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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Canada | Hello, I am just starting to add speed with my horse on the pattern, he is amazing at a lope but as soon as I add even a little bit of speed he has trouble turning first and second barrel, but is good around third. I get him set up to turn the barrel but on the backside he runs sideways out and doesn't want to finishes it. I ride him in a jr. cowhorse twisted three-piece dog bone bit, and just bought him a new saddle the fits very well (meleta brown). I don't think it is him wanting to go to the gate because he doesn't have any issues when doing arena work. I don't think he knows how to use his butt well enough around the barrels and just wanted to know if anyone had some exercises or drills. Maybe if they even have some video links on youtube? I am just starting to teach him to do rollbacks. Thank you! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
 
| So, without seeing a video...I am assuming he's kicking his hind end out on the backside instead of engaging and coming around? I would probably back off on adding speed and work on loping circles, focus on controlling the rib cage and keeping him in frame and collected.
Roll backs are a great place to start. This is one of my favorite roll back drills from Marne Loosenort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FuAD2j8vnY
Also, www.trainingbarrelhorses.com is a GREAT resource; tons of short videos and drills. |
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  Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
 
Location: NE Texas | My thought would be is that you're losing his outside shoulder and lack some collection through the turn. I think often we sometime over work a horse staying round through the turn, and in turn, that loses some collection and allows that outside shoulder to get outside the frame. What I do to counter this in a run on my young horses is to "gather" then two handed with a pinky check just before I go to my horn. This is not a two hand tug, but rather just both hands, low, drag back toward my pommel just before I go to the horn. Your outside rein controls your hip and outside shoulder, so if you're pulling him and only getting inside rein contact, then your pulling his nose in, but with his outside shoulder outside of his frame and his hip as well, it will keep on drifting out.
Babies tend to rush a turn and forget to gather up.....picture a slinky. Between the barrels you want that slinky stretched out, but when you get to your rate point, you want that slinky compressed up through the turn and then for it to shoot out again away from a turn. If he's really rushing a turn, I would either stop him leaving a barrel using your outside rein as much as your inside rein and let him settle. If you don't feel he's rushing it, then I would push his shoulder and hip to the barrel leaving really emphasizing the plant at the turn point and leaving straight and hard......like that compressed slinky exploding away from a barrel. Then in a run, I would use that "gather" aka pink check to reiterate to him that it's time to collect his body and prepare. The use of the outside rein in this gather helps a horse to balance through the turn in my opinion. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| As you add speed here are a couple things to try: 1.Take your horse around each barrel and LEAVE the turn one speed faster than you went in. So walk up to the barrel, then trot off leaving it. Trot in, lope out etc. This will teach your horse to anticipate firing out of a turn and keep them collected. Second thing to try is going around each barrel twice then over to the fence. Just teaches them to finish a turn. |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | I've been doing Danyelle (spelling, sorry) Campbell's circles drill with my gelding and it really has helped so far. On trainingbarrelhorses.com. |
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Regular
Posts: 57
| I would ride the horse two handed in and really let him know you are there...don't pull on him constantly but keep him straight and not let him turn early. On the back side make sure you're looking up and using your outside leg. Also practice him over exaggerating the turn and being supple through the ribs with his hips following. Some horses will give you their nose, but aren't soft enough in the body to follow through the turn. |
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