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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
 
Location: Northern Ontario | Ok, so my arena at home is pretty small 60X160 but its an indoor so I am not complaining. My mare is at the point where I have to teach her the pattern and how to run it properly. my arena at home is too small to do that. I tried and it just started confusing her because she didn't have enough room to change leads between 1 and 2 and by the time I stopped and switched, we were already at 2 and not balanced yet to turn. Also, she didnt want to run past the barrel and would try turning to soon because the wall is so close. So I just dont run the pattern in there anymore and I have fixed the issues we were starting to have. Lesson learned. Now she has been off since July because she cut her foot open. I will slowly start riding her again in march.
I have a friend who lives about 3 kms away and she has a big outdoor so I ride there in the summer sometimes, but it isn't always an option because I am sometimes short on time.
Do you guys have any advice for what I could do? Maybe even break down the pattern in my small arena? I would really like to get her solid just loping the pattern by summer. She loves dash because I have enough room to run that and she understands it. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
 
Location: White Mountains of AZ | I know when I was asking my gelding to start running between barrels, I had two barrels that I'd figure eight around. Sit, turn and then really ask him to move his butt. If he over ran a little that was ok because he eventually learned, oh I can run fast, and turn and it's ok! And I didn't need a whole lot of room. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Your arena isn't too small. I know a successful futurity trainer who has the same size of arena and when they hit the futurity pen, her horses are honest, never run by, and don't hit.
Last winter I started working mine in the same size indoor, I noticed it helps a lot, you learn how broke your horse is.
In this size once the walk and trot are mastered on the pattern, then lope the first, stop as soon as you are facing second switch leads there then lope to second turn and lope to third.
If your horse cannot pick up a lead from a stop, you need to get your horse doing this before attempting pattern work at a lope. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | I am not as skilled as a futurity trainer, but I will try it :( also, when I was riding her, I noticed that she started slowing down on the backside of 1 because she was anticipating the stop after 1.... so what do I do then? Keep turning 1 until she drives from her hind end? She is already a horse I have to push in indoors...
Edited by SuperTrooper 2016-01-27 12:17 PM
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | While it isn't technically a pattern, do you think it would work to set up two barrels the lengthwise of the arena and do figure eights? That way she would have plenty of time between them the change leads and get balanced. Then, after she has figured that out, set up the pattern in the arena again, and try it again. I don't have an indoor or a very large area of the pasture that I can work the pattern in, but don't have an issue with lead changes unless there is a fault in the ground (we have gumbo, and it gets really slick, hard, clumpy, you nam it, and that can cause some issues). I'm also only loping through at the most, mostly because my mare, when I practice her, doesn't need more speed, and I don't feel safer going faster than that. |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | instead of working the pattern and possible starting any bad habits (slowing down behind the barrel and turning to soon)on the actual clover pattern. What if you started off using 4 barrels and just worked on turning, and lead changes.. then maybe once she mastered that you could work on the clover pattern? I am no trainer just an idea. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | Good ideas! I am really liking the advice! So many different things I could try. Its also nice to know that the arena isnt to small either for when I get to the point where I can practice like Cheryl says |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | I use a single barrel set randomly in my big outdoor to work my ratey horses....it helps get their motor rolling and also still allows them to hunt the turn. I will trot or lope the outside of the entire arena and then pick a spot and take them into the barrel at a higher rate of speed either direction that I choose, but it helps me learn my point of rate and finish can be quite a ways from the barrel, no patterened learning....if that makes sense. I think you could pattern her at the walk and trot in your arena without any trouble. |
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