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 Elite Veteran
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Location: Idaho | May sound silly, I just had a bad experience a long time ago with a young mare.. so I am curious. My colt is 4.. I just did his first exhibition on Friday, he did awesome!! He's got a pretty solid foundation, been on the barrels for about 30 days but not consistently. I have been doing barrel work, mixed up with trails and just enjoying him. I don't want to push him too fast, too soon even though he has been doing awesome. He lopes out real nice.. and I tried to breeze him the other day and he was going, but I was wondering if there are exercises to help teach them to stretch out, add more speed and be comfortable with it. I know they need to learn to balance with a rider the faster they go.. I am just curious, is there a particular way you prepare them for that or do you just go out and ask? |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | Breeze him. Will help him figure out how to run and where his feet need to be. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | 30 days on the barrels......running would be the furthered Thing on my mind. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Dont be in such a hurry, you said you just did his first exhibition friday, dont be pushing for speed yet. The speed will come latler and I bet he will surprise you with it. He's learning as he go's. So take your time with him.
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2016-04-24 11:55 AM
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Elite Veteran
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Location: California | I don't think she meant on the pattern, I think she means in general. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | Serenity06 - 2016-04-25 8:27 AM
I don't think she meant on the pattern, I think she means in general.
Yes, this is what I meant!! I don't mean on the barrels, I mean just in general. He has a very good stop on him, so I know I can control it but I just want to get him confident as well as myself, he is a lot different from my old barrel horse that I ran for 6 years and passed away. I'm in no rush to ask for speed yet on the pattern yet, just in general. |
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Expert
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Location: Texas | DashNDustem - 2016-04-24 10:45 AM
Serenity06 - 2016-04-25 8:27 AM
I don't think she meant on the pattern, I think she means in general.
Yes, this is what I meant!! I don't mean on the barrels, I mean just in general. He has a very good stop on him, so I know I can control it but I just want to get him confident as well as myself, he is a lot different from my old barrel horse that I ran for 6 years and passed away. I'm in no rush to ask for speed yet on the pattern yet, just in general.
Doesn't matter I still wouldn't be asking for any kind of speed |
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Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | I spend months loping barrels before any speed |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | mollibtexan - 2016-04-24 11:02 AM I spend months loping barrels before any speed
I agree here. Take your time. A horse with speed will run - you can't teach it. But they have to be CONFIDENT first. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Like I was saying too , take your time with this young horse..Time will be on your side if you will be patient  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | My coming 4yr old has been the laziest baby I've ever started. I took him into a wheat field and breezed him, actually pushed him and asked for speed. He has finally realized he can in fact move out with me on his back and that has really helped free him up a bit more actually. I don't ask for any speed on the barrels or anything but it has sure helped him realize he can do the things I've been asking without me having to get a major leg work out. Lol |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | I was taking things very slow with my colt too (he was 4 last year). I took my time with him on the pattern but I also wanted him to just learn how to run! I have a few spots where I breeze my horses and I'd try it once or twice a week. Just so he could start to learn how to stretch out and run.
it just takes them time to learn! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| Like everyone said, take it slow and speed will come BUT, it wouldn't hurt to breeze him once or twice so he gets used to running, figures out where to put his feet, and frees up when working the pattern :) |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Idaho | Thank you everyone for your input. For those who are telling me to take my time, I am. I have owned this colt since he was 11 months old, and I have taken my time with him. I didn't start him till he was 3 1/2, made sure he has had a solid foundation both on the ground and in the saddle. And also when I say 30 days.. its been stretched out over the last 3 months, I don't work him on barrels all the time. It's an occasional thing, in between I just work him in different pens, ride out in the pasture, in the indoor or ride around the property and build his confidence in going new places by himself (the property I board at is huge). I do not drill him, although I have done plenty of exercises to prepare him for his future in barrel racing. I was merely asking about teaching him how to run, because I want him to learn to stretch out and be confident, as I had a bad experience a long time ago with a green broke mare.. and I was still learning myself, and each time I'd try and breeze her she would freak out, start bucking then take off. I doubt my colt will do that because of his breeding and he has a pretty solid foundation.. but it would be nice to know that he knows he can do it, with someone on his back and be confident about it. I'm not looking to do it tomorrow, or the next day.. just something to progressively work on. I am in no rush with him.. he will be 5 next month. I don't plan on ruining him by pushing too soon.
Thanks again for everyone's input :) |
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 Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | Just keep breezing him, once or twice a week. The key I've found with teaching them to really run is not to pressure them for speed at first. Cue them for a lope and then let them pick their speed from there. Try to pick a long enough stretch of ground that they will come back to you & slow down on their own. So many barrel horses have "turn" on their minds all the time, you'll try to teach them to breeze in a straight line & they will just automatically stay throttled down because they are sure you are going to ask them to turn something at any moment. Or they know you are going to pull them up in 100 yds anyway, so why bother going fast at all? Once they have it figured out that there is no real pressure to breezing - What? No sharp turns? No abrupt change of direction? I can keep going until I feel like stopping? - they will usually start offering more speed on their own. At that point, you can offer a little smooch or squeeze of the legs for encouragement, and they will usually respond happily. When you ask for a little more speed, keep your urging restricted to short bursts. Roll into a high lope/slow gallop at a pace of their choosing. Urge for a few strides, maybe 5-10 seconds to start. Then let off the pressure and allow them finish at their own pace again. Gradually work up to 10-15 seconds of urging. Then 15-20 seconds, which is about where you'd want to train for speed on a barrel pattern. Also, I make a bit of a big deal out of them going fast, lots of praise a petting on the neck when they offer speed. You can often feel them puff up & swell pride/excitement when they know you are pleased with them. |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Idaho | Whinny19 - 2016-04-27 7:36 AM
Just keep breezing him, once or twice a week. The key I've found with teaching them to really run is not to pressure them for speed at first. Cue them for a lope and then let them pick their speed from there. Try to pick a long enough stretch of ground that they will come back to you & slow down on their own. So many barrel horses have "turn" on their minds all the time, you'll try to teach them to breeze in a straight line & they will just automatically stay throttled down because they are sure you are going to ask them to turn something at any moment. Or they know you are going to pull them up in 100 yds anyway, so why bother going fast at all? Once they have it figured out that there is no real pressure to breezing - What? No sharp turns? No abrupt change of direction? I can keep going until I feel like stopping? - they will usually start offering more speed on their own. At that point, you can offer a little smooch or squeeze of the legs for encouragement, and they will usually respond happily. When you ask for a little more speed, keep your urging restricted to short bursts. Roll into a high lope/slow gallop at a pace of their choosing. Urge for a few strides, maybe 5-10 seconds to start. Then let off the pressure and allow them finish at their own pace again. Gradually work up to 10-15 seconds of urging. Then 15-20 seconds, which is about where you'd want to train for speed on a barrel pattern. Also, I make a bit of a big deal out of them going fast, lots of praise a petting on the neck when they offer speed. You can often feel them puff up & swell pride/excitement when they know you are pleased with them.
Whinny, thank you soo much!! That makes a lot of sense!! :)
Also, we have this huge out door pen.. its not enclosed, but it is a long stretch. I tried to breeze him about two weeks ago (our first time, which lead me to this post) just to see what he would do.. and I noticed, he was a bit heavy on his forehand. Is that normal? When he's loping, he is very collected and really gets under himself but I just noticed how heavy he was on the straight aways. |
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Brains Behind the Operation...
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Location: Arizona | Being more on the forehand is probably just a colty trait more than anything. Once he gets the hang of moving out that should improve. Doing some sprints uphill and just long loping/galloping over varied terrain (slight grade changes, minor obstacles to maneuver over or around) will help to get him using his hindend more. Also teaching him to switch leads every quarter mile or so can help with this, sometimes they will get more on the forehand when they become fatigued on one lead. It takes some experience for them to realize they can switch leads when they tire to find another gear. |
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Brains Behind the Operation...
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Location: Arizona | Breezing in company can really help perk one up as well. Some need a little competition or even just a security blanket to get the confidence to run. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | Whinny19 - 2016-04-26 8:36 AM
Just keep breezing him, once or twice a week. The key I've found with teaching them to really run is not to pressure them for speed at first. Cue them for a lope and then let them pick their speed from there. Try to pick a long enough stretch of ground that they will come back to you & slow down on their own. So many barrel horses have "turn" on their minds all the time, you'll try to teach them to breeze in a straight line & they will just automatically stay throttled down because they are sure you are going to ask them to turn something at any moment. Or they know you are going to pull them up in 100 yds anyway, so why bother going fast at all? Once they have it figured out that there is no real pressure to breezing - What? No sharp turns? No abrupt change of direction? I can keep going until I feel like stopping? - they will usually start offering more speed on their own. At that point, you can offer a little smooch or squeeze of the legs for encouragement, and they will usually respond happily. When you ask for a little more speed, keep your urging restricted to short bursts. Roll into a high lope/slow gallop at a pace of their choosing. Urge for a few strides, maybe 5-10 seconds to start. Then let off the pressure and allow them finish at their own pace again. Gradually work up to 10-15 seconds of urging. Then 15-20 seconds, which is about where you'd want to train for speed on a barrel pattern. Also, I make a bit of a big deal out of them going fast, lots of praise a petting on the neck when they offer speed. You can often feel them puff up & swell pride/excitement when they know you are pleased with them.
Very well explained! That's what I do with my guy :) Just short urging but not really pushing him and lots of praise! |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | Serenity06 - 2016-04-26 3:06 PM Whinny19 - 2016-04-26 8:36 AM Just keep breezing him, once or twice a week. The key I've found with teaching them to really run is not to pressure them for speed at first. Cue them for a lope and then let them pick their speed from there. Try to pick a long enough stretch of ground that they will come back to you & slow down on their own. So many barrel horses have "turn" on their minds all the time, you'll try to teach them to breeze in a straight line & they will just automatically stay throttled down because they are sure you are going to ask them to turn something at any moment. Or they know you are going to pull them up in 100 yds anyway, so why bother going fast at all? Once they have it figured out that there is no real pressure to breezing - What? No sharp turns? No abrupt change of direction? I can keep going until I feel like stopping? - they will usually start offering more speed on their own. At that point, you can offer a little smooch or squeeze of the legs for encouragement, and they will usually respond happily. When you ask for a little more speed, keep your urging restricted to short bursts. Roll into a high lope/slow gallop at a pace of their choosing. Urge for a few strides, maybe 5-10 seconds to start. Then let off the pressure and allow them finish at their own pace again. Gradually work up to 10-15 seconds of urging. Then 15-20 seconds, which is about where you'd want to train for speed on a barrel pattern. Also, I make a bit of a big deal out of them going fast, lots of praise a petting on the neck when they offer speed. You can often feel them puff up & swell pride/excitement when they know you are pleased with them. Very well explained! That's what I do with my guy : ) Just short urging but not really pushing him and lots of praise!
I agree! I'm at this point with my 5 year old. It's scary and fun to see how fast they pick it up on their own. It's my favorite part lol! The first couple times my mare pulled the E-Brake when I asked her to slow down so that was fun........LOL |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | SmokinGirlie - 2016-04-26 2:17 PM
Serenity06 - 2016-04-26 3:06 PM Whinny19 - 2016-04-26 8:36 AM Just keep breezing him, once or twice a week. The key I've found with teaching them to really run is not to pressure them for speed at first. Cue them for a lope and then let them pick their speed from there. Try to pick a long enough stretch of ground that they will come back to you & slow down on their own. So many barrel horses have "turn" on their minds all the time, you'll try to teach them to breeze in a straight line & they will just automatically stay throttled down because they are sure you are going to ask them to turn something at any moment. Or they know you are going to pull them up in 100 yds anyway, so why bother going fast at all? Once they have it figured out that there is no real pressure to breezing - What? No sharp turns? No abrupt change of direction? I can keep going until I feel like stopping? - they will usually start offering more speed on their own. At that point, you can offer a little smooch or squeeze of the legs for encouragement, and they will usually respond happily. When you ask for a little more speed, keep your urging restricted to short bursts. Roll into a high lope/slow gallop at a pace of their choosing. Urge for a few strides, maybe 5-10 seconds to start. Then let off the pressure and allow them finish at their own pace again. Gradually work up to 10-15 seconds of urging. Then 15-20 seconds, which is about where you'd want to train for speed on a barrel pattern. Also, I make a bit of a big deal out of them going fast, lots of praise a petting on the neck when they offer speed. You can often feel them puff up & swell pride/excitement when they know you are pleased with them. Very well explained! That's what I do with my guy : ) Just short urging but not really pushing him and lots of praise!
My guy still hasn't figured out just how fast he can go but I am completely ok with that for a while! My main goal was to have him realize he CAN move out with a rider and we achieved that so that's enough speed for a while. Lol. Now his favorite gear is an extremely fast trot, not the most comfortable gait but boy can he cover some major ground! |
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Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | Mine usually look drunk their first couple attempts at breezing. Dodging back & forth, can't keep a straight path to save their lives. It's like they just know I've hidden a barrel out there SOMEWHERE... lol |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | Aahh thank you so much for the information!! You guys are awesome, and It makes me smile to hear the other stories!! I am looking forward to the future with my boy :)  |
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Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | I give up |
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Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | mollibtexan - 2016-04-27 6:14 PM
I give up
There is nothing wrong with galloping & breezing sound, healthy and sane 4 and 5 year old horses. In fact, it is beneficial to their long term soundness do so - the only way bone will remodel and become dense enough to hold up to the rigors of running barrels at speed is to be exposed to speed. The safest way to accomplish this is to gallop and occassionally (1-2 times weekly) breeze for several months, maybe even a full year before you plan on doing it competitively. Their bones actually change shape and become stronger (denser) doing this. It also helps them mentally; most horses that are galloped stay happy & relaxed in their work. Especially running breds. Nobody is saying to whip & spur & run the horse as fast as it can go. It's simple, controlled conditioning, and is a great complementary tool to arena training. But to each his/her own. |
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Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | I feel like maybe there is some discrepancy between everyone's personal definitions of "gallop" & "breeze," so I will share mine. Typically, a horse new to running will naturally move into a gallop at a rate somewhere between a 3:00 to 3:30 mile. Keep in mind that the AQHA standard for a SI of 100 at 440 yds is 22.05 seconds. I think the current world record for 440 yds is 20.274 seconds. A 3:00 to 3:30 mile is equivalent to about a 45 to 52 second quarter mile. That is slooooooow. That is what I mean by a slow gallop. A "breeze" for a horse new to running only needs to be at about a 15 second lick - which would be a 30 second quarter mile. Again, not breaking any speed records with that, but you will trigger the bone remodeling benefits of breezing. As the horse matures mentally & physically, you can ask for faster spurts as you, the trainer, see fit. And teach the horse to enjoy running at the same time. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | mollibtexan - 2016-04-26 7:14 PM I give up
Yep... I agree  |
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Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Whinny19 - 2016-04-26 7:53 PM
mollibtexan - 2016-04-27 6:14 PM
I give up
There is nothing wrong with galloping & breezing sound, healthy and sane 4 and 5 year old horses. In fact, it is beneficial to their long term soundness do so - the only way bone will remodel and become dense enough to hold up to the rigors of running barrels at speed is to be exposed to speed. The safest way to accomplish this is to gallop and occassionally (1-2 times weekly) breeze for several months, maybe even a full year before you plan on doing it competitively. Their bones actually change shape and become stronger (denser) doing this. It also helps them mentally; most horses that are galloped stay happy & relaxed in their work. Especially running breds. Nobody is saying to whip & spur & run the horse as fast as it can go. It's simple, controlled conditioning, and is a great complementary tool to arena training. But to each his/her own.
This horse has been on barrel 30 days. I think they get plenty of "breeze" time in the pasture. Yes I know this about the bones. I respectfully disagree about Breezing until they are solid.
Edited by mollibtexan 2016-04-26 9:32 PM
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Brains Behind the Operation...
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Location: Arizona | I guess I'm just confused as to why you feel the amount of time on barrels has anything to do with whether or not you should gallop/breeze a horse? Sincerely not being snarky, just curious. I realize the horse has only spent about 30 combined days on the pattern, but the OP also said the horse was a month shy of 5 years old and had been riding successfully for a year and a half doing lots of other things. To me, the time spent on barrels is irrelevant when deciding whether or not to do so-called "speed" work. It's more about the physical/mental maturity of the horse in general, and how solid their foundation is. Unless I pick one up as an older horse, most of my colts are started on gallop work long before I get serious about drilling on the barrel pattern. Maybe it's just because my most influential mentors came from racing backgrounds? (Nobody famous, just influential to me personally) |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | Whinny19 - 2016-04-26 10:10 PM
I guess I'm just confused as to why you feel the amount of time on barrels has anything to do with whether or not you should gallop/breeze a horse? Sincerely not being snarky, just curious. I realize the horse has only spent about 30 combined days on the pattern, but the OP also said the horse was a month shy of 5 years old and had been riding successfully for a year and a half doing lots of other things. To me, the time spent on barrels is irrelevant when deciding whether or not to do so-called "speed" work. It's more about the physical/mental maturity of the horse in general, and how solid their foundation is. Unless I pick one up as an older horse, most of my colts are started on gallop work long before I get serious about drilling on the barrel pattern. Maybe it's just because my most influential mentors came from racing backgrounds? (Nobody famous, just influential to me personally)
I think it largely depends on what it is that your end goal is for a horse. If your intention is to make a horse to be a barrel horse, you need to have that sucker properly programmed before you go to letting him know how fast he is. I don't mean on the pattern, either. It's easier to speed one up after you know you have them right. If they know that they can run already, you can get yourself in a bind when you're trying to teach them something and they decide "Screw this" and tuck tail. |
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Brains Behind the Operation...
Posts: 4543
Location: Arizona | As usual WrapSnap, you provide excellent commentary. Thanks for making the other POV clearer for me. If I could get the BHW emoticons to work on my phone I'd give you a thumbs up, lol. |
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Teaching a young horse to run