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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
  
Location: MD | I had hoped to hang on until someone posted a video that had Vickie's full run, but I fear that my coffee has long worn off, so I'm going to do this post using the video that I have access to. Congratulations to Michelle and all of Slick's connections for the win tonight! Plus, shoutout to the ground crew for the improvement!
Vickie- Again, I wish that I could see this run in it's entirety, but alas, the video that I have available to me picks her up as she is starting the turn at the 2nd barrel. It appears as though Vickie held the line a bit further before allowing the turn to begin tonight at the 2nd. From the looks of things, that was the foremost goal. While well positioned for the turn, it appears as though this pairing is still getting used to one another, which is causing for their turns to be a bit overly round. Vickie rode a nice line to the third tonight. I might like to have seen her keep sending her horse straight and square for one more stride before allowing the turn to start. It seems as though this horse really follows her body and as soon as her hands go down, her horse sure is making a move. The pocket having gotten cut off a little bit, her horse got a bit flat against the backside of the third. This caused her horse to be a bit more flat through it's body and to have to step off a bit leaving, thus slowing the turn. All in all, another admirable job for a new mount in not only a high pressure atmosphere, but also during a very emotional time.
Jackie- Jet made a liar out of me and got up the pen passed the first again tonight. I very much like the line that Jackie is riding to the first and Jet's shape upon getting there, it just all needs to get dialed in a half a stride sooner in order to really turn the top out of it. Once again, Jackie stayed calm, made it work and found a nice exit. I felt like the ground allowed for this team to have the sort of 2nd barrel that they should have had last night. Just a nice, solid, balanced turn that kept moving forward and set them up for a nice run to the third. I'm not entirely sure where Jet's eyes were pointing when he got to the third barrel, but they definitely got by it a bit. Jackie handled it well, called on him and got an immediate response. I could almost read this horse's ears saying "Oh no, sorry Mom" as he dug in and tried to make up for having gotten by. Jackie used her lower body very well to push him through the backside, or he would have come back over top of it. I would like to note the sort of consistency being shown by this pair at their first NFR two rounds in, they have clocked 14.09 both nights and have picked up checks in both rounds.
Michelle- Slick is so strong and yet agile at the same time that he sometimes gets himself into situations which require some vey quick footwork in order for him not to get stuck over top of his front end. His comeback, especially at the first barrel, displayed that tonight. What a quick and clever little horse! Having had to lift her leg to get by the first tonight, it didn't appear as though Michelle was able to get over onto the line that we normally see her and Slick take to the second. She sure made it work though! She stayed up and square and rode all the way into the hole until her knee was clear. Even though she got out over the front of him as Slick made a phenomenal move to inhale the second barrel with very little pocket, Michelle did a great job of not getting off to either side of him and allowed him to make a very balanced and efficient turn. A solid third barrel and his explosive speed on the way out clinched the win for this pair tonight.
Carley- In the first round, I had noted that there was a break in forward momentum as this horse finished the backside of the first. While maybe not quite as tight a finish tonight, I felt that they maintained their speed much better and had a much smoother first barrel as a result. A nice, straight line across the pen to the second barrel allowed for all of the room that they need for yet another smooth and efficient turn. I noticed last night that Carley had reached down and hit this horse once on the way to the third. She didn't do so tonight. This seems to be the sort of horse that doesn't require you to handle on it in order to be correct, you just need to keep it running up to the backside. Without being in gear all of the way down the pen, the turn just got tarted too soon. I'm sure we'll see Carley come back and ride more aggressively there tomorrow night.
Taylor- I was super glad to see that there was enough ground to allow a horse as big and butt dragging as Bo to work tonight. His first barrel was spot on tonight. He has a bit of a more stiff, rollback way of going, which might not please everyone, but if you watch his body, he sure didn't leave anything at the first. While Taylor did look back to see if the first barrel had stayed up, I don't see where that caused a problem at the second barrel. She got into the turn well, having sent him a bit straighter in there a step further than she did last night. The tight pattern and bright walls of the T&M can get them all coming back hard. On a big, long strided, rollback style horse such as BO, it can be brutal. Taylor's focus is going to have to be getting Bo's hind feet to take one step across the backside of that second barrel. As it is, he's just planting his hock and pivoting back over top of it. Another nice second barrel from this team tonight. Taylor rode upright, square and got a perfect amount of depth behind it to allow for a nice finish.
Cassidy- What a fun little horse JJ is! Cassidy does such a great job of following along with his scrappy, run around style of doing things. She gave a perfectly timed bump on her outside rein, with her hand placed down low on his head to give him exactly the support that he needed to set up for another good first barrel tonight. A great line across the pen, a great entrance to the second barrel and another quick turn. It appeared as though the placement of her hand on her outside rein was higher up on the neck when she bumped him than it was last night setting up for the third barrel. That difference in signal caused JJ to not remain as open on his line as he was last night. Cassidy made the best of it by standing up and trying to ensure that she kept the barrel up, but he might not have stepped off quite as hard had she stayed a bit more balanced in the process. Either way, it was clean and this pair pulled another check, showing their prowess in the bright lights.
Fallon- She got that extra foot and a half, or so of depth up the pen to the first tonight and it made for a much better turn. BabyFlo bounced a step in there as she was setting to come back, which made it a bit less dramatic than normal, but all in all, a very nice first barrel. When Fallon opened her left rein and lifted a bit on the right, BabyFlo moved right over onto the line tonight and it allowed for a phenomenal second barrel. A nice line to the third tonight, as a result of a much improved exit from the second barrel actually allowed Fallon to ride to her spot and then open her inside rein to initiate the turn at the third. As I said last year, what a testament to what can be accomplished when one takes the time to go back and fill in the holes!
Nancy- I mentioned last night how Fuzz just seems to follow Nancy's hand through the turns. It appeared as though Fuzz might have lugged a little bit on the backside of the first, or just not been as light and snappy as she is used to feeling him. As a result, I saw Nancy take more direct contact with her inside rein to ask him to turn than I ever have and turn he did. The story of the 2nd and 3rd seemed to me a matter of just riding through the backsides hard enough and allowing her hand to drop down his neck a bit. He's got a cool style, but if you don't keep your inside foot on the gas pedal on a horse like this, he's going to catch them leaving.
Sherry- Last night, Sherry used a bit of an opening outside rein to ensure that Stingray didn't get to the inside of the line and find her way to the first barrel too soon. She let go of that outside rein much sooner tonight and I sure wouldn't have wanted to have gotten in there any tighter than she did. Even having gotten a bit short coming into the first, they finished it well and set themselves up to have a great second barrel. Sherry does an excellent job of staying tall with the inside of her body, while using her outside aids to steer her horse onto the path around the turn. I might want to see her get two handed and get Stingray to stay upright and give her just a bit more room at the third, but as always, Sherry managed that moment well.
Mary- Latte again got a bit out of position at the first tonight. His hind end seemed to continue on as his front end started to the turn. Again, even as we are making the turn, those back feet have to move all the way across the backside of the barrel, or this is the result. His second and third barrels were very solid. Straight lines in, balanced, efficient turns and strong finishes.
Sarah- Bling having stumbled on that right hind foot as close to the pocket as they were sent them way by the first barrel tonight. Sarah did and excellent job of continuing to move forward through the turn, avoiding the barrel, even though she was set to slice it on the backside and find a pretty good exit. Let this serve as a great reminder to us all that more often than not, when we have a stumble, or things somehow become misaligned during a run that we should send the sucker forward and let them get straight up underneath of themselves again from behind, not by going to handling on them. Sarah and Bling have a way of doing it that defies all laws of physics, but if you look at where this horse's hind feet end up at every turn, she absolutely nailed every spot that she wanted to get to at the 2nd and 3rd barrel. I expect that this pair will just continue to build from here.
Lisa- What is there to say?! Lisa is always so perfectly balanced over her horses. Her feel is second to none. I love the way she just opens her inside hand, leads Louise through the turns and allows the outside rein to come into contact with his neck, offering him just that bit of support to stay so square through his body as he powers away from the barrels. It looks like they've come to Vegas on a mission and so far, they are accomplishing it.
Callie- Dillon is so solid and I really have a huge appreciation for the amount of confidence that Callie rides him with. Such a positive, forward, yet quiet ride to the first barrel. You don't see her doing much handling of him. She just sets her eyes, shoulders and hips on a line to get behind the barrel and holds it until his body brings her back around to finish the turn. Even at the second and third barrels, while she does use her outside rein to get him up into the turn, she doesn't get to pulling on him and get him out of shape. A high, opening outside rein keeps not only Dillon's shoulder from beginning to fade in, but serves to keep Callie's body very square all the way to the backside. I look for this team to continue to lay down solid runs of this nature.
Deb- Having dropped in a touch too soon in the first round, I felt as though Deb round a bit conservatively tonight, making sure that she got all the way up into the first. Having been a bit up the pen passed it, I felt that she made the turn work rather well. Again, Deb rode halfway across the pen with only her right hand on the reins. While she carried a good line to the second, I think getting two handed a stride sooner would allow her to prepare Oscar a bit better for the second barrel. The turn started out well, but he's just not getting his hind end set to be able to come back efficiently. Deb is riding the turn well, I just feel that the turn is eroding due to that lack of preparation. The third barrel pocket got cut off again here tonight, causing Oscar to get flat and step off leaving it. I would like to see Deb get two handed and aim for a line 4 feet further to the right and 4 feet further behind the third, allowing him the room that he needs for an efficient turn and a clean exit.
Jana- I could copy and paste from last night's thread. The mechanics of the turns are all there for this team. Hammer is just getting strong and strung out through his turns. A bit more support and a two handed ride from Jana might be what he needs in order to hold himself together in such a small building. He's a vey nice horse and quite capable of clocking well, but until the turns are cleaned up, I just don't see it happening. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
 
Location: Gainesville, TX | Haha I get to be first to say good job. I'm up early to go to an Ed Wright clinic. Thanks Andy.  | |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Thanks Andy!
And Oija - have an awesome time at the clinic! | |
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Cold hands and Warm Heart
Location: oklahoma | I enjoy reading this, I don't ride anymore but did want to tell you that Taylor just posted that she finished practice and asked Bo for one more step on the backside. | |
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 Ms. Elvis
Posts: 9606
Location: Running barrels or watching nascar | WrapSnap - 2015-12-05 12:23 AM
I had hoped to hang on until someone posted a video that had Vickie's full run, but I fear that my coffee has long worn off, so I'm going to do this post using the video that I have access to. Congratulations to Michelle and all of Slick's connections for the win tonight! Plus, shoutout to the ground crew for the improvement!
Vickie- Again, I wish that I could see this run in it's entirety, but alas, the video that I have available to me picks her up as she is starting the turn at the 2nd barrel. It appears as though Vickie held the line a bit further before allowing the turn to begin tonight at the 2nd. From the looks of things, that was the foremost goal. While well positioned for the turn, it appears as though this pairing is still getting used to one another, which is causing for their turns to be a bit overly round. Vickie rode a nice line to the third tonight. I might like to have seen her keep sending her horse straight and square for one more stride before allowing the turn to start. It seems as though this horse really follows her body and as soon as her hands go down, her horse sure is making a move. The pocket having gotten cut off a little bit, her horse got a bit flat against the backside of the third. This caused her horse to be a bit more flat through it's body and to have to step off a bit leaving, thus slowing the turn. All in all, another admirable job for a new mount in not only a high pressure atmosphere, but also during a very emotional time.
Jackie- Jet made a liar out of me and got up the pen passed the first again tonight. I very much like the line that Jackie is riding to the first and Jet's shape upon getting there, it just all needs to get dialed in a half a stride sooner in order to really turn the top out of it. Once again, Jackie stayed calm, made it work and found a nice exit. I felt like the ground allowed for this team to have the sort of 2nd barrel that they should have had last night. Just a nice, solid, balanced turn that kept moving forward and set them up for a nice run to the third. I'm not entirely sure where Jet's eyes were pointing when he got to the third barrel, but they definitely got by it a bit. Jackie handled it well, called on him and got an immediate response. I could almost read this horse's ears saying "Oh no, sorry Mom" as he dug in and tried to make up for having gotten by. Jackie used her lower body very well to push him through the backside, or he would have come back over top of it. I would like to note the sort of consistency being shown by this pair at their first NFR two rounds in, they have clocked 14.09 both nights and have picked up checks in both rounds.
Michelle- Slick is so strong and yet agile at the same time that he sometimes gets himself into situations which require some vey quick footwork in order for him not to get stuck over top of his front end. His comeback, especially at the first barrel, displayed that tonight. What a quick and clever little horse! Having had to lift her leg to get by the first tonight, it didn't appear as though Michelle was able to get over onto the line that we normally see her and Slick take to the second. She sure made it work though! She stayed up and square and rode all the way into the hole until her knee was clear. Even though she got out over the front of him as Slick made a phenomenal move to inhale the second barrel with very little pocket, Michelle did a great job of not getting off to either side of him and allowed him to make a very balanced and efficient turn. A solid third barrel and his explosive speed on the way out clinched the win for this pair tonight.
Carley- In the first round, I had noted that there was a break in forward momentum as this horse finished the backside of the first. While maybe not quite as tight a finish tonight, I felt that they maintained their speed much better and had a much smoother first barrel as a result. A nice, straight line across the pen to the second barrel allowed for all of the room that they need for yet another smooth and efficient turn. I noticed last night that Carley had reached down and hit this horse once on the way to the third. She didn't do so tonight. This seems to be the sort of horse that doesn't require you to handle on it in order to be correct, you just need to keep it running up to the backside. Without being in gear all of the way down the pen, the turn just got tarted too soon. I'm sure we'll see Carley come back and ride more aggressively there tomorrow night.
Taylor- I was super glad to see that there was enough ground to allow a horse as big and butt dragging as Bo to work tonight. His first barrel was spot on tonight. He has a bit of a more stiff, rollback way of going, which might not please everyone, but if you watch his body, he sure didn't leave anything at the first. While Taylor did look back to see if the first barrel had stayed up, I don't see where that caused a problem at the second barrel. She got into the turn well, having sent him a bit straighter in there a step further than she did last night. The tight pattern and bright walls of the T&M can get them all coming back hard. On a big, long strided, rollback style horse such as BO, it can be brutal. Taylor's focus is going to have to be getting Bo's hind feet to take one step across the backside of that second barrel. As it is, he's just planting his hock and pivoting back over top of it. Another nice second barrel from this team tonight. Taylor rode upright, square and got a perfect amount of depth behind it to allow for a nice finish.
Cassidy- What a fun little horse JJ is! Cassidy does such a great job of following along with his scrappy, run around style of doing things. She gave a perfectly timed bump on her outside rein, with her hand placed down low on his head to give him exactly the support that he needed to set up for another good first barrel tonight. A great line across the pen, a great entrance to the second barrel and another quick turn. It appeared as though the placement of her hand on her outside rein was higher up on the neck when she bumped him than it was last night setting up for the third barrel. That difference in signal caused JJ to not remain as open on his line as he was last night. Cassidy made the best of it by standing up and trying to ensure that she kept the barrel up, but he might not have stepped off quite as hard had she stayed a bit more balanced in the process. Either way, it was clean and this pair pulled another check, showing their prowess in the bright lights.
Fallon- She got that extra foot and a half, or so of depth up the pen to the first tonight and it made for a much better turn. BabyFlo bounced a step in there as she was setting to come back, which made it a bit less dramatic than normal, but all in all, a very nice first barrel. When Fallon opened her left rein and lifted a bit on the right, BabyFlo moved right over onto the line tonight and it allowed for a phenomenal second barrel. A nice line to the third tonight, as a result of a much improved exit from the second barrel actually allowed Fallon to ride to her spot and then open her inside rein to initiate the turn at the third. As I said last year, what a testament to what can be accomplished when one takes the time to go back and fill in the holes!
Nancy- I mentioned last night how Fuzz just seems to follow Nancy's hand through the turns. It appeared as though Fuzz might have lugged a little bit on the backside of the first, or just not been as light and snappy as she is used to feeling him. As a result, I saw Nancy take more direct contact with her inside rein to ask him to turn than I ever have and turn he did. The story of the 2nd and 3rd seemed to me a matter of just riding through the backsides hard enough and allowing her hand to drop down his neck a bit. He's got a cool style, but if you don't keep your inside foot on the gas pedal on a horse like this, he's going to catch them leaving.
Sherry- Last night, Sherry used a bit of an opening outside rein to ensure that Stingray didn't get to the inside of the line and find her way to the first barrel too soon. She let go of that outside rein much sooner tonight and I sure wouldn't have wanted to have gotten in there any tighter than she did. Even having gotten a bit short coming into the first, they finished it well and set themselves up to have a great second barrel. Sherry does an excellent job of staying tall with the inside of her body, while using her outside aids to steer her horse onto the path around the turn. I might want to see her get two handed and get Stingray to stay upright and give her just a bit more room at the third, but as always, Sherry managed that moment well.
Mary- Latte again got a bit out of position at the first tonight. His hind end seemed to continue on as his front end started to the turn. Again, even as we are making the turn, those back feet have to move all the way across the backside of the barrel, or this is the result. His second and third barrels were very solid. Straight lines in, balanced, efficient turns and strong finishes.
Sarah- Bling having stumbled on that right hind foot as close to the pocket as they were sent them way by the first barrel tonight. Sarah did and excellent job of continuing to move forward through the turn, avoiding the barrel, even though she was set to slice it on the backside and find a pretty good exit. Let this serve as a great reminder to us all that more often than not, when we have a stumble, or things somehow become misaligned during a run that we should send the sucker forward and let them get straight up underneath of themselves again from behind, not by going to handling on them. Sarah and Bling have a way of doing it that defies all laws of physics, but if you look at where this horse's hind feet end up at every turn, she absolutely nailed every spot that she wanted to get to at the 2nd and 3rd barrel. I expect that this pair will just continue to build from here.
Lisa- What is there to say?! Lisa is always so perfectly balanced over her horses. Her feel is second to none. I love the way she just opens her inside hand, leads Louise through the turns and allows the outside rein to come into contact with his neck, offering him just that bit of support to stay so square through his body as he powers away from the barrels. It looks like they've come to Vegas on a mission and so far, they are accomplishing it.
Callie- Dillon is so solid and I really have a huge appreciation for the amount of confidence that Callie rides him with. Such a positive, forward, yet quiet ride to the first barrel. You don't see her doing much handling of him. She just sets her eyes, shoulders and hips on a line to get behind the barrel and holds it until his body brings her back around to finish the turn. Even at the second and third barrels, while she does use her outside rein to get him up into the turn, she doesn't get to pulling on him and get him out of shape. A high, opening outside rein keeps not only Dillon's shoulder from beginning to fade in, but serves to keep Callie's body very square all the way to the backside. I look for this team to continue to lay down solid runs of this nature.
Deb- Having dropped in a touch too soon in the first round, I felt as though Deb round a bit conservatively tonight, making sure that she got all the way up into the first. Having been a bit up the pen passed it, I felt that she made the turn work rather well. Again, Deb rode halfway across the pen with only her right hand on the reins. While she carried a good line to the second, I think getting two handed a stride sooner would allow her to prepare Oscar a bit better for the second barrel. The turn started out well, but he's just not getting his hind end set to be able to come back efficiently. Deb is riding the turn well, I just feel that the turn is eroding due to that lack of preparation. The third barrel pocket got cut off again here tonight, causing Oscar to get flat and step off leaving it. I would like to see Deb get two handed and aim for a line 4 feet further to the right and 4 feet further behind the third, allowing him the room that he needs for an efficient turn and a clean exit.
Jana- I could copy and paste from last night's thread. The mechanics of the turns are all there for this team. Hammer is just getting strong and strung out through his turns. A bit more support and a two handed ride from Jana might be what he needs in order to hold himself together in such a small building. He's a vey nice horse and quite capable of clocking well, but until the turns are cleaned up, I just don't see it happening.
Darn CBS came back from commercial almost too late!
Edited by barrelracer1983 2015-12-05 10:09 AM
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Andy your doing a great job, you must really spend alot of time on this to be able to watch and then write all this it would take me all day to do this. Glad someone has the time to do it so others can enjoy it.. | |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | Southtxponygirl - 2015-12-05 10:21 AM
Andy your doing a great job, you must really spend alot of time on this to be able to watch and then write all this it would take me all day to do this. Glad someone has the time to do it so others can enjoy it..
Thanks sweetie! This thread at least puts my insomnia to good use! lol | |
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | I have to wait until someone posts the rounds on facebook to watch them. I will say this, every single one of those ladies look amazing, errors or no errors. What a **** exciting year for the NFR!!!
I of course am rooting for Miss Sarah, but there isn't a single lady running that doesn't deserve a win!!!!! | |
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 Chicken Chick
Posts: 3562
Location: Texas | missroselee - 2015-12-05 10:29 AM
I have to wait until someone posts the rounds on facebook to watch them. I will say this, every single one of those ladies look amazing, errors or no errors. What a **** exciting year for the NFR!!!
I of course am rooting for Miss Sarah, but there isn't a single lady running that doesn't deserve a win!!!!!
Mile Hi barrel horse has been posting the rounds on fb. | |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | WrapSnap - 2015-12-05 10:23 AM Southtxponygirl - 2015-12-05 10:21 AM Andy your doing a great job, you must really spend alot of time on this to be able to watch and then write all this it would take me all day to do this. Glad someone has the time to do it so others can enjoy it.. Thanks sweetie! This thread at least puts my insomnia to good use! lol
I can see how much you truely love this sport, thats why your such a great/awesome teacher its your passion.. | |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | I just have to say WOW! You make me, as a non barrel racer, finally and really understand the mechanics of what y'all do. I've been watching for several years, and now I get it. Thanks for that | |
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 No Name Nancy
Posts: 2715
Location: never in the right place | wow how do you manage to see all that is such a short time.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1096
| Excellent analysis! The thing I noticed was how hard Sarah has to push Bling! I mean she really has to work so she doesn't get setty and hit a barrel. I just think they are impressive to watch and I bet that horse is hard to ride! I'd probably smack into every single barrel, LOL | |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | From the looks of last night I bet Fallon is going to really kick it into gear and her and BabyFlo are going to win a few rounds.  | |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | "Sarah and Bling have a way of doing it that defies all laws of physics" <- That is the truth right there. I think that's why watching her run just fascinates me. Like it is SO unorthadox looking and yet they clock like crazy. And I'm just obsessed with Bling. What a stunning horse. She's right up there with Louie in terms of my personal favorites.
Edited by cavyrunsbarrels 2015-12-05 5:11 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 591
| barrelracer1983 - 2015-12-05 8:08 AM
WrapSnap - 2015-12-05 12:23 AM
I had hoped to hang on until someone posted a video that had Vickie's full run, but I fear that my coffee has long worn off, so I'm going to do this post using the video that I have access to. Congratulations to Michelle and all of Slick's connections for the win tonight! Plus, shoutout to the ground crew for the improvement!
Vickie- Again, I wish that I could see this run in it's entirety, but alas, the video that I have available to me picks her up as she is starting the turn at the 2nd barrel. It appears as though Vickie held the line a bit further before allowing the turn to begin tonight at the 2nd. From the looks of things, that was the foremost goal. While well positioned for the turn, it appears as though this pairing is still getting used to one another, which is causing for their turns to be a bit overly round. Vickie rode a nice line to the third tonight. I might like to have seen her keep sending her horse straight and square for one more stride before allowing the turn to start. It seems as though this horse really follows her body and as soon as her hands go down, her horse sure is making a move. The pocket having gotten cut off a little bit, her horse got a bit flat against the backside of the third. This caused her horse to be a bit more flat through it's body and to have to step off a bit leaving, thus slowing the turn. All in all, another admirable job for a new mount in not only a high pressure atmosphere, but also during a very emotional time.
Jackie- Jet made a liar out of me and got up the pen passed the first again tonight. I very much like the line that Jackie is riding to the first and Jet's shape upon getting there, it just all needs to get dialed in a half a stride sooner in order to really turn the top out of it. Once again, Jackie stayed calm, made it work and found a nice exit. I felt like the ground allowed for this team to have the sort of 2nd barrel that they should have had last night. Just a nice, solid, balanced turn that kept moving forward and set them up for a nice run to the third. I'm not entirely sure where Jet's eyes were pointing when he got to the third barrel, but they definitely got by it a bit. Jackie handled it well, called on him and got an immediate response. I could almost read this horse's ears saying "Oh no, sorry Mom" as he dug in and tried to make up for having gotten by. Jackie used her lower body very well to push him through the backside, or he would have come back over top of it. I would like to note the sort of consistency being shown by this pair at their first NFR two rounds in, they have clocked 14.09 both nights and have picked up checks in both rounds.
Michelle- Slick is so strong and yet agile at the same time that he sometimes gets himself into situations which require some vey quick footwork in order for him not to get stuck over top of his front end. His comeback, especially at the first barrel, displayed that tonight. What a quick and clever little horse! Having had to lift her leg to get by the first tonight, it didn't appear as though Michelle was able to get over onto the line that we normally see her and Slick take to the second. She sure made it work though! She stayed up and square and rode all the way into the hole until her knee was clear. Even though she got out over the front of him as Slick made a phenomenal move to inhale the second barrel with very little pocket, Michelle did a great job of not getting off to either side of him and allowed him to make a very balanced and efficient turn. A solid third barrel and his explosive speed on the way out clinched the win for this pair tonight.
Carley- In the first round, I had noted that there was a break in forward momentum as this horse finished the backside of the first. While maybe not quite as tight a finish tonight, I felt that they maintained their speed much better and had a much smoother first barrel as a result. A nice, straight line across the pen to the second barrel allowed for all of the room that they need for yet another smooth and efficient turn. I noticed last night that Carley had reached down and hit this horse once on the way to the third. She didn't do so tonight. This seems to be the sort of horse that doesn't require you to handle on it in order to be correct, you just need to keep it running up to the backside. Without being in gear all of the way down the pen, the turn just got tarted too soon. I'm sure we'll see Carley come back and ride more aggressively there tomorrow night.
Taylor- I was super glad to see that there was enough ground to allow a horse as big and butt dragging as Bo to work tonight. His first barrel was spot on tonight. He has a bit of a more stiff, rollback way of going, which might not please everyone, but if you watch his body, he sure didn't leave anything at the first. While Taylor did look back to see if the first barrel had stayed up, I don't see where that caused a problem at the second barrel. She got into the turn well, having sent him a bit straighter in there a step further than she did last night. The tight pattern and bright walls of the T&M can get them all coming back hard. On a big, long strided, rollback style horse such as BO, it can be brutal. Taylor's focus is going to have to be getting Bo's hind feet to take one step across the backside of that second barrel. As it is, he's just planting his hock and pivoting back over top of it. Another nice second barrel from this team tonight. Taylor rode upright, square and got a perfect amount of depth behind it to allow for a nice finish.
Cassidy- What a fun little horse JJ is! Cassidy does such a great job of following along with his scrappy, run around style of doing things. She gave a perfectly timed bump on her outside rein, with her hand placed down low on his head to give him exactly the support that he needed to set up for another good first barrel tonight. A great line across the pen, a great entrance to the second barrel and another quick turn. It appeared as though the placement of her hand on her outside rein was higher up on the neck when she bumped him than it was last night setting up for the third barrel. That difference in signal caused JJ to not remain as open on his line as he was last night. Cassidy made the best of it by standing up and trying to ensure that she kept the barrel up, but he might not have stepped off quite as hard had she stayed a bit more balanced in the process. Either way, it was clean and this pair pulled another check, showing their prowess in the bright lights.
Fallon- She got that extra foot and a half, or so of depth up the pen to the first tonight and it made for a much better turn. BabyFlo bounced a step in there as she was setting to come back, which made it a bit less dramatic than normal, but all in all, a very nice first barrel. When Fallon opened her left rein and lifted a bit on the right, BabyFlo moved right over onto the line tonight and it allowed for a phenomenal second barrel. A nice line to the third tonight, as a result of a much improved exit from the second barrel actually allowed Fallon to ride to her spot and then open her inside rein to initiate the turn at the third. As I said last year, what a testament to what can be accomplished when one takes the time to go back and fill in the holes!
Nancy- I mentioned last night how Fuzz just seems to follow Nancy's hand through the turns. It appeared as though Fuzz might have lugged a little bit on the backside of the first, or just not been as light and snappy as she is used to feeling him. As a result, I saw Nancy take more direct contact with her inside rein to ask him to turn than I ever have and turn he did. The story of the 2nd and 3rd seemed to me a matter of just riding through the backsides hard enough and allowing her hand to drop down his neck a bit. He's got a cool style, but if you don't keep your inside foot on the gas pedal on a horse like this, he's going to catch them leaving.
Sherry- Last night, Sherry used a bit of an opening outside rein to ensure that Stingray didn't get to the inside of the line and find her way to the first barrel too soon. She let go of that outside rein much sooner tonight and I sure wouldn't have wanted to have gotten in there any tighter than she did. Even having gotten a bit short coming into the first, they finished it well and set themselves up to have a great second barrel. Sherry does an excellent job of staying tall with the inside of her body, while using her outside aids to steer her horse onto the path around the turn. I might want to see her get two handed and get Stingray to stay upright and give her just a bit more room at the third, but as always, Sherry managed that moment well.
Mary- Latte again got a bit out of position at the first tonight. His hind end seemed to continue on as his front end started to the turn. Again, even as we are making the turn, those back feet have to move all the way across the backside of the barrel, or this is the result. His second and third barrels were very solid. Straight lines in, balanced, efficient turns and strong finishes.
Sarah- Bling having stumbled on that right hind foot as close to the pocket as they were sent them way by the first barrel tonight. Sarah did and excellent job of continuing to move forward through the turn, avoiding the barrel, even though she was set to slice it on the backside and find a pretty good exit. Let this serve as a great reminder to us all that more often than not, when we have a stumble, or things somehow become misaligned during a run that we should send the sucker forward and let them get straight up underneath of themselves again from behind, not by going to handling on them. Sarah and Bling have a way of doing it that defies all laws of physics, but if you look at where this horse's hind feet end up at every turn, she absolutely nailed every spot that she wanted to get to at the 2nd and 3rd barrel. I expect that this pair will just continue to build from here.
Lisa- What is there to say?! Lisa is always so perfectly balanced over her horses. Her feel is second to none. I love the way she just opens her inside hand, leads Louise through the turns and allows the outside rein to come into contact with his neck, offering him just that bit of support to stay so square through his body as he powers away from the barrels. It looks like they've come to Vegas on a mission and so far, they are accomplishing it.
Callie- Dillon is so solid and I really have a huge appreciation for the amount of confidence that Callie rides him with. Such a positive, forward, yet quiet ride to the first barrel. You don't see her doing much handling of him. She just sets her eyes, shoulders and hips on a line to get behind the barrel and holds it until his body brings her back around to finish the turn. Even at the second and third barrels, while she does use her outside rein to get him up into the turn, she doesn't get to pulling on him and get him out of shape. A high, opening outside rein keeps not only Dillon's shoulder from beginning to fade in, but serves to keep Callie's body very square all the way to the backside. I look for this team to continue to lay down solid runs of this nature.
Deb- Having dropped in a touch too soon in the first round, I felt as though Deb round a bit conservatively tonight, making sure that she got all the way up into the first. Having been a bit up the pen passed it, I felt that she made the turn work rather well. Again, Deb rode halfway across the pen with only her right hand on the reins. While she carried a good line to the second, I think getting two handed a stride sooner would allow her to prepare Oscar a bit better for the second barrel. The turn started out well, but he's just not getting his hind end set to be able to come back efficiently. Deb is riding the turn well, I just feel that the turn is eroding due to that lack of preparation. The third barrel pocket got cut off again here tonight, causing Oscar to get flat and step off leaving it. I would like to see Deb get two handed and aim for a line 4 feet further to the right and 4 feet further behind the third, allowing him the room that he needs for an efficient turn and a clean exit.
Jana- I could copy and paste from last night's thread. The mechanics of the turns are all there for this team. Hammer is just getting strong and strung out through his turns. A bit more support and a two handed ride from Jana might be what he needs in order to hold himself together in such a small building. He's a vey nice horse and quite capable of clocking well, but until the turns are cleaned up, I just don't see it happening.
Darn CBS came back from commercial almost too late!
There's no excuse for them cutting off Vickie's run since what is on TV is not truly "Live". Someone in the producer's chair just messed up. But they did catch it right when she was approaching the first barrel. Like many of the girls have done, she got pretty high into the turn and looped around the first barrel and stepping out leaving. On the way to the second Vickie almost made her first night's mistake of just switching hands. She was again 1 handed approaching the 2nd, but quickly corrected and got to 2 hands. This late decision is what pushed her past and caused the turn to be overly round. Jumping on a new horse is very difficult, let alone in one of the toughest arenas to run in. Timing issue seem to be the biggest culprit here. | |
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 Sorry I don't have any advice
Posts: 1975
Location: Sunnyland Florida |
Great analysis WrapSnap!
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | Awesome Wrap! | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | I'm really enjoying your posts. You see so much that I miss. I watch the round again after I read your posts. Very educational stuff!!! Thanks so much for doing this. | |
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