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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 342
 
Location: Alabama | I have a 4 year old colt I've been working with about a year, he's doing AWESOME, he really hunts and work at the barrels, very catty & wount run by one... But after watching some of his videos, he's not running, more like fast loping... I've never whipped him, mainly because he was a baby and I wanted to know he knew his job & was turning & handling... What the best way to ask him to start stepping up and running?
Do I whip him? Do I just let him eventually get there? I'm asking more and more of him, he handling it but I'm not "pushing" like I do on my finished mare... Do I just need to take him and get after him?
He's in the 3d at a fast lope so I know he's gonna finish out pretty nice when he gets the run part down |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
 
| The way I'm currently adding speed to my 3yo is increasing my "pushing." Like in the past I have just put my hands forward and smooched to her to tell her to go one between the barrels, the other day I kicked her a few times and she caught that high lope, next I'll up my kicking between each barrel bs to the first. When I get to where I'm pushing like hell between the barrels (she should be running by this point) I'll start poppin her with my over n under just coming back from 3, then maybe a bat between the barrels. I don't want to *have to use a bat or over n under. I would like to teach my horses that when everything about my body says GO then they should RUN. That being said I have a 10yo that I whoop all over the pen- or lope. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | This is where me and the majority of people are different. I have a 4yr old too and sound like me and you are in the same place. Most everyone wants to make them run. There nothing wrong with that but not what I do. I have other finished horses and I don't agree with futurities so I'm not in any hurry. I wasn't with my last baby either. I let them get there when they get there. They will eventually do it on there own. It takes twice as long but they will get there. My 4yr old is 100% running bred and his dam is a mare that Lance Graves told me was the hottest horse he had ever rode. I can already see that Bug has a little fire in him so I'm going extra slow to try and prevent him from become hot before he's really even running.
Edited by TessBelle 2014-09-14 1:27 AM
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 Draw the Line
Posts: 1371
Location: Too Far North | What she said!^^^^^^^ |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Pop him a few times. After that trust me he will get it. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | Open him up somewhere off the pattern. Teach him that he can actually run. Then start adding it on the pattern by really making him hustle home. They catch on eventually. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
| TessBelle - 2014-09-14 2:24 AM
This is where me and the majority of people are different. I have a 4yr old too and sound like me and you are in the same place. Most everyone wants to make them run. There nothing wrong with that but not what I do. I have other finished horses and I don't agree with futurities so I'm not in any hurry. I wasn't with my last baby either. I let them get there when they get there. They will eventually do it on there own. It takes twice as long but they will get there. My 4yr old is 100% running bred and his dam is a mare that Lance Graves told me was the hottest horse he had ever rode. I can already see that Bug has a little fire in him so I'm going extra slow to try and prevent him from become hot before he's really even running.
^This.
I just got my horse back from 60 days with a trainer. My gelding hadn't ever seen barrels before. He's 8.
His advice to me was "Don't make him give you speed. All horses know how to run. He will give it to you when he's ready." |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
| livexlovexrodeo - 2014-09-14 4:17 PM
Open him up somewhere off the pattern. Teach him that he can actually run. Then start adding it on the pattern by really making him hustle home. They catch on eventually.
I agree with opening him up away from the pattern; this gives him a chance to realize that he can run with a rider on board.
I disagree with really making him hustle home. If he isn't comfortable hustling between the barrels, hustling him home is just teaching him to run fast to get back to the gate and be done with the pattern. I wouldn't hustle him home until he's comfortable hustling the rest of the pattern. |
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Red Hot Cardinal Fan
Posts: 4122
| SuckerForHorses - 2014-09-15 1:33 PM TessBelle - 2014-09-14 2:24 AM This is where me and the majority of people are different. I have a 4yr old too and sound like me and you are in the same place. Most everyone wants to make them run. There nothing wrong with that but not what I do. I have other finished horses and I don't agree with futurities so I'm not in any hurry. I wasn't with my last baby either. I let them get there when they get there. They will eventually do it on there own. It takes twice as long but they will get there. My 4yr old is 100% running bred and his dam is a mare that Lance Graves told me was the hottest horse he had ever rode. I can already see that Bug has a little fire in him so I'm going extra slow to try and prevent him from become hot before he's really even running. ^This. I just got my horse back from 60 days with a trainer. My gelding hadn't ever seen barrels before. He's 8. His advice to me was "Don't make him give you speed. All horses know how to run. He will give it to you when he's ready."
I can't say that I exactly agree with this. I'd rather take one slow and keep them quiet versus pushing them too hard. But once you know that they are ready to add speed, some horses you have to push them a bit. I have a mare that is bred to the hilt and we are just now starting to add some speed; if I go in there and let her coast through, that's what she'll do. If I hustle her, then she'll kick it up a notch. Without hustling her, she'll be the 4 or 5D queen all day long. Lol. (Not saying there's anything wrong with that, I just know she has the ability to do more.) |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Breeze him away from the pattern and let him find his speed at his own pace. I think that most horses don't ever have to really run for survival, so they don't know that they can. If you have access to a track in your area where it is safe to let him find his speed in a safe situation, he will. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| SuckerForHorses - 2014-09-15 1:34 PM
livexlovexrodeo - 2014-09-14 4:17 PM
Open him up somewhere off the pattern. Teach him that he can actually run. Then start adding it on the pattern by really making him hustle home. They catch on eventually.
I agree with opening him up away from the pattern; this gives him a chance to realize that he can run with a rider on board.
I disagree with really making him hustle home. If he isn't comfortable hustling between the barrels, hustling him home is just teaching him to run fast to get back to the gate and be done with the pattern. I wouldn't hustle him home until he's comfortable hustling the rest of the pattern.
I disagree with you disagreeing, I was taught to push them home and all the way through the timer, this will help the speed between the barrels come at a more natural pace. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
| Itsme - 2014-09-15 6:27 PM
SuckerForHorses - 2014-09-15 1:34 PM
livexlovexrodeo - 2014-09-14 4:17 PM
Open him up somewhere off the pattern. Teach him that he can actually run. Then start adding it on the pattern by really making him hustle home. They catch on eventually.
I agree with opening him up away from the pattern; this gives him a chance to realize that he can run with a rider on board.
I disagree with really making him hustle home. If he isn't comfortable hustling between the barrels, hustling him home is just teaching him to run fast to get back to the gate and be done with the pattern. I wouldn't hustle him home until he's comfortable hustling the rest of the pattern.
I disagree with you disagreeing, I was taught to push them home and all the way through the timer, this will help the speed between the barrels come at a more natural pace.
That's okay, we can agree to disagree! hehe! You know what they say...ask 5 horse people a question and get 6 different opinions!  |
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