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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
    
Location: Georgia |
I have a mare that has always been a little fireball and usually gets on the muscle before entering the chute. Here lately she is getting more difficult to control. She DOES NOT have any kind of a gate issue. Its the complete opposite really - she just cant wait for me to let her go. I dont have a problem with a horse showing excitement. I've had a few horses with some serious refusal problems so this is much much better. However, recently when she does this I am having a problem getting her lined up to run down the chute so I have been having to straighten her out. I feel like if I continue to hold her back she will be more likely to develop some kind of issue. So I'm wondering how I should approach this. I ran her for the first time in a few months two weekends ago and after dealing with her in the gate she had pretty much lost all focus (as did I) and we had a less than ideal run. I rarely have a bad run on this mare so I've been considering what other options I have.
Any advice? |
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 My Eating is Horrible
Posts: 1719
Location: GA | I had something similar with Chili, all she cared about was GOING! and she'd be unfocused and sloppy. I started doing nothing but slow work, just walking the pattern ... stopping randomly. She's much better ... now if I can only keep her uninjured! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | Haul to jackpots or playdays and walk in and out of the alley, then go home. Or, better, haul somewhere and just walk or trot the pattern and go home. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I had one like this, it came down to picking and choosing the arenas I ran her at. I couldn't enter from the side turn and run. I ended up only running her at straight runins |
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 Veteran
Posts: 237
Location: Ava, Missouri | Work her in the alleyway / outside of the gate and then let her rest by the barrels. Walk her on a loose rein in the arena and circle the barrels randomly, in no set order. Just go back to slow work without running until the problem is solved. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: Great NW | jojammer - 2014-02-05 9:45 AM Haul to jackpots or playdays and walk in and out of the alley, then go home. Or, better, haul somewhere and just walk or trot the pattern and go home.
Lots of this. she will settle when she figures out she does not get to always run. Sometimes walk up and step off and lead her away. then uncinch. do this several times. then go home best if you did this during Time onlys if possible. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Usually at thembig shows,when they had open arena imwould walk in and out and just sit in the alley would really help a horse thats on the muscle. I had a mare that would get a little up and i found that if i found a really quiet horse i could park my, mare there and dropmtye reins and she would be good and when they called me i would pick the reins up but i better be ready to go to the alley. |
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Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
Location: Georgia | Lucky_H - 2014-02-05 12:17 PM I had something similar with Chili, all she cared about was GOING! and she'd be unfocused and sloppy. I started doing nothing but slow work, just walking the pattern ... stopping randomly. She's much better ... now if I can only keep her uninjured!
Thanks Heather! I have been working her real slow at home. Lots of walking. I'm hoping at our next show she is much better behaved. She's so strong for a little mare. I about can't keep her from running down the alley like a bat out of hell. But thank you for the advice and thanks to everyone else too. Keep the ideas coming! |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | My mare was starting to get straight nasty about going in. At first it was excitement and then she started hesitating and then doing anything to get away. Had her vet checked(she was fine) starting walking her into the alley and going in and coming back out, stopping her facing the barrels, getting off and losseninf her saddle and walking away is what helped her. It wasn't easy for the first few times because she was so wild about it but now I have no issues with her. I still continue the traditions to keep her the way she is now |
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My Eating is Horrible
Posts: 1719
Location: GA | Runninbay - 2014-02-05 10:05 PM Lucky_H - 2014-02-05 12:17 PM I had something similar with Chili, all she cared about was GOING! and she'd be unfocused and sloppy. I started doing nothing but slow work, just walking the pattern ... stopping randomly. She's much better ... now if I can only keep her uninjured!
Chili is the same ... That why I started doing exhibitions on her & just walking her twice. Its helped so much!
I love Lena, I know ya'll will get it sorted :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| Have you tried starting out at a walk,trot, lope, then run into the arena? Maybe if you built up to the speed in the alley then she will be easier to keep straight. (If you dont have the opportunity to walk up and down the alley before hand.) Another thing I like to do with my gelding is to let him walk out of the arena after a run. Turn him around and let him watch a run or two. Ill get off him and loosen the cinch. When I see him relax a little Ill hand walk him out of the alley. |
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Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
Location: Georgia | spitzh - 2014-02-06 10:41 AM Have you tried starting out at a walk,trot, lope, then run into the arena? Maybe if you built up to the speed in the alley then she will be easier to keep straight. (If you dont have the opportunity to walk up and down the alley before hand.) Another thing I like to do with my gelding is to let him walk out of the arena after a run. Turn him around and let him watch a run or two. Ill get off him and loosen the cinch. When I see him relax a little Ill hand walk him out of the alley.
Thank you for the input. I would be thrilled if I could just build up the speed but she get so dang excited and starts hopping around. We usually end up sideways doing that funky half-run/sidepass deal. Im thinking maybe I could just try to get her to lope into the chute and then let her go as soon as we are straiht. That might be better than trying to keep her walking going in. After we run I always walk her around for about 5 minutes and then let her sit until the next drag. Then I walk in the chute, stop her, get off and loosen my cinch and then walk her out.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | As my guy got more runs on him he started getting hot at the gate. Not refusing, just antsy and ready to run. He is seasoned now, so I just keep him away until it is his time to run. No reason to feed the fire if you don't have to. Some horses are just not meant to sit idly by watching until their run. Now I sure wished he would but he doesn't. He is not dangerous, he just gets on the muscle, is ready to run and do his job so I do what is best for him and our run and wait some where else until I get ready to head down the alley. I make sure I am ready for it, start out as slow as I can and steadily let him build up steam which can be pretty fast. Good luck and hope you figure out what works for you and your horse. I do try and take advantage of riding him as much as possible during open arena and such. I just keep him away when the race starts because he immediately feels the change. |
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