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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| I am sixteen years old, and got an amazing barrel horse last march as in one year ago. It took me a while to get used to his running style, but by the middle of summer we clicked and started winning some, but still knocked once in a while. As the year ended I worked hard with him all winter and fixed all our problems, we were breezing some beautiful patterns, quick and smooth. Everyone tells me this is my year, and I know it is. Beginning of March, Pattern's good, he's in amazingly perfect shape, and he decides to cut his leg.. Bad. Inch deep below his fetlock joint and is less then a millimeter from the tendon sheath!! Talk about lucky! Three weeks of healing and today was his vet check to see If I can start running again. His wound looks amazing, but he is a little lame still. Ultrasounds show that there was damage to the tendon they didn't see before from the impact of somehow cutting it. One month of rest, no trotting, penned up and I can only hand walk him. Then it's a very slow process of gradually getting him back in shape and taking things slow, a few weeks of trotting before I can even lope. If everything goes perfect I can maybe start running in June/July. I'm running in associations with point systems, so I need to run somehow. Now my other options are the two roping horses. Horse A, I have ran a little when I was younger, he is 16+ hands and has long legs, he's awkward and over bends. Barrels are wide and he just doesn't have the speed. Horse B, hot, gets really jacked up at rodeos, but man has he got SPEED, and is very athletic. He does crow hop once in a while and is a fireball, but I can handle that part. He has been to a trainer for a couple months about two years ago because he had no stop when we bought him, the trainer did some barrel work and he did really well. He ended up winning a jackpot the trainer took him to, his first run! The only problem is he gets so jacked up, he's hot at home walking down the road! just walking home and he's rocking horse loping, or prancing, a rodeo is even worse. I did run him once, he did pretty good, but I was a lot younger and terrified of him so we took things slow. Buying another barrel horse is out of the question, it's just which roping horse is worth the work? I'm obviously very upset about my barrel hose, but I just see it as another challenge, I will just work that much harder this year. Thanks in advance, I just really don't know what to do. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 684
Location: Oklahoma | If it were me, I'd work with the second horse, that has more barrel experience. Work with him on the pattern and see if you can click with him. I've had a horse like that before that was jacked up ALL the time. No matter what. Wasn't a training issue, pain issue, anything like that, it was just how he was. I'd do a lot of ponying off of the other rope horse to keep him in shape! lol | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| I probably will end up using horse B, it's just not much fun cause you have to lope like 20 laps to feel like he's not gonna try anything, lol. Some horses are just naturally hot I guess. | |
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 Veteran
Posts: 129
Location: South | I had a similar situation happen to me the last few years. I had a filly I had been hauling and trying to season. Like clockwork EVERY stinkin' year around March something would happen. Cut leg, Thrush that turned into an frog infections, abscesses, strained muscle the list goes on. I was never able to make a full years worth of runs on her. Something always happened. The only advice I can give you is "Never give up". This year is the first year she is sound and healthy ( I hope stays that way) and we have our first run tomorrow. She has came back stronger, and I'm hoping to start making some good runs. Just know that you shouldn't over do it, because you want him to come back sound and always follow the Vets orders. I was like you and felt so discouraged, because all my hard work was put on hold. Just remember it does get better, and I always tell myself: If they were not good horses they wouldn't get hurt".
Keep your head up! | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| Go with horse B for the moment. I have one exactly like that (it is even a challenge just to STAND and do nothing- she will try to spin in a circle or hop up and down.) I started giving her some of that B Calm stuff and it doesn't make her quiet but it does take the edge off enough so that she will listen to my cues instead of flailing around like a marlin on a fish hook in the holding pen or alleyway. Can you give your horse a calming supplement before you run? It might help a bit.  | |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I would opt for horse B and look into doing a diet change or maybe some calming pre race supplements like Oxy gen Focus or Jailbreak. Good luck!! | |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | I would also choose Horse B if you're not nervous with him anymore. I have a horse like him and he's my favorite but he takes work. If he hasn't been ridden for a while, I don't even get on him until I've been lunging him for a week. And then he needs lots of riding. I have to ride him five days a week and I have to warm him up a lot when I'm at a show so that he can relax. He's just high energy and that sounds like your guy. Also, don't forget to mix it up, especially with a horse like this. Lots of trail riding. And it's always good to haul them to a show once in a while and just ride around the grounds. You want to keep his head right. Also, make sure that he knows you are the herd leader so that he has confidence in you and will listen to you. Don't let him prance. Work on that when you are at home. You sound like you're educated--you probably know how to do that. Be consistent. And I agree with the others--a calming supplement couldn't hurt. Who knows? You may really click with this one now and the other one will wind up being your back-up horse. | |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | IowaCanChaser - 2015-04-03 4:12 PM I probably will end up using horse B, it's just not much fun cause you have to lope like 20 laps to feel like he's not gonna try anything, lol. Some horses are just naturally hot I guess.
Instead of loping him down. harness thw energy into keeping his feet busy. Counterarc, side passing, pole work, etc. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| SG. - 2015-04-04 6:40 AM
IowaCanChaser - 2015-04-03 4:12 PM I probably will end up using horse B, it's just not much fun cause you have to lope like 20 laps to feel like he's not gonna try anything, lol. Some horses are just naturally hot I guess.
Instead of loping him down. harness thw energy into keeping his feet busy. Counterarc, side passing, pole work, etc.
I have been doing lots of that, bending, side passing counter arcs, but sometimes he is so full of energy he can't focus. My next problem is that he used to have NO brakes, but he does now after lots of work. The trainer told us parts of his mouth have no feeling because he was abused with the bit from his old owner so he can't feel the bit. Right now I ride him on a twisted doggone snaffle with short shanks, I tried long shanks but he tossed his head with that. He stops well now working him at a low but I know running barrels you might have a perfect run but then you can't stop him. You will eventually but I'm scared we wil be running at an open gate arena and have a disaster. He stops fine working at a lope but when he's running he forgets he's a broke horse, with a rider! Any suggestions? | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| Bump. ^^ need some advice about that. I've been working hard on side passes, spins, reverse pivoting (back around the front), reverse arcs and roll backs. I think I exhaused him mentally and he actually calmed down! | |
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