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Member
Posts: 24
Location: Ohio | Just got a new horse that needs finished. Coming along nicely at walk/trot/lope/high lope. HOWEVER, every time I have entered him and try to lay down a run, instead of the usual track to the first he wants to go right at the barrel despite my leg cues and hand cues. Just looking for some insight and/or advice from someone who has dealt with this or has suggestions about exercises to discourage this.
Thanks!! |
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boon
Posts: 2
| I may be off base but by your message it appears that you have a outstanding slow work on your horse, however it sounds like possibly you don't make the fast runs at home also ? If that's the case, I'd make the fast runs as well so it's no differnt at a race and I bet that resolves allot of that issue. ;). Hope that helps ! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
  
Location: Southeast Louisiana | I wouldn't ask him to run to the first yet since you are finishing/seasoning him. Let him take his time going to the first and get a good first barrel then continue to hustle him up on the rest of the pattern like you are doing, since he is handling that well. He will probably speed up on his own (going to first) as he gets more confidence. Sometimes you can't ask for speed all at once. Some people train one, adding speed at 3 then 2 then 1 as the horse can handle the pressure. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | I just had the same thing. My horse was BROKE going slow, but speed up, and he would get heavy and drift in. I could slow back down, perfect. Stay there however long and try to speed up, drifting. I know that people always encourage slow work, but sometimes he has to learn to be broke going fast also, that just because he's running doesn't mean he can come untrained.
What I did, and my horse was pretty sensitive, was head to the 1st on a loose rein at a 3/4 speed lope. Not asking, just letting him go. The speed he picked was pretty fast. I left reins loose and waited for him to step in. After he did it, I hit him HARD with my inside leg. Little bumping and pushing didn't really give him the incentive to stay straight, so I got him. That worked a little, but he wanted to raise his head and run through it, so the next time, I left my reins loose, waited for him to drift, then immediately counter arced him in a big half circle back to the mouth of the alley. Then without stopping, headed to the first again, then counter arced again back to the alley. This didn't happen in the same place twice. Every time I waited for him to drift first.
A few days of that and he started standing up and staying light. |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | In your "slow work" get his lateral movement off your leg better and then once its good speed him up a bit in his "slow work" and see if you still have the problem. If you do sometimes I'll thunk them with that inside leg and drive them forward from their hip. It picks them up and drives them foward to their point.
Also dont rush your foundation from the high lope to "layin down a run." You don't expect a young child after a few swim lessons to be thrown into the deep end do you? |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | I have this same problem. I've found that if I don't look or focus on the barrel then he won't either. When I make a run, I look off past the barrel, somewhere between the first & third, until I see with my pheripheral vision that we are almost there. Works for me. But if I look at my pocket or the barrel he will fade in too close and lose all momentum to get around the barrel. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 421
| Work on teaching him to track and go places you send him on his own, with little or no guidance from you. That way when you do pick up and touch him or guide it actually means something.
edit for typo
Edited by margie10rodeo 2014-10-13 2:09 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | This may sound odd, but I have to look at 3rd barrel a few strides in. And basically almost run towards the 3rd barrel a few strides and then find 1st and help my horse out some. Also I would haul to an arena and pull the barrels out and run in the arena in different directions. It kinda looked like a combo of ADHD and a crack addict. LOL!! Run diagonal across the arena in straight lines. It made my horse wait for my to tell her where we were going instead of getting it pounded in that we are meant to look for first barrel all the time. It may be unconventional but it worked for me anyway. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | I also look at third till I see the first in the corner of my eye, my horse will turn and go to where she needs to. Looking at third and keeping my body straight, leg on and tip her nose just a tad has made our 1st awesome and snappy! Even when I do slow work I look to the 3rd, BUT I also have a "spot" I send my horses to (15 feet from barrel) when approaching, granted that spot comes up fast when running but I find that helps too. |
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