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Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I've been stuck in a rut with my 7 yr old gelding. Summer of 2012 he started refusing the 2nd barrel. Went back, did lots and lots of slow work, had X-rays done and lameness exam done and he checked out fine. Had his teeth done..fine. Started back again and he wasn't refusing my he quit running. I got frustrated and lost all confidence in myself and him. He was with a trainer all of summer 2011 and did great and finished the year out with me...brought him back and this started.
So my mare is finally "finished". I pretty much just keep her in shape and take her to barrel races. Not much work anymore so I decided that this is our year to figure it out and try and get something accomplished this year. I've been riding him the last couple weeks. Just long trotting around a corn field and getting the rust off..backing, stopping, roll backs and such.
He has always been weird about bits and I honestly don't think I've found a bit he likes. He's pretty good usually in a little S hack but I rode him in it yesterday and he pulled a little. Otherwise I can ride him in a jr cow horse and an o ring snaffle. He gapes his mouth a lot though and his teeth have been checked.
Rode him tonight and he didn't want to give me his face at all! I rode him in the jr cow horse. He was dropping his shoulder a lot and just felt rough in a circle.
I love him and I know he CAN do it but there just is something not right. I really feel it may be a soreness issue but he passed last time and nothing has changed. We are on a rotation with our chiro and he comes about 1x a month.
I have lost all confidence in my ability to "fix" him. With me trying to move and pack and work and ride my others for some reason I can't figure it out or overcome this. My chiro used to ride his momma for almost her whole career so I am thinking of asking him if he would take him in for awhile and maybe he can just find the issue and help me tackle it. He is also a trainer and trained and was her jockey for her owners.
I'm going to try and get a video tomorrow of him and maybe someone can spot something
Any words of encouragement or advice? I love this horse! He is so talented but somewhere we got lost....
Edited by lexyy12 2014-05-13 9:35 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| I would be looking at teeth, tmj, and poll.
I would also take him to a good lamness vet get a good once over.
Generally turning before a barrel I find is the rider cueing the horse.
For dropping the shoulder in the circle, what is your hip and shoulder doing, as I find the horses start dropping when I am not riding centered and square.
If he is dropping his shoulder start with square circles, lope a straight line, make the 90 degree turn lope a straight line turn 90. This helps keep the horse square, and not dropping.
For a bit, I have one who dislikes most bits, she gapes her mouth too, she likes a solid mouth piece, she was in a Elliott spur up 01 bit, but this has too much leverage for me, so I am getting a spur up 02 made with the same mouth piece.
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Expert
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Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | cheryl makofka - 2014-05-13 11:01 PM
I would be looking at teeth, tmj, and poll.
I would also take him to a good lamness vet get a good once over.
Generally turning before a barrel I find is the rider cueing the horse.
For dropping the shoulder in the circle, what is your hip and shoulder doing, as I find the horses start dropping when I am not riding centered and square.
If he is dropping his shoulder start with square circles, lope a straight line, make the 90 degree turn lope a straight line turn 90. This helps keep the horse square, and not dropping.
For a bit, I have one who dislikes most bits, she gapes her mouth too, she likes a solid mouth piece, she was in a Elliott spur up 01 bit, but this has too much leverage for me, so I am getting a spur up 02 made with the same mouth piece.
We were starting to hit the 2nd a lot...shouldering in and not being able to get him to run past it to get around soo after hitting a few times he started refusing so I think that's what is causing that..he just plain doesn't want to hit it anymore. He is more of a run at the barrel and turn as soon I get to it type and no matter how big I make my circles no matter how many times I take it past it before turning in slow work and counter arcing he still does it! He is a barrel hunter for sure! As soon as we get moved to our new house and settled I will be taking him to a lameness vet. Where can I find this bit at?
Edited by lexyy12 2014-05-14 8:50 AM
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | lexyy12 - 2014-05-13 10:32 PM I've been stuck in a rut with my 7 yr old gelding. Summer of 2012 he started refusing the 2nd barrel. Went back, did lots and lots of slow work, had X-rays done and lameness exam done and he checked out fine. Had his teeth done..fine. Started back again and he wasn't refusing my he quit running. I got frustrated and lost all confidence in myself and him. He was with a trainer all of summer 2011 and did great and finished the year out with me...brought him back and this started. So my mare is finally "finished". I pretty much just keep her in shape and take her to barrel races. Not much work anymore so I decided that this is our year to figure it out and try and get something accomplished this year. I've been riding him the last couple weeks. Just long trotting around a corn field and getting the rust off..backing, stopping, roll backs and such. He has always been weird about bits and I honestly don't think I've found a bit he likes. He's pretty good usually in a little S hack but I rode him in it yesterday and he pulled a little. Otherwise I can ride him in a jr cow horse and an o ring snaffle. He gapes his mouth a lot though and his teeth have been checked. Rode him tonight and he didn't want to give me his face at all! I rode him in the jr cow horse. He was dropping his shoulder a lot and just felt rough in a circle. I love him and I know he CAN do it but there just is something not right. I really feel it may be a soreness issue but he passed last time and nothing has changed. We are on a rotation with our chiro and he comes about 1x a month. I have lost all confidence in my ability to "fix" him. With me trying to move and pack and work and ride my others for some reason I can't figure it out or overcome this. My chiro used to ride his momma for almost her whole career so I am thinking of asking him if he would take him in for awhile and maybe he can just find the issue and help me tackle it. He is also a trainer and trained and was her jockey for her owners. I'm going to try and get a video tomorrow of him and maybe someone can spot something Any words of encouragement or advice? I love this horse! He is so talented but somewhere we got lost....
one other thing is xrays.. nothings changed but time has passed.. he may have fusing hocks.. sometimes they dont transfer their weight to hind and so drop in front and dont give to their face and rough circles.... if sore in hind..just my opinion.. id check hocks for fusing .. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Google Elliot Bit and Spur. He is from Alberta, but a lot of the top futurity trainers use his bits.
If you call and talk to him he will help you out. I spoke to him, and told him about my hands, in my case I am too heavy handed for the spur up 01, this is when he suggested the spur up 02 and he is even making adjustments to the shank to fit my hands better.
Do you have any videos of him in the past, you can email me to [email protected]
I had one horse that used to hit, I had to bit him up, and sacrifice some runs instead of turning the barrel, I would make him move away towards the third about half way then to the fence and finally around the barrel. I did this about half a dozen times then he was waiting for me to tell him what to do.
I also don't lift on the shoulder on turny horses as they will start pushing on the bridle. I make sure they have shape, I use my legs a lot, and keep driving till my leg is past the barrel. I also don't look at the barrel on these I will look over their outside shoulder or between their ears. |
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Expert
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Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Bibliafarm - 2014-05-14 9:56 AM lexyy12 - 2014-05-13 10:32 PM I've been stuck in a rut with my 7 yr old gelding. Summer of 2012 he started refusing the 2nd barrel. Went back, did lots and lots of slow work, had X-rays done and lameness exam done and he checked out fine. Had his teeth done..fine. Started back again and he wasn't refusing my he quit running. I got frustrated and lost all confidence in myself and him. He was with a trainer all of summer 2011 and did great and finished the year out with me...brought him back and this started. So my mare is finally "finished". I pretty much just keep her in shape and take her to barrel races. Not much work anymore so I decided that this is our year to figure it out and try and get something accomplished this year. I've been riding him the last couple weeks. Just long trotting around a corn field and getting the rust off..backing, stopping, roll backs and such. He has always been weird about bits and I honestly don't think I've found a bit he likes. He's pretty good usually in a little S hack but I rode him in it yesterday and he pulled a little. Otherwise I can ride him in a jr cow horse and an o ring snaffle. He gapes his mouth a lot though and his teeth have been checked. Rode him tonight and he didn't want to give me his face at all! I rode him in the jr cow horse. He was dropping his shoulder a lot and just felt rough in a circle. I love him and I know he CAN do it but there just is something not right. I really feel it may be a soreness issue but he passed last time and nothing has changed. We are on a rotation with our chiro and he comes about 1x a month. I have lost all confidence in my ability to "fix" him. With me trying to move and pack and work and ride my others for some reason I can't figure it out or overcome this. My chiro used to ride his momma for almost her whole career so I am thinking of asking him if he would take him in for awhile and maybe he can just find the issue and help me tackle it. He is also a trainer and trained and was her jockey for her owners. I'm going to try and get a video tomorrow of him and maybe someone can spot something Any words of encouragement or advice? I love this horse! He is so talented but somewhere we got lost.... one other thing is xrays.. nothings changed but time has passed.. he may have fusing hocks.. sometimes they dont transfer their weight to hind and so drop in front and dont give to their face and rough circles.... if sore in hind..just my opinion.. id check hocks for fusing ..
He had his hocks xrayed last summer. But you're right, maybe the problem was just starting and not enough change to see anything yet. I've always felt this horse is my "one" and I get so upset and frustrated that it isn't going how it should be :( I am definitely not a trainer but I know enough to feel disappointed in myself when I can't figure it out. The woman that trained him for me(a great friend) sold all her finished horses and started taking in youngins from the public again so her barn is full or else he would have been dropped off there last night lol. Just riding he is pretty much golden...except the face last night which could possibly be the fact that he is a turd and hasn't been ridden more than 10x since the beginning of 2013. |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | thats a year ago.. |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Bibliafarm - 2014-05-14 11:38 AM thats a year ago..
You're right. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Get his teeth seen by a dentist. I just had my boys done this morning. He's gotten a yearly float since I've had him but this is the first time I've had access to a dentist for him - the ramps and angles he had going on we're not made in just a years time said the dentist. Also get his hocks looked at again. His issues sound a lot like my boy and hocks too care of a lot of it, I'm excited to run this weekend and see how the teeth help |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | He just got his teeth done by a dentist a few weeks ago. Good luck |
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 Scorpions R Us
Posts: 9586
Location: So. Cali. | Chiro for poll being checked?
And maybe another once over by same vet or another and compare xrays if new are taken.
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Chiro comes out about once a month and he gets adjusted as needed. Once we get settled in our new place he will be going to see a lameness vet.
Edited by lexyy12 2014-05-14 1:34 PM
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