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 Saint Stacey
   
| cheryl makofka - 2016-05-29 1:07 PM
SKM - 2016-05-29 1:27 PM
The thing a lot of people don't get is that the body position between a show type class and running barrels is completely different. To advise to improve your riding skills without even knowing how the OP rides is just silly. You cannot keep up with a hard running and turning horse with pretty equitation. Sitting up straight and tall will have you scrambling to keep up. There's a reason why barrel racers ride somewhat hunched over. I showed for many years and also rode reiners. My perfect equitation had to be thrown out the window when I switched over to barrel horses. The OP isn't wanting to learn western dressage. She's wanting to run barrels.
Yes the sport is different, but I do believe light hands and light legs will make a much better horse then one you have to rip and tear to get around the barrel.
Ed wright said he rode with one or two ounces of pressure, he actually believed barrel racers should ride like they do in working cow horse classes, he would show a picture of someone at the beginning and tell everyone we should aim to have that body position.
I have also rode for 30 plus years and everyday I am reevaluating my riding to see how I can improve, how I can be lighter and still get the horse to do what I want. I learn something from every horse I ride. I say the day I don't learn something is the day I need to quit. We can all be better riders, better horseman/women, and better person.
I'm pretty sure you missed the point. I didn't say people shouldn't strive to improve our horsemanship skills. I'm all for having light hands to a certain extent. But you have to be able to handle a barrel horses face some in order to help them out. We have no idea how the OP's hands are. Or if she is even pulling. Lots of assumptions being made about her abilities on this thread.
Again to the OP, I'd recommend trying a lighter bit if you feel like you are pulling and just put some riding time in to see how responsive the horse is. Get the feel for your horse again, make a few runs and then see where you are at. | |
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 The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
 
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | SKM - 2016-05-29 2:34 PM
cheryl makofka - 2016-05-29 1:07 PM
SKM - 2016-05-29 1:27 PM
The thing a lot of people don't get is that the body position between a show type class and running barrels is completely different. To advise to improve your riding skills without even knowing how the OP rides is just silly. You cannot keep up with a hard running and turning horse with pretty equitation. Sitting up straight and tall will have you scrambling to keep up. There's a reason why barrel racers ride somewhat hunched over. I showed for many years and also rode reiners. My perfect equitation had to be thrown out the window when I switched over to barrel horses. The OP isn't wanting to learn western dressage. She's wanting to run barrels.
Yes the sport is different, but I do believe light hands and light legs will make a much better horse then one you have to rip and tear to get around the barrel.
Ed wright said he rode with one or two ounces of pressure, he actually believed barrel racers should ride like they do in working cow horse classes, he would show a picture of someone at the beginning and tell everyone we should aim to have that body position.
I have also rode for 30 plus years and everyday I am reevaluating my riding to see how I can improve, how I can be lighter and still get the horse to do what I want. I learn something from every horse I ride. I say the day I don't learn something is the day I need to quit. We can all be better riders, better horseman/women, and better person.
I'm pretty sure you missed the point. I didn't say people shouldn't strive to improve our horsemanship skills. I'm all for having light hands to a certain extent. But you have to be able to handle a barrel horses face some in order to help them out. We have no idea how the OP's hands are. Or if she is even pulling. Lots of assumptions being made about her abilities on this thread.
Again to the OP, I'd recommend trying a lighter bit if you feel like you are pulling and just put some riding time in to see how responsive the horse is. Get the feel for your horse again, make a few runs and then see where you are at.
If you have to handle a horse's face to help them out then all the more reason to have very light contact -- and IMHO the best way to help your horse turn correctly is through your seat and legs with light face contact.
A month or so ago I spoke with a dressage trainer to set up some lessons for me and my western horse -- the lesson are mostly for me - to improve my core, balance, legs, seat and hands. I know my horse will appreciate it. | |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | Time. He'll come back.
I had one come home with an "emergency stop." I HATED it!!!! Every time I'd move my hands, he'd throw on the brakes. I just pushed him out of it 16 trillion times and we get along better now :)
We don't all ride the same and that's not always bad. I understand you not wanting to change when things were working for you. It should be fun and sometimes we (I) get wrapped up in the mechanics instead of the enjoyment. | |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | OldSchoolCowgirl - 2016-05-28 8:41 PM Now he is overly sensitive to leg and mouth pressure, and much harder for me to ride. Honestly, he probably is a much better, more refined horse now, but at this stage of the game it will be too hard for me to change my riding style to accommodate the "new" him. I understand that I need to have her stop riding him, but how do I "untrain" him so that he works for me again?
So your horse is softer to leg and rein cues than he was before. To me, that sounds like a great thing. You can be lighter and quicker with your cues, which can be of great value in your barrel runs.
Last year, I had a reining trainer take my horse for 30 days and I just loved it when I got him back. So much softer, travelled so much nicer in his circles (which translated to his barrel turns) and was so much easier to cue quickly during a run. I go back for lessons about once a month with him, because it is even amazing what he can accomplish with getting on my horse for 5 minutes. (And things he can help me with too.)
I would also suggest that you take lessons from your friend, and learn a few of these softer buttons your horse now has. It's not like your horse has "forgotten" how to run barrels, and I certainly doubt he is "ruined". If you ride him the way you always have, he will revert back to where he was and dull up. But it certainly sounds like you can get some positive things out of this experience, that will benefit both you and your horse. Personally, I would take advantage of that.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 926
| OldSchoolCowgirl - 2016-05-29 1:34 AM
chicks2 - 2016-05-28 10:13 PM
While I don't have an answer on what to do except take some time to get him back to your team work. I had a horse that came back from the trainer with some lever's I didn't even know existed. After about a week or so of 'hold your hand here', 'no move your hand down the rein when you're 1 stride from the barrel', et al. Finally I said screw it, we're going to learn how to get along, cuz I am not the trainer and I will never ride like him. After a few weeks things started coming together, and we did pretty good.
That being said, I disagree with 'become a better rider'. Dressage riders have the luxury of time....when you trot on a diagonal across an arena you have 45 seconds to set your heal, hold your hands just so, make sure both butt cheeks hit the post at the same time...etc.
In barrel racing you have to finish the whole dang run in 1/3 that time and at a much, much, much faster pace, remembering what to do at the first, then the second, oh wait I'm too far out going to the 3rd, etc. Some folks may be able to replicate those dressage moves into 17 seconds, but I dare say, not many.
Don't beat yourself up that you need to be a 'better rider'. You may be a better rider than the dressage rider, just not at dressage. Take some time to re-establish your groove together, and most likely it'll be like old times. All this just jmho....good luck!
I'm the OP and I thank you for this comment.
While I do want to "better" myself and my riding skills in some respects, I have been running barrels for over 30 years and have to be honest with myself that I can only change my riding style so much after all these years.
My horse and I were doing well and winning quite a bit (1D ) prior to our "vacation" last year, so I don't want to modify things too much at this point. Granted, he may possibly do better now, but I also have to be able to ride him. Or else I need to sell him to someone who can and I really don't want to do that.
You're welcome. I've been running barrels/timed events for about 50 years. I am not correct, and after hard coding in my brain/riding, I'm not going to be. However, the horse and I get together, with all my flaws, and by golly sometimes we lay down a pretty darn good run for an old grey haired lady.
I'm not going to ride like the western dressage/the english dressage/ or Mark Bugni....and I don't need to. If the horse and I work and we do what we love, to heck with 'correct', at this point in my life I want to enjoy myself and if we aren't Charmayne or Mark, well so be it.
Wish you the best! | |
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Location: midwest mama | Thanks everyone for your replies.
I'm the OP and I should have been more specific about information about myself. I am not a beginner, and I have trained and sold numerous barrel horses that have gone on to qualify for the NFR. I pro rodeoed for many years and did well, but took a 10 year "vacation" from barrel racing and just started back again about 5 years ago. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, but since people were asking about my skill level I thought I should respond.
I guess my point is that I have been riding the same way for many years and it has seemed to work for me. Although I admit I can certainly learn new things and am willing to do so, I am disappointed that my horse that had the right "feel" for me before no longer does. Now if I accidently touch his side with my foot, he zooms sideways and is WAY over responsive. While I agree that changing myself for a horse that is more sensitive sounds like a good idea, at this stage of the game it will be very hard for me to completely change my riding style to accommodate him.
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | He sounds like he is working off your seat and sensitive now.. some can ride it some cant..some like it some dont.. I think he will readjust back to you .. give it a month or 2..
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 926
| Don't know about the rest of the folks that commented on this post, maybe you all are NFR qualifiers....but wow. Makes me frankly feel a bit foolish on my comparative inexperienced comments.
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | My horse was the same way. I took myself and my horse to a trainer.
I was over correcting, and being very nit picky with him and how he ran, where he ran, how he moved, etc. He's a free runner and I've never ridden a free runner. Turns out I was just getting in his way. We are both much happier after seeing a trainer.
No matter how experienced we are, or how many years we have spent riding or what level we ride at or have ridden at, we can all stand to learn something to better ourselves for our horses sake.  | |
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| OldSchoolCowgirl - 2016-05-29 11:18 PM Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm the OP and I should have been more specific about information about myself. I am not a beginner, and I have trained and sold numerous barrel horses that have gone on to qualify for the NFR. I pro rodeoed for many years and did well, but took a 10 year "vacation" from barrel racing and just started back again about 5 years ago. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, but since people were asking about my skill level I thought I should respond. I guess my point is that I have been riding the same way for many years and it has seemed to work for me. Although I admit I can certainly learn new things and am willing to do so, I am disappointed that my horse that had the right "feel" for me before no longer does. Now if I accidently touch his side with my foot, he zooms sideways and is WAY over responsive. While I agree that changing myself for a horse that is more sensitive sounds like a good idea, at this stage of the game it will be very hard for me to completely change my riding style to accommodate him.
Don't change your style, and please don't change your feel. If you have been as successful with training barrel horses as you say, then just keep riding him and he will go back to your style.. you did get him there before after all. I am ALL for becoming a better rider, but if you are successful and they run good, then losing feel is the worst thing you can do. I've have ridden multiple disciplines and one thing I have learned is equitation can be taught, but feel is individual and unique. I have seen a lot of riders, at the upper levels, who cannot be beat because they have amazing natural feel (and maybe not the best form, or a perfectly broke horse).
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 422
Location: Fort Bragg North Carolina | Honestly I would just ride him like you always have just put a lot of saddle time in y'all will go back to the old team you guys were just do a lot of riding and don't think too much Into it. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | Ride your horse how you always have and he will likely come back to how you two were. The horse has been highly tuned by the dressage rider but if you don't continue with that level of training the horse will slowly come back to how he was before. It may take a month or two but he will come back to your style of riding just like he changed his game to meet her style. | |
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