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Expert
Posts: 2685
   
| This is my first time attempting this. I was “that girl” last night at the barrel race :/
Here’s the back story:
Horse was a NICE backup rodeo horse. Got sold to an 18yo kid and her mom. Kid rode. Mom hauled. Mare did NOT get taken care of. The mare quickly went down hill. Started refusing the alley way. Kid got scared/embarrassed and started getting off of the horse and walking her in the pen and turn & go. No issues on the pattern, still made 1D runs. They ended up turning the mare out because she “mysteriously” lost a bunch of weight (stopped eating).
Fast forward to me getting horse. I put horse on ulcer meds, had her teeth done, did a round of EPM meds, had her injected, x-rays... the works. She looks amazing compared to what she did. She probably has another 75-100lbs I want her to gain, but she’s gained about 150.
Last night was the first time I have ever taken her to an event. When I tried the mare it was waaayyy before the event (even before the exhibitions) due to me having to go to work later that night so I didn’t get to see her tantrum going in the pen. They just said she would stop and back up. This mare gets rode without spurs because they aren’t necessary, so I was slick heeled with just an over under. She would stop and back and I’d smack her and she’d go forward but as soon as I put my hand back on the reins, she would stop again.
Next time I will wear spurs just to get her in. I fail to believe she’s hurting (anymore- I think it was more her gut than anything. I had three lameness vets evaluate her and no one came up with anything major. Minor soreness in stifles and super clean rads). I believe I’m trying to get her over her own mind. Kind of why I was looking into a calming supplement. She doesn’t ever “blow up” she gets in her own head.
Anyways, if anyone has input, I would love to hear it. I have never done this before and I’m trying to do right by her. I was not aware of just* how bad she was to go in.
Sorry for the long post...
**Update**
Went to barrel race 7/19 to exhibition and she went right in every exhibition. She was obviously a little nervous and worked up, but didn't refuse at all. Maybe we are over the hump?
Side note--- she is stumbling and I don't know why. She's been evaluated for it and we cant find a reason. Maybe coincidence but i don't know.
Edited by RoaniePonie11 2018-07-20 6:38 AM
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| My husband helps me in at rodeos on his rope horse.
At jackpots from a holding pen we don’t have any issues, he gets on the muscle, I follow the fence and turn him loose or if I’m at the top of the drag I may be loping a circle when the tractors shut off, I’ve done it both ways.
The “wide open” space at a lot of rodeos can make it tricky and if he doesn’t know he has a fence behind him he can sometimes go sideways on me if I’m not willing to let him roll from the back 40 like he wants to. Hubby stays on my left side, that seems to be the way he wants to go if he goes sideways, we run to the right, and we jig and bounce off him until we do get to our go spot.
I also ride with short reins so I can stay light and 1 handed without having to make a big move to gather them up.
Just thoughts, once she’s running without pain/feeling good/getting consistent jockeying the issue may go away on its own. I would see if you can get someone on a good quiet horse to walk with you.
Edited by OhMax 2018-07-14 11:23 AM
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| Thank you so much for the input. I was wondering about another horse. I need to make friends with someone with a dead head lol. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Look at the drag or 2 before you. I could help someone in after I run on the same horse who needs help in. Lots of horses will go back quietly to the gate after they run - and lots of people have been there and need some assistance :) |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| Isn't this the horse you were told over and over that it had no bad habits? Just my personal opinion but to me, alley issues are on my list of bad habits. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 428
Location: God's country | We have a mare that has an alley problem. She came to me with it. Kind of like your horse, she had her wheels run off & wasn’t taken care of. Ours ended up being a bleeder, we found out years later & have addressed that issue. She was run in pain before we got her so she has the psychological part of it going on. With her you can’t hang out by the alleyway. You cannot get her in with another horse. When I ran her , if she stalled out, I could turn her around & back her in. She is now my daughter’s junior rodeo horse and at rodeos you have to have forward motion, so she can’t back her in. If it’s a tricky setup my husband will lead her in & my daughter gets on her. We strictly limit the runs she makes on her. She’s reserved for rodeos so only gets competed on once a month. She’s still not great, but way better than she used to be. |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | As long as you get her pain fixed then I would get her in anyway possible. I think the number one issue I tend to see is someone touching their face a bit to try to control how and where they are going in but on one that sulks like this I think just getting in is important. You may be off in your first barrel approach but until she understands its fun and unpainful just get her in there without touching her anywhere up front. If she lunges forward go with her and do your best not to pull back on the reins etc. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| I'm not sure spurs will help you much to get her in, depending on how you use them I guess....I use spurs to get one off my leg or lift their back up, but never to make them go forwards... (but all mine I start as reiners, so big difference there).
I don't have any extra ideas on how to get her thru the gate other than what has been mentioned above but I think if she's blown up it's important on what happens after you get through too....You might have to donate a few entry fees or do some exhibitions, so that when you can get her going quiet thru the gate, you just stay off her face and let her do whatever in the pen (whether that is run to 1st or trot, or whatever) and not school on her so that she isn't dreading going in there and being spanked or gutted.
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | During exhibitions and drags, walk her in and out of the mouth of the alley 100 times. And when you do go to run, make it very simple. Straight into the alley from the back, no turns, etc.
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 Lived to tell about it and will never do it again
Posts: 5408
| Lots and lots of time and like Fun2Run said, several trips in and out of the arena. Uncle Ed made me spend about an hour just walking my horse in and out of the arena. Don't always turn the same direction when you get into the arena though, mix it up. When you do this try to be in the same posistion hand and butt wise as you would be when making a run so that she won't be able to tell the difference.
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 Expert
Posts: 2159
Location: NW. Florida | One thing I do with mine is doing dry work in arena is go in one handed and my body is real relaxed. When I'm fixing to make a run I go one handed relaxed until I'm ready to go, then I go two handed and they know it's time to make a run. I do a lot of scoring one after a run on one that gets a little hot. You may try to stay away from the pen and just trot up to pen when it's your time to go right in. You might even try walking in with a buddy, but at some point I would want her to go in by herself. Remember horses anxiety usually feeds off of our anxiety. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| I've got one that sounds a lot like yours. Wheels ran off of and no maintenance. When I went to try her after a race, I cruised her through and it was fine. When I went to go back in to just walk around, she sulled up. The seller was right there and grabbed her and she went in. Fast forward to our first race, this mare turned into HI HO Silver in the alleyway. This was in Dec of 2015. I treated it like an attitude problem and would correct her without being mean. We made a few strides but was still having issues. In March 2016 I took her to my vet and had her xrayed. Spurs in both hocks. And she hadn't had maintenance done in the past.... So we injected and I went back to hauling. She was hit or miss all summer. Sometimes she would go in, other times we had to have a boost. This mares go to response to any kind of pressure put on her was to rear up. Shes still quirky and sassy but not as light on her front end as she was. But its taken a lot of time and tears to get her there.
Its taken almost 2 years of consistently hauling her to get her to willingly go up the alley. 2 years of being consistent in dealing with her. This little mare now wants to go in. Ears up, ready to go. It hasn't been easy. Yes Ive been THAT GIRL with the crazy barrel horse. But NOONE knows the demons someone is fighting with one. But once it all comes together, it feels good! I wouldn't trade my mare for anything. I adore my sassy girl.
Its going to take awhile to get rid of the demons she has. Be patient. Be consistent and make 100% sure she doesn't start hurting again or you will undo all your hard work. |
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Regular
Posts: 67
Location: TN | I have had two (full sisters) that I have sold that the teens parents brought back to me for help. The 1st would run sideways and spin away from the alley. Helped by six months off the pattern, meanwhile still hauling her but loping lots of circles as close to alley way as possible then stood calmly close to alley and rested. Slowly begin to rest closer to alley until i was in alley, then in arena, then walked pattern, then trotting pattern. 2nd one, the key was not grabbing hold of both reins when she started up alley. Uncle Ed said when you grabbed reins as she started up alley, she panicked due to getting her "mind" in a bind, and would freeze, then start backing up....fast. So as she would start up alley, I would gently pull & release on right or left rein, but not both as same time, just enough to keep her under control then when we got to our spot let her go. Also did the walk in and out of alley as much as possible before and after runs on both horses. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
|  Just wanted to say thank you to everyone. Might go donate some $$ to exhibitions this weekend and walk the pattern a few times LOL. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 805
Location: Montana | I went through this with my mare. It started out of the blue one race she was great the next we ended up long trotting from the parking lot. That was 8 years ago, fast forward to three years ago, we had had her injected gone over but nothing. Then I let a HS girl borrow her for junior rodeos first rodeo, she came out sneezes once and bleeds. Took her in vet figured she was a hidden bleeder until then. We try Lasix with her it made her worse. So I turned her out. Ended up being 18 months longer than I planned because life happened and I wasn’t having fun and didn’t want to screw her up anymore. This Spring life settled down a Tiny Tiny bit and I started legging her back up. I started her on Oxy-Gens Bleeder Stop and Oxy 2X Pro B at the same time. Last Thursday we went to our first race I gave her a dose of Pozzi RaceX and she was great! No bulking no rearing no trying to break my leg on the fence. She would have been in the 3D but I barely caught the second with my knee.
A few things I did before was to either have someone walk in with us, on foot or on another horse. Or use an over and under. I would also make her walk circles to try and keep her from getting sticky footed. |
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Veteran
Posts: 116
| I’m still smarting over the assertion that a well trained horse that will calmly go where you point him is a ‘dead head’ |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| rawhide - 2018-07-18 7:36 AM
I’m still smarting over the assertion that a well trained horse that will calmly go where you point him is a ‘dead head’
I'm sorry you got offended by my verbiage. |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | My personal, abliet old fashioned, method is after all physical problems are eliminated is to make them more afraid to be outside of the arena than in. In other words,,,,, tan their butt if they don't go in. Team ropers can be a great help with this. |
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Veteran
Posts: 116
| Talk about a back-handed apology. If you’re going to apologize, then apologize for what you did, not what I did. |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| rawhide - 2018-07-21 8:08 AM
Talk about a back-handed apology. If you’re going to apologize, then apologize for what you did, not what I did.
Wow, being a little over sensitive? |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| rawhide - 2018-07-21 8:08 AM
Talk about a back-handed apology. If you’re going to apologize, then apologize for what you did, not what I did.
I was just being honest. I am sorry that you got offended. Not everyone is going to say things the way you think they should be said. If you got offended by the words “dead head” you must live pretty miserably. |
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Getting a horse over an alley way issue **Update**