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 Expert
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Location: Texas | Has anyone had success with a young horse that started out EXTREMELY pokey? I have a well bred three year old that is slower than molasses. He walks slow, jogs slow, trots slow, lopes slow. He even walks slow coming up from the pasture. If I am leading him up from the pasture he will sometimes have to break into a trot just to stay up beside me. He can run because he will run when playing with the other horses in the pasture. But other than that his first choice is to plod along. I try to ride him out as much as possible and get him to trot or lope out and try to free him up. But as soon as I quit riding he slows to a walk. I don't want to keep bumping & kicking constantly because I don't want him to get dead sided. Any ideas or suggestions? Just not sure I want to stick with one that is this pokey. I have an opportunity to trade with someone, but hate to let him go and then he be great! LOL Do they come out of this or is this just going to be his nature?
ETA: He has no lameness issues, health issues, no teeth issues, and no saddle fit issues!
Edited by TBone 2016-02-02 11:42 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
 
| Most of the time if they are pokey they'll always be pokey. Doesn't mean he wont be a great performance horse however! I've got one that you constantly have to ride, spurs are a must, and an occasional wake up call with the over n under is required, but get him to the alley and he's ready and gives 100%!
But... if you don't like him, make the trade and find something you do like. Don't waste your time on something you're doubting already! |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | My coming 5-year-old can be pokey. I really love how LAID BACK he is but that's where training comes in to make sure they don't end up LAZY.
I also agree that I don't want to nag and have a dead sided horse. So I'll specifically work on that. Meaning, when I squeeze lightly with my calves to ask him to go from a stop to a walk, I better be getting a nice brisk transition. If not, he's going to get a hard SMACK with the whip or my reins. I'll let him jump forward a couple strides, stop him, and then try again. He learned very quickly that he needs to be brisk to my aids.
Same goes if I asked him to trot, and goes well for a while but then starts to fade off. He needs to maintain the speed I have asked him to go. THat's his job. It is not my job to keep nagging him to keep going.
So I think it takes a lot more training for the laid back ones to make sure they are still crisp to your aids, but I still love the laid back horses. I agree with the other poster that if a pokey horse is not your cup of tea, then I'd find something else. But this likely is what his personality is going to be.
My old guy Beau was like that. Looked like a WP horse most of the time. But in his later years, he was 1D locally. He loved running barrels! Got super fired up for it.
Edited by r_beau 2016-02-02 12:06 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 915
Location: SE KS | I currently have a coming 3 yo, who's only had 30 days on her, I had to get a "bat" to swat her with to keep her going!! She is 14 hh & I am 6' so spurs do no good!!! The bat has helped & I expect to her come out of this as we become more accustomed to each other & learn!!! She is smart so I don't expect her to need a bat for long, but it works for now!!!!
I have thought about parting with her, but have her 1/2 brother that i truly love to ride, so I just can't bring myself to sell her, yet!! |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | I have one like this. Even down to walking while being lead. But, he also ran AAA/stakes placed on the track and is a 1D horse. Def. need the spurs and an over under at home, but he can turn it on when competing.
I was once loping circles on him for Bo Hill and she said I looked like I was trying to ride a bicycle through the sand arena, lol! |
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Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Well... I rode him with spurs today and he wasn't near as bad.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | That's how my off the track QH was. As a 3-4yr old he was so dead, but would breezing helped him open up. I had the help of a crop just so I wasn't constently kicking him to move to a trot. Now though, he understands when I smooch that means go! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 512
| My barrel horse is pokey! Everything is slow-just la-de-da-de-da. Lopes and trots like a pleasure horse. Trail rides slow, but is ready to roll when it is time to run barrels! The thing I love is: he is so fun to slow work and flat work, but takes awhile to trail ride! This is him!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycydIXQb0bE&app=desktop |
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 Expert
Posts: 1261
| My friend has a Royal Shake Em gelding that came off the track and I can't remember if he was always that way but now he's pokey as pokey can be, unless there's a set of barrels or poles up then he comes alive lol. I have to wear Spurs and carry a bat sometimes even just to get him to jog for me sometimes lol. I think with some horses they conserve energy unless they see a point to using their speed. Jogging laps around the arena =energy saving mode, barrels come out =unleash the beast lol |
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Veteran
Posts: 285
| I must be a total goof and should go to bed! When I saw the title to this post, I thought Pokey Young was a stud and you had one out of him. Time for bed now lol my brain is done for the day when I start making stuff up! |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| pepsi97 - 2016-02-03 12:28 AM
I must be a total goof and should go to bed! When I saw the title to this post, I thought Pokey Young was a stud and you had one out of him. Time for bed now lol my brain is done for the day when I start making stuff up!
EXACTLY what I thought! LOL |
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