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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 528
 
Location: Its Freaking Freezing Up Here... | My gelding is a big, stout horse, and is getting stronger and stronger in the alley. He feels great (which is half the problem), working a sweet pattern, but he is getting harder to handle in an alley. Not dirty, just not wanting to wait on me. I do lots of stopping and getting off in the alley, slow work at home, stopping him at different points and backing him off on the way to 1st, but it seems like at a rodeo he is just so excited he can't wait. He's 11, and finished. Any suggestions? It's to the point i'm thinking of getting someone to lead me in...and that gets old fast. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
 
Location: North Dakota | Can you post a video?
I think it is sometimes hard to tell when you should just leave it be the way it is (good horses have small "personality traits", right?) or get control of it before he becomes uncontrollable.
Do you feel like you'd be able to stop him in the alley if you had to?
Is it just that he wants to take off before you are ready for him to take off, or is there more gonig on?
What bit are you currently using?
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 528
Location: Its Freaking Freezing Up Here... | r_beau - 2015-06-01 12:53 PM
Can you post a video?
I think it is sometimes hard to tell when you should just leave it be the way it is (good horses have small "personality traits", right?) or get control of it before he becomes uncontrollable.
Do you feel like you'd be able to stop him in the alley if you had to?
Is it just that he wants to take off before you are ready for him to take off, or is there more gonig on?
What bit are you currently using?
I dont' really have any recent videos showin the alley. We've been at inside rodeos so far, so nothing on the outside gets taped. That's what i'm wondering...if I just keep doing the slow work and let it be or if i'm letting him get away with too much. He always finds that first and turns it, but in those narrow alleys I worry. He would stop if there was a fence. If not, it takes me a while to wind him down.
I run him in an Ed Wright medium shank dog bone. Is there any bit that would work the same but give me more whoa? I dont' want to effect his pattern though... |
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Location: midwest mama | Do Serpentines. Keep his mind hooked to yours in the alley. That's always good.
I realize their might be some places you won't have the room to do that, but I darn sure would wherever I could!
Buck Brannaman teaches that in his clinics, and it has worked for every strong horse I have had. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | OldSchoolCowgirl - 2015-06-01 4:30 PM Do Serpentines. Keep his mind hooked to yours in the alley. That's always good. I realize their might be some places you won't have the room to do that, but I darn sure would wherever I could! Buck Brannaman teaches that in his clinics, and it has worked for every strong horse I have had.
Serpentines or just half pass back and forth works to keep their mind on you more. Talk to him, stay one handed and reach back to rub his butt, then if that doesn't work, try the other. I had one that would often come running from the back 40 like a freight train on jet fuel. We had some great times running over impatient gate men at rodeos. Heehee. But when he got older, I didn't want him to use up so much energy running in, and was actually able to change him, so there IS hope. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | I find counter-arcing to be the most effective attention getter. When the horse gets heavy or chargy, counter-arc a complete circle and begin forward motion again. Repeat as many times as necessary until the horse stays in your hands and waits for you to send him. |
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Expert
Posts: 1414
| SC Wrangler - 2015-06-01 9:40 PM
I find counter-arcing to be the most effective attention getter. When the horse gets heavy or chargy, counter-arc a complete circle and begin forward motion again. Repeat as many times as necessary until the horse stays in your hands and waits for you to send him.
I understand what you're saying but when you're up at a rodeo the gate man isn't going to let you tune on your horse in the alley. At a horse show there's more "time", not so much at a rodeo.
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Miracle in the Making
Posts: 4013
| Three 4 Luck - 2015-06-01 5:50 PM OldSchoolCowgirl - 2015-06-01 4:30 PM Do Serpentines. Keep his mind hooked to yours in the alley. That's always good. I realize their might be some places you won't have the room to do that, but I darn sure would wherever I could! Buck Brannaman teaches that in his clinics, and it has worked for every strong horse I have had. Serpentines or just half pass back and forth works to keep their mind on you more. Talk to him, stay one handed and reach back to rub his butt, then if that doesn't work, try the other. I had one that would often come running from the back 40 like a freight train on jet fuel. We had some great times running over impatient gate men at rodeos. Heehee. But when he got older, I didn't want him to use up so much energy running in, and was actually able to change him, so there IS hope.
lol love it when they say come on come hurry up then you run over them as they get right in your way
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | vjls - 2015-06-02 8:21 AM Three 4 Luck - 2015-06-01 5:50 PM OldSchoolCowgirl - 2015-06-01 4:30 PM Do Serpentines. Keep his mind hooked to yours in the alley. That's always good. I realize their might be some places you won't have the room to do that, but I darn sure would wherever I could! Buck Brannaman teaches that in his clinics, and it has worked for every strong horse I have had. Serpentines or just half pass back and forth works to keep their mind on you more. Talk to him, stay one handed and reach back to rub his butt, then if that doesn't work, try the other. I had one that would often come running from the back 40 like a freight train on jet fuel. We had some great times running over impatient gate men at rodeos. Heehee. But when he got older, I didn't want him to use up so much energy running in, and was actually able to change him, so there IS hope.
Seriously!  Like they're saying it just to hear themselves talk or something: hurry up, hurry up, slow down, I can't move that fast. LOL |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | want to trade me?
mine likes to piddle fart in the alley and then lope the entire pattern!  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | My gelding in college was a little like this. What I found worked best for him was when the person in front of me went in the gate, I asked him to take a few steps forward and then back off my hands. Did that a few times during their while they were running and by the time it got to me he was listening better and then made his same run every time. |
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 Loves to compete
Posts: 5760
Location: Oakdale, CA | just throwing this out there because we don't have alleys in california.....boo hoo
but I remember charmayne james said she had to have a bigger bit to control scamper in alley cause he wanted to take off with her........... |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| Go to a jackpot and exhibition. No your not running him and sending him for his life, thats the point. Your keeping him listening to you. When they drag park him in the alley. Walk him in a out every time they drag before you run. Stay out of his mouth, don't hold him, work him everywhere but the alley you rest there only. Your walking him...they drag...you go to the alley and park him there...throw your reins up on his neck and thats where he gets to rest. Even NFR horses get exhib at a jackpot or 5 to keep their minds sane.
Also what are you doing before you run? Are you standing talking to friends? Keeping them walking and bending them up in a small circle and then lightly heading to the gate once your name is called makes a world of difference on some horses.
Edited by astreakinchic 2015-06-02 1:37 PM
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | astreakinchic - 2015-06-02 1:33 PM Go to a jackpot and exhibition. No your not running him and sending him for his life, thats the point. Your keeping him listening to you. When they drag park him in the alley. Walk him in a out every time they drag before you run. Stay out of his mouth, don't hold him, work him everywhere but the alley you rest there only. Your walking him...they drag...you go to the alley and park him there...throw your reins up on his neck and thats where he gets to rest. Even NFR horses get exhib at a jackpot or 5 to keep their minds sane. Also what are you doing before you run? Are you standing talking to friends? Keeping them walking and bending them up in a small circle and then lightly heading to the gate once your name is called makes a world of difference on some horses.
On that note, some do better if you hand walk them rather than sitting on them. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 852
| My two cents....I honestly wouldn't give it a second thought. If it does not impede his run in any way (blowing by first, not listening, etc.) and he still does his job, I would let him have a bit of goofiness in the alley. I don't believe in picking on them for every thing. My horse will walk up and down the alley on a loose rein when I am schooling/exhibitioning, but as soon as my mind switches to competitive mode, so does his. He knows it is time to rock and roll and he has a job to do, and he just gets excited to do it. I also don't think he would be nearly as successful if I didn't let him get his adreneline up and made him walk flat into the alley before he ran.
But, that's just me |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | roanrider - 2015-06-02 8:09 AM SC Wrangler - 2015-06-01 9:40 PM I find counter-arcing to be the most effective attention getter. When the horse gets heavy or chargy, counter-arc a complete circle and begin forward motion again. Repeat as many times as necessary until the horse stays in your hands and waits for you to send him. I understand what you're saying but when you're up at a rodeo the gate man isn't going to let you tune on your horse in the alley. At a horse show there's more "time", not so much at a rodeo.
The main part of this work has to be done at the local jackpot etc before you get to the big venues and rodeos. Once the horse gets the program, it probably will not take more than picking up and moving the shoulders a quarter turn to get his focus back and waiting on you to call the shots. |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | Keep your reins slack until the last minute. Practice going in and out the alley with slack reins during drags. He will get used to slack reins meaning not running. Only when it time to really go with no turns or hesitation do you pick up the reins and pull in the slack. It won't take long if you are consistent.
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