|
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
 
Location: flatlands | Hoping I can get a few suggestions! I need advice for a mare that is shutting me down--way down-- before the eye. A little bit of background: she is 20; I haven't ran her since August because I like to save her for some of the big summer rodeos; Saturday was her first run back, and she FIRED. Out of 40 girls, she ended up 2 holes out but quit when she hit the point between the 1st and 2nd...then she completely shut down, even though I was still riding. It is obvious on the video that I would've won the rodeo easily--she cost me probably half a second, and she also turns back to the left IMMEDIATELY crossing the eye. It won't be long until she turns in front of it. I carry a bat, and I have breezed her a little at home, but without the atmosphere, the breezing isn't working much. Plus, she is dirty fast, so I don't like to ram and jam her at home in my own arena. Mostly, I just long trot her; this mare doesn't need to be practiced, and can get hot if she is picked on. I should also add that this mare won over 8K last year, at the same amatuer rodeos I'm entering now, when she was 19. She is sound, has vetted clean just this month, and has lifetime earnings 30k. I know she WANTS to do it because she ran so hard around the pattern this last run. Any ideas on ways to free her up a bit without hammering on her or making her dumb? Thanks! |
|
| |
|
 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
  
Location: Arkansas | Bump |
|
| |
|
 Go For It!
Location: Texas | Are you running to a closed gate? If so, try going somewhere that has a run out alley. It may help free her up.
Edited by grinandbareit 2015-06-15 10:47 PM
|
|
| |
|
  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Do you feed DMG? This opens up the air way and stronger. |
|
| |
|
| She is 20 years old .... how fast do you think you will be running when you are 60
years old. Time to let her coast with someone as a kids horse ..
She gave you her all last year ... and this year she is looking for a way to go back to the trailer .... and she knows which gate she came in ...
now take that 8k she earned you last year and find you a new horse to begin training for your future barrel horse ....
GOOD LUCK ..
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2015-06-16 12:29 AM
|
|
| |
|
Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Is it a soreness problem, or is she not in good enough shape. Does she have a airway problem. Could even be a heart problem. |
|
| |
|
 Born not Made
Posts: 2930
Location: North Dakota | Can you post your video? |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 729
Location: south central usa | put someone closer to the gate with a flag...she'll never be the wiser...
|
|
| |
|
 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | I had an older mare that would do that. She was 18 and she was just too dang clever. She knew the gate and knew to start shutting down... she just did it before crossing the timer. Those oldies know their jobs, that's for sure! I could never break her of it. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
Location: flatlands | BARRELHORSE USA - 2015-06-16 12:26 AM She is 20 years old .... how fast do you think you will be running when you are 60 years old. Time to let her coast with someone as a kids horse .. She gave you her all last year ... and this year she is looking for a way to go back to the trailer .... and she knows which gate she came in ... now take that 8k she earned you last year and find you a new horse to begin training for your future barrel horse .... GOOD LUCK ..
So I guess you've never heard of June Holeman's Sparky or Dolores Toole's Paa, just to name a couple? Both of those horses are well over 20 years old and still fire, and my mare has had far less maintenance and far fewer runs in her lifetime. We've taken excellent care of her, and she looks 13. My vet is Dr. Fell--renowned racehorse vet--who gave me the green light to run her just last month. And for the record: I actually do have another horse going, but she just made 5 runs between the BRF and some amateur rodeos, so I'm giving her this coming weekend off. Why is everyone so quick to assume? SMH. |
|
| |
|
 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | One thing I see when people's horses are quitting too soon ****sometimes***** is that as soon as they cross the timer line, the rider goes to pulling and slams them into the ground to stop. I wouldn't want to keep running if I knew I had to slam on the brakes in two strides.
Also, you say you're carrying a bat - have you tried not spanking her until right before where she starts quitting? I have noticed with my old horse who likes to coast the last 25 yards, it works better if I don't whip him right after the third barrel, but wait until we're halfway to the timer before I get after him a lot. He's running hard leaving the 3rd but if I can spank him about the time he starts thinking about letting up, he'll usually run hard all the way. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 962
| rodeowithjoker - 2015-06-16 1:27 PM
One thing I see when people's horses are quitting too soon ****sometimes***** is that as soon as they cross the timer line, the rider goes to pulling and slams them into the ground to stop. I wouldn't want to keep running if I knew I had to slam on the brakes in two strides.
Also, you say you're carrying a bat - have you tried not spanking her until right before where she starts quitting? I have noticed with my old horse who likes to coast the last 25 yards, it works better if I don't whip him right after the third barrel, but wait until we're halfway to the timer before I get after him a lot. He's running hard leaving the 3rd but if I can spank him about the time he starts thinking about letting up, he'll usually run hard all the way.
I never stopped hard either at the finish. I think they think they are being punished. I never looked sideways to find the eye but rather forwards to a predetermined spot I wanted to run to. And Practice makes Perfect only if you Practice Perfect. I have a horse that will turn the third barrel and then instead of running straight home, over does the turn and heads to first, because apparently she was taught that while practicing. I have seen lots of people practice and slow their horse down either right after turning third or before you would normally start slowing down, usually between first & third or over turn the barrels, so if you look at it logically, you are teaching your horse the wrong thing so he has no way of determining what you actually want him to do in a competition race. Not sure if that is the problem here, just what I have observed. Just my opinion. |
|
| |
|
| As an older horse, perhaps she needs more conditioning on both muscle and to build up her wind. That would be about the place to quit if she was running out of air. Older horses really need more work to be in good condition.
Good luck. |
|
| |
|
 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Well, what I do with all of my horses is this. If I exhibition them, I never slow them down before the timer. Say I trot the barrel pattern in an exhibition, I will sometimes break into a lope around where the timer is and lope through and stop well into the alley. If I don't do that, I at least long trot them all the way out and then stop. I never slow them down before the timer in practice.
|
|
| |
Folks on-line