly read every response. I hope to tomorrow.... but a quick "browse" and response is as follows: "Rox" is 10 y/o mare. We have had her 3 years, and she has always been like this. Yes, I have videos, and will be happy to share. I'm out of my element here, and that's why I came in here. I mean, technique sorts of stuff, I can "kinda" see.... But when I can see that the horse is kind of "loafing along" and it seems like it's from a lack of energy, I don't know what to do. When I feel like that, I grab a bottle of 5-hour-energy. It doesn't make me wide-eyed or crazy, it just helps me to function a little bit better on those "down days". So I'm not trying to change Rox, I'm just trying to make her feel better. Rox is a super good horse. I know that. I've been around horses all my life, and although I am horse-stupid, I can see she is a good horse. Likewise, I can see that although she posts some decent times, she's not living up to her potential. Likewise, I can see that even when she has just been raced, when she comes out of the arena she is ready to fall asleep (which she does, which I know is a little unusual). Because of that, I'm thinking (and hoping) that maybe she is just short on some nutrients, or vitamins, or something? I mean, I don't want her to run a barrel race and then come out and be totally out of control.... but at the same time, (along with her typical lack of energy) I find it odd that she can run her butt off, and then 3 minutes later be pretty much sound asleep. People, and animals, need a "cool down time" (typically). But she comes out of the arena, and her head drops and she is pretty much OUT. Because she is so "sane", I want to give her 100 chances. As I said before, there are times she can "blow the doors off" an arena.... but those days are few and far between, and in 3 years she's NEVER been able to put up a good time on the 2nd day of a 2-day race. She either goes out and "loafs" along, or she bowls over all the barrels. Like I said, I'm realistic... she will NEVER win a national race.... but at the same time, locally, she SHOULD be taking down some 1D races. And, on RARE occasions, she has. But MOST of the time she loafs and either ends up in the 2d or 3d. So no, I'm NOT trying to make her "HOT" or "CRAZY", I just want her to feel better and perform better. With that, I know that someday, to keep moving up the "ladder", we will have to move on. But for now, she is capable of doing a lot more than she is giving........

soonergirl98 - 2015-04-13 8:50 AM

She may be at the maximum for her God given ability. But I would strongly suggest Animal Element Performance Detox which may get out any toxins. I would also suggest Product X - it puts the pep in my horses step every time!

barbarajean9219 - 2015-04-13 3:34 PM

Long trotting and breezing your horse can speed them up. Also, getting them a little excited in the alley way with a bat.
I would also try running her with out the spurs, we have horses that will literally stop running with them.
I don't know hold old your daughter is but also make sure she is doing the same thing on every run, sometimes kids & teens will forget once they get into the alley way. I'm dealing with this right now with my sister.

JcNhEmI - 2015-04-13 9:24 AM

Id take a dead head 2D horse over my crack head that has potential but can't seem to relax enough to use the talent!
Want to trade?? Lol

soonergirl98 - 2015-04-13 10:50 AM

She may be at the maximum for her God given ability. But I would strongly suggest Animal Element Performance Detox which may get out any toxins. I would also suggest Product X - it puts the pep in my horses step every time!

GLP - 2015-04-13 9:54 AM

I had a horse that would give me a 1D time once a year and then after that the barrels became his target. He was an ex- turnback horse and that is all he wanted to do. He became my brother's calf horse and even then you had 5 or so calves a week he would work and then no more. Good thing my brother loved riding bulls way more than roping. This horse would work cattle all day long, arena work - not so much. We have had 2 horses like this, both cutting bred. Maybe she is trying to tell you she'll work but she is bored with it.

Crowned Image - 2015-04-13 8:42 AM

sounds like a quiet lady to set a kid on top of. I bet you'd have people jumping like bunnies to get her for their beginner barrel racers.

SmokinBandits - 2015-04-12 9:23 PM

I was hoping you were going to say she's 25. But she's 10. I don't think you're necessarily asking for her to be a 1D horse, even though we all want to do the best that we absolutely can, but you just want her to wake up. Lazy is one thing but is sleepy normal? Is it normal for a horse who didn't act this way with the old owner? If she was always like this, then I'd be more inclined not to worry so much. But since she wasn't like this in the past, it makes me think something is wrong. You can tweak her diet but the diet sounds pretty good. You said you have had the vet out. Did he do bloodwork? Someone mentioned checking for thyroid problems and other things. I would do that if you haven't.  

Full of Beans - 2015-04-12 4:11 PM


Something is amiss somewhere in this horse judging by what you just said there. There is pain or discomfort somewhere. How is she entering the arena? Does she go in fairly easy or refuse? 

Swannranch - 2015-04-05 2:02 PM

? You DID imply you wanted the horse wide eyes.  No one put words in your mouth.  I am not sure the horse has 1D it in, every horse has it's own way to run.  Your statement about "winning lots of shows" really sounds odd.  I don't know anyone that wins the 2D or 3D and says "I won the show".  It is hard to give advice when statements are made, then modified.  Maybe the rider is either ready for a faster horse, or not really capable of riding to 1D level.  The description of working and time off was confusing too.  Our working horses run 2 to 4 times a month with a couple months off during the year once they are at their peak level.  If your running in 1 arena all the time, maybe the horse is board.  Seriously, they get board.  No matter where you run, in the divisional level, saying "we run 16's" tells most people nothing.  Not being anal, every pattern and timer line, and ground type are different.  You base your time on the fast time.  There are probably 10 pens with an hour of our home...depending on the association or organization putting the show on, the fast time can be mid 14's to high 17's.  Unless your running on a standard pattern your time alone tells nothing.  I'm still not sure what it is you really want from the horse other than more speed.  Hyped up horses do not translate to more speed in the pen, Good Luck, hope you figure out what your asking for.