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Veteran
Posts: 171
 
| I currently have a horse off the track, that is dropping his shoulder once he turns 1st.
What bit recommendations?
Peska chain bit, connie combs stabilier, ed wright pretzel, etc.
I am open to other suggestions.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | It's not the bit.........the horse must get off your inside, left leg. He must get his hip moved up under from your right leg/outside leg. If you just change bits and pick up your left rein, you will not fix the problem. Think about riding from "back to front", not front to back. |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | hotpaints - 2013-12-23 7:38 PM It's not the bit.........the horse must get off your inside, left leg. He must get his hip moved up under from your right leg/outside leg. If you just change bits and pick up your left rein, you will not fix the problem. Think about riding from "back to front", not front to back.
 And stay 2 handed!!!!! |
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Veteran
Posts: 171
| Please explain riding "back to front, instead of front to back".
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Veteran
Posts: 171
| Please explain riding "back to front".
I do have a problem staying two handed past the second barrel. I pick my spot past the barrel looking at the fence and still release early. How can I teach myself to ride past the barrel, staying two handed. |
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Blessed
Location: Here | canchaserdelux - 2013-12-23 7:51 PM Please explain riding "back to front". I do have a problem staying two handed past the second barrel. I pick my spot past the barrel looking at the fence and still release early. How can I teach myself to ride past the barrel, staying two handed.
Write WAIT on top of your hand
Honestly as you go in the gate you will see that and it will remind out |
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Blessed
Location: Here | JMHO back to front means pushing them up into your body |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 825
| My mare is a big time cheater and will drop her shoulder half way to the 2nd barrel. Luckily a good friend trained her and had been helping me since I got her, and this is what he told me to do: I started picking a spot about 5 foot to the right of the 2nd barrel and I'd walk, trot, lope, and sometimes sprint to that spot and stop (not necessarily a hard stop). Every now and then I'd turn her away from the barrel and go on to the next, or turn her away and go back to the previous barrel and do it again, and when I'm walking I'll let her turn the barrel. Worked her like that for about 2 weeks solid, and ever since then she has been so honest!! After I did it so long she didn't even think about turning that barrel. I can go any speed up to my spot with a loose rein.
Just something to try, it definitely worked on mine. |
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Veteran
Posts: 171
| Thank you so much for the great advice, I will give these excercises a try. I hope it helps me just as much as him. I know I can do this.
Thanks for helping me realize it really is me and not the bit.
Thanks....Merry Christmas. Be Blessed. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | canchaserdelux - 2013-12-23 7:51 PM Please explain riding "back to front". I do have a problem staying two handed past the second barrel. I pick my spot past the barrel looking at the fence and still release early. How can I teach myself to ride past the barrel, staying two handed.
Riding Back to Front............think about all the power, energy and balance coming from the hindquarters. You will need to slow down, ride two handed and use your seat and legs to help your horse engage/use his hindquarters. You should have the feeling that you are pushing his hindquarters up underneath his body and you are riding him up into your hands. Collection and impulsion can be and should be done at the walk/trot/ lope and even at a faster lope. Think of your horse as an accordian/slinky.
Practice extending and collecting your horse at every gait and on the pattern keeping him working off his hindquarters not feeling heavy in his front end. Just buying another bit is not the answer. In fact, you might want to go back to a less severe bit because you want your horse softer in his front end not bracing/stiffening when you take a hold. Some helpful reading would be a basic Dressage book and apply the basic techniques to your training. Remember Dressage simply means a systematic training approach and there are lots of training techniques that can be helpful for barrel horses or any type of horse. |
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Location: East of the Pecos | Back to front, exactly right. Dale Youree always taught to know where your horse's landing gear was at all times, then the shoulder takes care of itself. Start trying to feel where your horse's rear end is as you approach a barrel and teach him to stay in the same path every single time. The Charmayne James DVD's are great to teach this as she also preaches the corrst positions around a barrel where your horse's rear end should be landing at each point. You will probably have to start slow and only increase speed a little at a time as your horse understands exactly where his rear end should be and he never fails to do it right each and every time. Don't punish him ahead of time anticipating a failure, but let him do the wrong thing and instantly stop him and move him to the correct spot. Like Clinton Anderson says, you have to trust them to do the right thing and let them fail in order to teach them it's wrong at a point where they will understand it. Be The key is to be consistent. Good luck with him.  |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | Take a deep seat, two hands, bump with legs, think square and forward. Don't drop outside rein until the shoulders pass the barrel. You couuld also, practice to turn spot, reverse arc, return to turn spot and turn. |
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Veteran
Posts: 171
| Thank you all for the great advice.
I have been riding him in a rutledge roper bit, which has lots of whoa, but no lift.
He has lots of natural rate, and cows a barrel.
So if you were to go to less serve bit, would that be a gag, snaffle, or junior cow horse bit?
Thanks |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | I vote for an O-ring snaffle with a 3-piece mouth piece for your at home training/schooling. Try that first then you can always go up. You do not need a bit with lots of whoa and no lift which would cause him to stiffen for your training. |
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Folks on-line