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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
  
Location: MD | I said it on FB last night... I don't care about the ground being fast, I just want to see it be safe. Tonight was definitely slower, no doubt in part because those good, veteran horses were looking to take of themselves and their riders, but thankfully, the ground also held a lot better.
Sherry- I was actually quite happy to see Sherry stay on this horse. A very nice line and approach to the first barrel tonight, Sherry guiding her horse up in there with a slightly lower hand and a more direct rein allowed for a much improved first barrel from last night. Just a bit more support from her outside aids would have cleaned up the exit a bit, but it certainly nice enough. I might have liked to have seen Sherry get two handed one stride earlier coming across the pen. This horse seems happiest when being ridden squarely up into an even feel on both reins. With it's head slightly elevated and nose tipped ever so slightly right as Sherry changed hands and went to the horn, that inside shoulder closed in hard. This horse's style of running is not only quite different from Stingray's, but the physical differences are immense, as well. I'm not so sure that she didn't think that this horse's larger stride was going to carry her right up into the backside. As it was, they obviously needed one more step here as they came into the second. She got two handed down to the third and made sure to get enough room behind it to allow for her horse's stride and the third barrel worked out rather well.
Mary- I noted in earlier rounds that Mary was really using that outside rein to lead Latte onto a line even while still back in the alley that would keep him from fading in toward the first barrel. She held that outside rein much further up the pen toward the first tonight and then got very high and indirect with her inside hand in an attempt to hold his shoulder up enough to get them by. Right from the alley, you could see much of Latte's momentum loading onto his inside shoulder. While able to hold him long enough to get to the backside of the turn, he was already laid up to the inside. The minute she opened that rein and allowed for him to finish, his body tilted in just that much more. Had he been a bit more upright here, his hip would never have touched this barrel. Latte really hunts that second barrel in this pen and Mary has to keep riding him across there fairly positively. Having looked back to see if the first had gone, I felt caused her to not get him across there quite as hard as she might normally. While the pocket got short, the turn still worked quite well. Mary stayed square, her energy moving forward at all times and if you hadn't seen that they got tight, you would have never known it from the way he came through the backside. They had a nice third barrel here. He kept running into the hole and got a nice bit of depth on the backside, allowing for a smooth exit.
Sarah- Having pushed Bling a step further by the backsides last night, I expected Sarah to really let her work tonight and she did. Sarah is another one who sets her horse onto the line back in the alley and then goes to the horn as she comes into the arena. Bling is a stretchier sort of built mare and she really does well on just this slightly larger pocket and getting that half a step deeper behind the first barrel. As always, Sarah really set her shoulders and hips on a path for the spot that she wanted Bling to get to and the minute she got there, she popped back up in the tack and allowed for that trademark, snappy finish. Sarah had to get a hold of her left rein just a bit to get Bling into the second barrel exactly where she wanted her to be, but she did a great job of not over handling the mare, or getting her out of shape. She used her hand just enough to set her square, get in where she wanted to be and then, got out of the way. A very forward and positive ride through the backside of the second here tonight. I have watched Sarah open that outside rein and lead Bling up to this exact spot at the third so many times and I love to see how she just leaves her inside hand set down on this horse's neck, trusting her to do the work the minute she allows the turn to start. It worked as well for them as it usually does here tonight.
Lisa- As nice a run as always from Lisa and Louie. As I noted early on in this thread, I felt like some of the horses safetyed up a bit tonight after last night's ground conditions and Louie was definitely one of them. His turns set up as nicely as ever, but without that extra bit of momentum, weren't quite as smooth and snappy as we had seen in earlier rounds. Having gotten a bit short to the third barrel in Round 4 and then having almost sent by it in Round 5, I felt as though their third barrel was back to being right where it needed to be tonight. Again, that little bit less of momentum allowed for him to maybe not plant his hock and finish quite as efficiently here, but the mechanics of the turn were spot on.
Callie- Six Rounds in and she and Dillon just seem to be becoming more and more comfortable by the night. Even moreso than last night, Callie allowed Dillon to hunt up into the turns a bit closer to the barrel than in previous rounds. I again, have to comment on how expertly she uses that outside rein, high up his neck, lifted and open to encourage him to stay true up into the backsides without any pulling and handling on him. Definitely the best run from this pair thus far!
Deb- She and Oscar really seem to have found the ride that works for them to the first barrel. Deb held her outside rein open a stride further up the pen here, maintaining the line through her horse's body that allowed them a great entrance into the turn. A small, slightly indirect bump from her inside rein set him back over his hock perfectly and the turn happened with ease. Again, Deb wants to ride across to the second barrel right handed. She tossed that outside rein off to the right as she swapped hands tonight, in an attempt to get just a bit more room coming in. I still feel as though riding him two handed a couple of strides across there and driving his hind feet up under him would get the job done. As it was, the minute that she switched hands, Oscar initiated the turn and it was all a half stride too soon. That one handed ride to and around the third isn't giving him the support that he needs to stay well positioned and hold himself together for a more balanced turn, but having already had the second barrel, it didn't hurt her time any to have stepped off of it tonight.
Jana- Back on Hammer, I felt like Jana eased off just a bit heading to the first in an attempt to clean up that turn that he has been so strong through the backside of. Unfortunately, that stumble of his front end as they set in for the turn robbed them of that chance. His front end having stuck there in the dirt, the momentum carried both his hind end and Jana out over his shoulders. He did a great job of finding his feet and recovering, but that break in forward motion also really caused his hind end to be disengaged when Jana pulled the inside rein to finish the turn. You see where his head and neck really came through the turn and the rest of his body hung just a bit in comparison. Hammer loaded his inside shoulder a bit and crowded the second barrel a touch, but Jana got to her outside rein, bumped him back as squarely as she could and kept his shoulder up enough to get them by. I felt like this also got him set down enough that they had the nicest second barrel that we have seen from them so far. I might still like to see her give him a bit more support to help him condense his stride and prepare for the third, but it was still improved from earlier rounds. This little, short pattern on a horse with this big a stride is anything but forgiving and that stumble at the first really did break up any sort of timing that they could have had.
Vickie- Even though they got a half a step up the pen passed the first, I felt like this was a rather nice turn. Everything remained balanced, smooth and never quit moving forward. This allowed for a beautiful finish to the turn, without it ending up being a bit bunched up, or bulging a bit to the outside as so often happens when we loop a turn a bit. It did however, cause their line to be a bit straight going across the pen. It appeared at first as though Vickie had been able to right that line, but she then had to make another move to get enough pocket just a couple of steps before the second barrel. She did a very nice job of lifting that inside rein and using her inside aids to shape her horse for a nice entrance to the turn. As soon as she got in there clear though, she dropped her inside hand. Already being so condensed through it's body and rocked back over it's inside hock as it was, her horse just came back and finished super hard. Having realized what was happening, Vickie tried to lift her hand back up and sneak out of there, but there just wasn't room. A rather nice third barrel from this team tonight. I hope that she stays on this horse, as their styles seem to mesh well enough and I sure am hoping to see her have a couple of good runs before the week is over.
Jackie- Jet wasn't at all thinking about getting up the pen at the first tonight. Jackie did a great job of holding her line and quietly keeping him moving forward through the turn here. Having gotten in there as he did, Jet had to do some quick footwork while finishing the turn, but they left there well, if not as crisply as they might have. This horse's higher headed, stiffer way of going really shows when Jackie picks up that inside rein and sets him up for the turn. You see here at the second barrel how he really rocked back over his hock when she lifted her hand and it was exactly the ride that she needed. She hustled him on down to the third well tonight and got a great entry into the turn. I might like to see her keep hustling him through the backside, as his hind feet almost didn't clear it here, but it was another solid run for this Rookie pairing.
Michelle- Slick just gets to that first barrel so hard that sometimes, it can be a bit difficult for him to get shut down when the ground is this shallow, no matter how hard he might try. He was certainly dragging his tail here! Michelle never panicked, just picked him up, rode him forward onto the line that she had to exit and Slick once again, made quick work of sorting out his feet in order to follow her direction. Even with that bobble, they got away from the first on a great line, setting up a balanced entrance at the second. Slick has such a cool, teardrop style of turning his second barrel. Never quits moving forward, takes very little pocket coming in and then, comes through the backside as explosively as any horse could. Michelle does a great job of staying balanced and encouraging with her body, allowing him the freedom and support to work so well. They maybe closed in a bit at the third, but that has been Slick's story a bit here in the T&M. He certainly stayed running up in there honestly and comes back hard enough to make up for it a bit.
Carley- I was very glad to see that Radio was sound and seemingly happy to be coming back up the alley tonight. It appeared to me as though he was really making sure to read the ground coming to the first and Carley did a great job of guiding him with her inside rein and saying "Right here big guy, it's going to be okay.". Another nice first barrel for this pair and I am sure that that had to have given them both a lot of confidence after last night. Not having seen her hit him across to the second before tonight, it seems as though they just got there on a bit bigger of a stride. This caused him to not only be just a touch heavier up front, but resulted in getting them just a foot, or two deeper than she might have wanted. Realizing where they were in relation to the barrel, Carley sat back and really tried to pick him up and hustle him forward through the backside with her seat and legs. Unfortunately, the pocket was just a touch too big to allow for it to work and they caught it coming out. A great ride up the pen to the third barrel resulted in yet another nice turn. Even with that barrel down, I would think that Carley has to be real happy to have had this run tonight.
Taylor- As strong as Bo runs in there and as hard as he drops anchor on the backside of the first makes for fun watching, but it certainly doesn't allow for him to have his best go when the ground is this shallow. That being said, I thought that they had a very nice entrance to the turn and did a great job of recovering and finishing on a rather nice line. Having had that break in momentum on the backside of the first, Taylor hustled up as best she could to get enough momentum to get them around the second. She had to go to her outside rein a bit harder here as a result of not having quite as much power behind her as she might normally have, but she did a great job of doing so in a way that allowed his body to remain rather correct, even though his nose and neck were moving to the outside. Note that she never sat down until Bo went to snap through the backside, encouraging him to keep moving forward all the way through the turn. A great, forward ride to the third, coupled with a very correct, square positioning through her body set them up for another great turn here tonight.
Cassidy- JJ seems like such a cool guy! He runs in there with about as much enthusiasm as any I have ever seen. In earlier rounds, Cassidy shook that outside rein to him just a little bit, in order to help set him up for the first barrel and it appeared as though that might have benefitted her here tonight. Another horse who found that bit of unfortunate ground in Round 5, he didn't seem to want to stick his feet into the ground quite as hard there tonight either. As a result, the turn was too round, causing them to not finish. She did a good job of riding him up, taking a feel of her right rein and getting him moved over enough for a nice entry to the second barrel. That was all the help that JJ needed and he executed as nice a turn as he has here every night. They held the line up to the third a stride longer tonight, allowing for a much better turn and finish than in a couple of previous runs.
Fallon- Again, we saw Fallon stay two handed all the way into the backside of the first barrel, dropping her inside rein and going to the horn only the step before BabyFlo pushed out of the backside. Having held that stiffness through her outside arm in the turn might have caused Flo not to have felt free enough to really snap through the finish as she normally does, but they still left there on a nice, albeit gappy line to the second. BabyFlo didn't love the fact that Fallon had to feel her left rein a bit to get her moved over for the second, as evidenced by the quick shake of her head coming across the pen, but she responded well, allowing for a very nice entrance to the second barrel. Fallon did a great job of handling her horse, getting her onto the line coming across then pen and doing it in time enough that she was able to allow Flo total freedom of her head, neck and shoulders to work through the second barrel turn. That takes quick, reflexive riding in any setup, but especially when you only have about four strides across the pen! Their line to the third was great and Fallon rode very positively to the backside. You can see her pump her inside hand up Flo's neck about two strides before they got to the barrel, encouraging her to keep running forward. It almost worked a bit too well, Fallon having to bump her just a bit on the backside, for which she received another scolding in the form of a quick shake of the head. This is just such a gritty mare! Having grown up on those OTMR horses, I know exactly what it feels like to receive much the same sort of attitude and love them for it.
Nancy- I Think this a very nice horse, obviously trained in much the same style as Fuzz. Running lower headed and with a longer neck than Fuzz, I felt like this horse could have used just a bit more support at the second and third barrels than it was offered running at the bottom of the ground. As it was, Nancy gave the same balanced, unobtrusive ride that she always does and it could have worked quite well had her horse been able to keep a hold of the ground with it's hind end. Those back feet completely popped out of the ground at the second and elevated a bit again at the third. Neither Nancy, nor her horse ever lost their path though and got right back on their lines.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 489
| Appreciate your time and effort in doing this. Enjoyed!
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 BHW's Lance Armstrong 
Posts: 11134
 
Location: Somewhere between S@%&# stirrer and Saint | WrapSnap enjoy your observations and time to write for all of us. | |
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Regular
Posts: 50
| I love the "littles" you notice in these rounds, Andy - the most intricate of cues are SO much fun to see the girls do after being brought to attention. My favorites are Fallon pumping her inside hand up Flo's neck and the shake Cassidy gives JJ on the reins. You're awesome! | |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
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Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Great as always.. Now how about that Sarah and Taylor  | |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 352
Location: Texas | Thank you again and again for doing this! So next year, cough cough, you should do this play by play while as a voice over on you tube.  | |
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 Balance Beam and more...
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Location: 31 lengths farms | Great idea batkitty!!! | |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Quick question .... Whatcha mean by " but they still left there on a nice, albeit gappy line to the second" when you were describing Fallon's run? What's a gappy line?
Thanks for all the analysis - I really enjoy reading this and then going back to re-watch the runs on YouTube. You have an eye for details!  | |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | lindseylou2290 - 2015-12-09 12:54 PM
Quick question .... Whatcha mean by " but they still left there on a nice, albeit gappy line to the second" when you were describing Fallon's run? What's a gappy line?
Thanks for all the analysis - I really enjoy reading this and then going back to re-watch the runs on YouTube. You have an eye for details!
Sorry. I love the word "gappy" but definitely should have used a different term here. They didn't finish as tightly as you would have wanted to, thus making her further to the right, or "gapped off" of her ideal line going across the pen. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1261
| Thanks for doing this! I need you to do my runs too haha! | |
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Mrs. Troy
Location: western Nebraska | I have one thing to add even though this is none of my business BUT It takes time and runs to develop your timing and partnership with your horse especially in such a small run. The girls that are riding their regular dance partners have that advantage over the ones that are riding new horses for this week. Deb and Vicki most of all. They had their routine going with the horses they were winning on and now have to try to find that in the scariest most pressure filled event of the year. They don't get to go to some jps to get with the horses-it is just balls to the walls everynight. What a hard thing to have to do. Hats off to you all!!! Good Luck.
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | doglady - 2015-12-09 2:56 PM I have one thing to add even though this is none of my business BUT It takes time and runs to develop your timing and partnership with your horse especially in such a small run. The girls that are riding their regular dance partners have that advantage over the ones that are riding new horses for this week. Deb and Vicki most of all. They had their routine going with the horses they were winning on and now have to try to find that in the scariest most pressure filled event of the year. They don't get to go to some jps to get with the horses-it is just balls to the walls everynight. What a hard thing to have to do. Hats off to you all!!! Good Luck.
I'm pulling for those two. I can't imagine what they're having to deal with, they're both incredible riders. Here's hoping they each get a few checks before this is over. | |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | doglady - 2015-12-09 2:56 PM
I have one thing to add even though this is none of my business BUT It takes time and runs to develop your timing and partnership with your horse especially in such a small run. The girls that are riding their regular dance partners have that advantage over the ones that are riding new horses for this week. Deb and Vicki most of all. They had their routine going with the horses they were winning on and now have to try to find that in the scariest most pressure filled event of the year. They don't get to go to some jps to get with the horses-it is just balls to the walls everynight. What a hard thing to have to do. Hats off to you all!!! Good Luck.
I completely agree! Both horse and rider are doing their best in these situations to become accustomed to a completely new feel. Given not only the pressures of being at the NFR, but add to that how quickly things happen on this pattern and it makes thing exponentially more difficult. I always feel badly for anyone who doesn't get to take the horses that they are comfortable on and have developed a relationship with over the course of a season, or seasons on the road. | |
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 Not Afraid to Work
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| I also am routing for Vicki, I didn't realize Deb was also on a new horse. I must say I'm so impressed with Callie and Dillon. Although it's not his fastest nfr, definitely most consistent. She makes him look easy, looks like a different horse! Callie is a great rider! | |
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 Ima Cool Kid
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Location: TN | Really liked reading this !!!!
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WNFR Round 6 Analysis