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Member
Posts: 8
| Help!!
I've been having first barrel issues. This literally feels like it happened over night. One weekend he was fine, the next we were having problems. We have started running past the first barrel all the way to the fence, no matter what the size of arena. After doing this a few times I took him to the vet to make sure he wasn't hurting anywhere and the vet couldn't find anything wrong with him. He is sound and i beleive his saddle fits him well. I stayed home for 2 months trying to correct this. Lots of slow work, doing rate and just softening his body up as he tends to feel really stiff as he's running to the fence. I've used tires to give him a better visual of where to go. He will turn perfectly with the tires on the ground. But the first run back after all this work, he still ran to the fence. I just feel at a loss. I've never had a horse do this and I don't know how to help him. Any ideas are appreciated! I have a few videos if anyone can help. Thanks
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3310
  
Location: Jersey Girl | it would help if you could post the link to the video |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I would get a 2nd vet opinion from a horse specific specialist vet.
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | Nateracer - 2018-09-10 9:14 AM I would get a 2nd vet opinion from a horse specific specialist vet.
^^^This. The only time I've ever had a horse run past the turn, when they were normally turning, is due to pain. Whether it's in a joint or in their gut your horse is likely hurting somewhere.
Edited by WYOTurn-n-Burn 2018-09-10 9:18 AM
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | I say ditto to a second vet opinion.
Usually when a horse does something with a SUDDEN change (such as running up the fence) and only to one direction (such as the first barrel) and to such as extreme (as going all the way to the fence), it seems like the answer almost always is pain. Keep digging!
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Video would help alot, how long have you been running this horse? Is this a finished horse that you just been riding a few months? Are you helping it to rate? I have seen this happen to nice finished horse's that owners just bought, alot of times its pilot errors, being a finished horse without rider's help rating a barrel. Not saying this is why you're horse is running past barrels since we have not seen a video.. But you never know, so watching you run this horse would be a big help.  |
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Member
Posts: 8
| Thanks for the tips, I will probably get a second opinion then. He is an 8 year old. This is essentially his first year competing. He ran about 6 times last year. He was on fire this spring topping the 1d a lot of the time. And then this. When it first happened, I had him chirod and she said he was really out bad. I gave him some time off to recover from that and tried again, but he kept doing it...thats when I then went to the vet. I'll try to post a video |
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Member
Posts: 8
| https://youtu.be/TIvPxiVnfMM |
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Member
Posts: 8
| https://youtu.be/TIvPxiVnfMM
https://youtu.be/iH4_4l_jJbA |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | I'm assuming his teeth have been done/checked recently? |
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Member
Posts: 8
| Yes. His teeth are good |
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The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | Wow your horse is beautiful!!!! I love how he gets down to turn! My guess is ulcers. Do you have him on any preventative when you haul? |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | The videos are not very clear, but it kinda looks to me you are not helping to rate, once you get past the first barrel it looks like you are pulling stright back on the reins instead of picking up and asking for rate going into the first barrel , but like I said its really hard to see what you are doing with you're hands..
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2018-09-11 4:55 PM
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | It's hard to tell for sure, but you may not be setting him up well for the turn. This horse is just an inch away from running up the fence, so I'd stop competing on him until you get this figured out. |
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Member
Posts: 8
| Thanks for the tips. The last few rides I've really been focusing on giving him a pocket and helping him find his spot. I'm thinking I didn't help him as long as I should have. He started running well this spring and I backed out of trainer mode. And I tried not to nit pick him when he didn't have a perfect run. I didn't do much practicing during the summer and that's when this happened.
He is on MVP magnesium to help his gut health, but outside of that I haven't used any ulcer preventative. I honestly wouldn't even know where to start with that. Therw are so many products out there! |
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Veteran
Posts: 226
| My horse quit turning first and he had kissing spine...... had the ligament surgery in March and he was back running in a few months! I would get a second opinion and maybe a few x-rays of his back :) Good luck!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1514
Location: Illinois | Marnee - 2018-09-12 9:02 AM
Thanks for the tips. The last few rides I've really been focusing on giving him a pocket and helping him find his spot. I'm thinking I didn't help him as long as I should have. He started running well this spring and I backed out of trainer mode. And I tried not to nit pick him when he didn't have a perfect run. I didn't do much practicing during the summer and that's when this happened.
He is on MVP magnesium to help his gut health, but outside of that I haven't used any ulcer preventative. I honestly wouldn't even know where to start with that. Therw are so many products out there!
Magnesium isn't really a gastric support, it's more geared towards nerves/anxiety/calming and some muscle support. Not going to do a whole lot for ulcers, if they're prone to getting them. The magnesium tires to help lower the stress, but won't really affect the pH in their stomachs that's causing ulcers. If you want a preventative I'd switch to Gastro-Plex from MVP. I sent you a pm about it if you want to check it out. As for the videos it to me looks like he's just not getting set up properly and using your hand where you should. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| Hackamore and run to the left barrel first. I did have one who was winning in the 1D one spring, started doing like yours and I spent 1000s on vet bills. Come to find out, he didn't want to be a barrel horse!! At first he loved it, was working and winning, then one day decided NOPE... |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Hope that you get this problem figured out soon, you have a nice horse. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | You have a NICE horse. The way he uses himself, and you have been running all summer and topping the 1D, I would get his hocks and stifles injected. Even if he flexes okay, I would still do it, as they can compensate in a fex test and not show pain, but they can't hide it in run. I would inject and see what happens. I have come to learn that more often than not, if a horse needs his hocks injected, he needs his stifles injected too. |
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Member
Posts: 8
| Thank you! He has been a blast to ride and he is quite the character to top it off.
I did go ahead and have his hocks injected just in case when I had him vet checked, but not his stifles. So may have to go back for that then if something doesn't change. However, last night I decided to throw a tie down on him. He can get high headed..somedays I feel like I ask him to drop his head most of the ride. He's always been a head flinger. I know some people have a bad perception about tie downs and I really didn't want to use it, but he really seemed to respond well with it and really snapped his first barrel. I'll post a video tonight. |
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| First off - WOW you have a nice horse. If he were mine, I would stop running him right now and get him to the vet for injections.
My mare was turning the 1st barrel great this spring, then progressively got worse throughout the summer. I chalked it up to my poor timing and her anxiety. A few weekends ago I felt her hesitate at the 1st barrel and thought she was 1 run away from going up the fence. I realized it's time to quit messing around and get her to the vet. I had her injected 2 weeks go and ran her for the 1st time since injections last night and she inhaled the 1st barrel again.
IMO if you keep running him if he is sore, you are going to have a heck of a time bringing his confidence back if he runs sore too long. I know someone going through this right now and she has been trotting/loping exhibitions for a year and her mare still isn't confident enough to go back to making runs yet.
Edit because I didn't see your above post. Keep us updating on how he works after the injections!
Edited by WrapN3MN 2018-09-13 1:28 PM
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First barrel issue