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 Veteran
Posts: 262
 
| I have a free runner I am getting legged up for the season. We've been trail riding and getting in shape and are now moving onto loping the barrels. He is very strong and forward - knows his job. I've only had push style horses and he's my first free runner. I loped a couple barrel patterns today in the Jim Warner hack (previous owner ran him in the JW) but I was getting too much in his face and obviously messing up our patterns. Any advice on how to run a free runner? How do I let go of the control I think I need and just let him run? I feel I'm too much in his face. Tomorrow I think I'm going to go to a lighter bit. I just don't want to mess him up.Any advice would be greatly appreciated. |
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| Timing and feel and Ride and guide! |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
 
| Meet up with the previous owner and have them help you out a few times, even if I had to travel 5 hours to a weekend race I would be doing it. It might save months of frustration. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Itsme - 2015-05-21 10:39 PM Meet up with the previous owner and have them help you out a few times, even if I had to travel 5 hours to a weekend race I would be doing it. It might save months of frustration.
Very wise post here  |
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Veteran
Posts: 262
| Thank you! I'm also getting a lesson from a professional next weekend and I really hope that helps! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 628
Location: Missouri | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8AzfBIveoA
Here is a link to my free runner. She is all business and i just sit back and let her go. I would do as someone suggested and visit with the previous owner. I did that and attended a clinic and it helped me get with her. |
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Veteran
Posts: 262
| Awesome thank you. Videos are very helpful! Do mind walking me through your pattern? I.e. approach, rating, etc. Thank you! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 628
Location: Missouri | Canchsr5 - 2015-05-22 9:54 AM
Awesome thank you. Videos are very helpful! Do mind walking me through your pattern? I.e. approach, rating, etc. Thank you!
I basically sit and kick!
Approaching the first barrel I drive her hard until I am about a stride out and i sit down and say HERE! Inside leg hand up and HOLD ON! Between barrel I drive till I am about a stride out and I sit my butt down throw that hand up and say HERE! You can see in the video I don't do much. She does it for me and makes me look good :) |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| you just need to remind them of their rate point, slight check a stride out and then sit down and guide. Trust them is key..... They run so hard and you feel like your going to just blow past it but just remember they know their job just as well as a push style they just don't need as much encouragement to get their. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
Location: Iowa | I agree with some of the post above! I went from a push horse to a free runner and now I have learned to trust my horse more and cue him by sitting deeper in my saddle verses pulling on his face. I had to meet up with his old numerous times and she lives 8 hours away but I can tell you it was worth it! Learning to ride differnt styles will make you a better rider :) best of luck! |
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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
Location: Georgia |
As others have said, basically just stay out of his way. You're going to feel the need to try to control his speed but that's the last thing you need to do. It's taken me 3 years to trust my free-running mare. I am just now feeling confident enough to let her run her own speed and our times have really improved. Last year we were running 3D and this year we are knocking on the door of the 1D most places we go. I would personally take the hack off and put him in a light gag with a medium shank for control when you need it. I'm currently riding mine in a Tender Touch bit and I love it. Trust me when I say fix your trust issues ASAP. Bad habits will arise and only get worse over time. Good luck! |
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Veteran
Posts: 262
| Thank you so much everyone! The overall consensus is trust and stay out of his way. I agree and I needed to hear that. Thank you all! |
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 Saint Stacey
| If a horse is a true free runner, you don't kick. You sit quiet, stay out of the way, trust and help. I have a 4 year old that is a free runner. You start kicking her and she will try to bust the sound barrier. No horse can physically turn as fast as she can go. For every one time she lopes a pattern, she walks 30. We do a lot of rate and turn work. When we run her, all you do is lean forward for go and then you sit back and say Whoa about 3 times then lift. Lean forward coming out and repeat process. If you want more speed, maybe smooch a little. Or nudge with your heels. If you gap open and kick, she will run. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as being too fast for barrels and on a true free runner kicking is a bad thing. If you are kicking, your horse isn't really a free runner. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | SKM - 2015-05-23 6:08 AM
If a horse is a true free runner, you don't kick. You sit quiet, stay out of the way, trust and help. I have a 4 year old that is a free runner. You start kicking her and she will try to bust the sound barrier. No horse can physically turn as fast as she can go. For every one time she lopes a pattern, she walks 30. We do a lot of rate and turn work. When we run her, all you do is lean forward for go and then you sit back and say Whoa about 3 times then lift. Lean forward coming out and repeat process. If you want more speed, maybe smooch a little. Or nudge with your heels. If you gap open and kick, she will run. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as being too fast for barrels and on a true free runner kicking is a bad thing. If you are kicking, your horse isn't really a free runner.
This ^^^
This sounds EXACTLY like my horse. He never really gets out of a hand gallop, NO WAY could I ever ask that horse to flat run on the pattern. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | If you can't go to the original owner, see if she can send you a bunch of her videos and observe what she does,when and where. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I just let mine run and stayed off his face. If I tried to "make" him rate because I "thought" he was going to run by, he would stiffen up and blow his turns. If I just sat and stayed out of his way he would turn just fine. The thing about true free runners is they feel like a runaway. It's terrifying haha. |
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Expert
Posts: 1414
| livexlovexrodeo - 2015-05-23 1:26 PM
I just let mine run and stayed off his face. If I tried to "make" him rate because I "thought" he was going to run by, he would stiffen up and blow his turns. If I just sat and stayed out of his way he would turn just fine. The thing about true free runners is they feel like a runaway. It's terrifying haha.
This is my horse to a "T". Took me a LONG time to dare to let him work. The less I do the better. And feeling like you're on a runaway is a true statement. :) |
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