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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
  
Location: Northwest | I'm riding a friend's horse at the moment and I cannot get the first barrel to stay up. This particular horse is SUPER ratey but no matter what I do I can't get it to take an extra step on the backside. I always hit the first barrel as I leave it. I've tried riding one handed, two handed etc etc etc. The horse is very well trained, owner is multiple time NFR qualifier and even she has some trouble getting him around the first sometimes. Have not ruled out physical causes yet. Any riding or training tips I can start with? |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Where are you looking with your eyes?
when are you giving the horse the cue to turn?
It does sound like the horse needs to go a stride deeper into the turn if you are catching it leaving it.
Another thing to consider is to make sure you are not giving the horse too wide of a pocket going into the barrel.
Do you have a video?
While I can appreciate a well-trainer horse that knows it's job, I have a hard time with a horse that didn't listen to me. Meaning, if I ask them to go a stride deeper in the turn, then they should. While I want them to work for me, I also want to still be able to give direction, if needed. May need to consider doing a little slow work and re-training with the horse to get him to listen to you and get around that first barrel. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1062
Location: Probably On the Road to the Next Barrel Race! | this a tough one...so many possibilities. I'll throw a few things out there.
1. are you utilizing your inside foot?
2. are you keeping your hand way forward on horses neck?
3. are you looking up too soon?
4. are you "helping horse" too much with your inside (or outside) rein?
5. are you giving too much pocket (too much room going in can mean too close coming out)?
6. this is a long shot, but I had a pro horse one time that you had to put your inside foortin him as soon as you started your pocket...if you waited until you were in the turn, he would still clip it leaving it. I left thousands of dollars on the ground my first year until I figured out this quirk..
7. can you change your slow work up to train horse to give more pocket?
there is probably nothing physically wrong. Have you asked that pro girl for tips? Also, as for my above suggestions: don't change 2 things at once. Be patient n try one thing at a time. Sounds like a nice horse. Be patient. Get with a trainer who can watch you in person...good luck!
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | r_beau - 2016-06-19 5:17 PM
Where are you looking with your eyes?
when are you giving the horse the cue to turn?
It does sound like the horse needs to go a stride deeper into the turn if you are catching it leaving it.
Another thing to consider is to make sure you are not giving the horse too wide of a pocket going into the barrel.
Do you have a video?
While I can appreciate a well-trainer horse that knows it's job, I have a hard time with a horse that didn't listen to me. Meaning, if I ask them to go a stride deeper in the turn, then they should. While I want them to work for me, I also want to still be able to give direction, if needed. May need to consider doing a little slow work and re-training with the horse to get him to listen to you and get around that first barrel.
Thanks for your input. Here is a video- it was my third time riding this horse. I work hard on my riding but I'm still a long ways from being a 1D rider so feel free to critique openly...it won't hurt my feelings and I'm always striving to improve! In this run I started to rate him on the first and I know that didn't help and I also wasn't riding him two handed around the barrel, However in recent runs where I've changed those two things I sill hit the barrel almost exactly the same way. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U3nN-cfrYjE |
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10D Crack Champion
| That is sure some pretty scenery around that arena!!! |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | 100% sure a smaller pocket would fix your issue and give you a perfect pattern. That's a nice horse. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | I agree with the above post. Make the run into the barrel with less arc and get that horses hind end up underneath him deeply only a stride away. If you look at the 17 sec mark in the video you still have another stride to go and that's sending him deeper and thus your catching it leaving. Hey, I'm having the same exact issue with my horse right now. Going to try to make changes as above and see how that goes. Nice riding and nice horse BTW. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | outrundaizy - 2016-06-19 9:50 PM
100% sure a smaller pocket would fix your issue and give you a perfect pattern. That's a nice horse.
I wondered about that, I'll try changing it and see what happens. Thanks! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | Horse thats rates a lot. Really locks on. Quit running hard all the way. They are nearly always cowing the barrel to much. Cutter will do same,Calf horse shut you out from combination of cow and cues from rider. Send to many signals trying to get the horse to the turn. Bet your pumping your arms and body. . Change what your doing. Break the lock on the barrel. Keep them moving forward all the time |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| 07milch - 2016-06-20 7:48 AM
outrundaizy - 2016-06-19 9:50 PM
100% sure a smaller pocket would fix your issue and give you a perfect pattern. That's a nice horse.
I wondered about that, I'll try changing it and see what happens. Thanks!
I agree with changing your pocket and approach to the barrel. Some horse just don't need that big, swoping pocket and if this is an older, finished horse, it can be next to impossible to change their style.
You also might be conscious about where you are sitting down. Horse may be cuing off of your butt rather than your hand.
My good, now old, rodeo mare was like this. NO pocket and ran off my butt and foot. Took me awhile to get it figured out and even longer for me to change my habits. When I quit trying to change HER and made myself adapt to her style it was incredible, not to mention the lowering of frustration for both of us. I used to have to lift my inside leg completely out of the way on the second barrel, then step right back down and head to the 3rd. She would rim the barrel all the way around yet leave it standing IF my leg was not there. If you tried to make a bigger pocket, you would drag it down for sure.
Oh, something I just remembered. After we were solid, but dragging barrels down I discovered that usually her hocks needed injecting or stifles needed attention.
Keep looking for a solution! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | rodeoveteran - 2016-06-20 9:33 AM
07milch - 2016-06-20 7:48 AM
outrundaizy - 2016-06-19 9:50 PM
100% sure a smaller pocket would fix your issue and give you a perfect pattern. That's a nice horse.
I wondered about that, I'll try changing it and see what happens. Thanks!
I agree with changing your pocket and approach to the barrel. Some horse just don't need that big, swoping pocket and if this is an older, finished horse, it can be next to impossible to change their style.
You also might be conscious about where you are sitting down. Horse may be cuing off of your butt rather than your hand.
My good, now old, rodeo mare was like this. NO pocket and ran off my butt and foot. Took me awhile to get it figured out and even longer for me to change my habits. When I quit trying to change HER and made myself adapt to her style it was incredible, not to mention the lowering of frustration for both of us. I used to have to lift my inside leg completely out of the way on the second barrel, then step right back down and head to the 3rd. She would rim the barrel all the way around yet leave it standing IF my leg was not there. If you tried to make a bigger pocket, you would drag it down for sure.
Oh, something I just remembered. After we were solid, but dragging barrels down I discovered that usually her hocks needed injecting or stifles needed attention.
Keep looking for a solution!
Ok Thanks! He was ran in the futurities 2013-2014 and hasn't been run since so he is still pretty much a novice horse, not an old campaigner type. I hope we will get it figured out, I really like his style!
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | Hard to tell from that angle, but looks like he needs a smaller pocket at the first. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I agree about a smaller pocket, look at your other barrels 2 & 3rd the pockets are great. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| I think you are going into the barrel a little wide. You are giving the horse enough room on the backside but I think you need to lift up on the rein instead of dropping your hand as you finish the turn. It looks like you are dropping your hand and pulling the horse into the barrel. Also it looks like you are looking down at the barrel (can't really tell) Surprisingly, your horse goes right where you look. My trainer used to tell me all the time "look where you are going" It took a while to sink in but she meant look where you WANT to go. It takes some practice and concentration, but if you are looking at the barrel, you are going to hit it. A good clinic would help you a bunch and keep you from developing bad habits.
i went back and watched the video again. The horse is really stiff. Both directions but worse to the right. I would do some exercises to teach the horse to flex in both directions but especially to the right. I think that will help a bunch.
Edited by streakysox 2016-06-20 6:40 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Don't give him so much room on the front side |
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Hitting the barrel leaving