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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| I've been slowly easing my gelding into the barrel pattern, he's doing well but I'm worried. He's had a very rough past before I bought him, a roper that ran him into the ground, and used such hard hands with such a harsh bit he's numb in places in his mouth and it took me years to get him soft and responsive. He's a totally different horse then he was when I bought him, but he still can't handle mental pressure, you can just see it in his body language, he looks terrified. I've exibitioned him a dozen times just loping the pattern, but a rodeo atmosphere is too much for him, I've done tons of gate work so that's not a problem, but he acts extremely hot in the warmup pen, and if I ask for anything more then a lope he blows barrels, he knows the pattern in and out. Are there just some horses that can't handle mental pressure, and what do you do about it. He is so fast and athletic, but I don't want him to fall apart and get gate sour or any hotter. Advice? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
 
| Yes, some horses cannot handle the pressure. I have a horse that had a rough life before I got him. Also, he is off the track. He has an old broken rib and kissing spines from old injuries. He is a high anxiety horse. He used to go bonkers on a trail ride. He would have a melt down if left at the trailer. I have never worked him fast at the house. Rode him around a bunch in the warm up pen but did not run him. Did a lot of very slow exhibitions and gradually sped up. One thing that helped him a bunch was teaching him how to stop. Another thing was actually getting him broke and he still isn't real head broke now. When I was still running him, after a run he did have a tendency to be a little prancy but that sucker would walk right down the alley for his run. I am very light handed and I think that helped a lot. No whips, no spurs.
This is how much this horse has changed----sent him to my trainer for a little tune up. Picked him up on Wednesday and ran him on Saturday. Trainer had him turning and snapping off the barrels. He turned out from under me on the third barrel and was hauling butt off the barrel. I was falling down his side and I told him to WHOA and he stopped at the second barrel. He probably kept me from being seriously injured. He would make a get kids horse now since he is retired. He is still a high anxiety horse but if you don't push his buttons he is VERY quiet. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | I have one. He's my big goofball and probably will be forever because I am deathly afraid that someone else will blow him up. There are days when he is having a total come apart overly something completely unjustified and I would love to reprimand him for it, but I can't. He cannot handle it. This horse has placed in the 1D all over, but can get himself super worked up just walking a circle in the arena at home. The key to him is getting into and up the alley quietly. So long as I can do that, he'll lay down a phenomenal run. I have found that running him on OxyZen and feeding Pozzi Relax daily helps him a ton. I also haul him occasionally to just trot through an exhibition. Everyone always weirds out because I will get two exhibitions, trot through the first one and then on the second one, I will ride to my settle point at the first barrel, stop, stand for a few seconds and then get off, loosen my cinch and lead him out of the arena. He's a super cool cat, but I have to be very mindful of not taking advantage when he is handling things well and pushing too hard. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | Does he feel trapped in a bind to you.I rode a lot of them.They are for the most part pretty smart and most of them are very athaletic There is the problem.They tend to get a head of the rider..They are fine in their place but the rider all of a sudden is out of their comfort zone on them.So they try to bring them back to where they are comfortable.They start to pull a bit more.Then get into a pulling war and the horse wins.So put more and more on the horse to try to bring them back to where the rider is comforable.Then the war starts.They get confussed What do youwant me to do.Run or not run.You cant push ad pull at the same time. As a frined of mine said to me once.Speed distrupts everthing.
I found when I let them out of the trap.It may take a while if the horse is really shell shocked so to speak.For them to trust you.They have no trust.They just know its going to hurt.A lot of it goes back to the rider.They have to be capable of handling the speed and power.Front end big time horses have those;Pure speed and power.There is speed and Ohhhhh s***t speed.
I worked for a good old hand year ago.And told him one time.This horse is crazy hes an idiot.No hes not all he wants is to save himself.Hes looking for relief.If you give him that he will get better.Took a while for me to understand that right there.
I built my hackamores because I wanted to find something that would take the trapped feel off.
It took a while to get them figured out. When I did I have a different horse.It may take a while for one who has been abused for a while to understand Its not going to hurt.
Because a horse is an animal of flight.When you do anything to him.To scare,hurt,surprize,confuse them.Their tendance is to run.Yours is to pull.Then get into a push pull war.You cant win.They are bigger and stronger.
Take then out of the trap.
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | I think it's great to try to undo (or manage to undo) much of whatever negative issues their past training and experiences had left them with. That said, if I'd spent "years" on one and they weren't progressing into what I wanted to do, for me, I'd quit torturing them. You know it's not but they don't. If a horse wasn't progressing for any other reason, say they just didn't have enough speed, etc. you'd think nothing of finding one that fits what you wanted to do. I think it's a kinder thing to take an honest look at whether this is any good for the horse, the path you want to continue down. There are some things they aren't going to get past to make them as competitive in that sport as you'd need.
A funny memory for me, my sister had a long-since-retired barrel horse who she showed in western pleasure and HUS. The mare could beat anyone who showed up ONCE you got her in the arena. My sister has a wall of awards from that mare. Watching the look of horror on the other competitors faces as this older supposedly pleasure riding mare walked on her hind legs neck arched, fire-breathing towards the in-gate made me chuckle many times. My mom would have to grab her and lead her to the gate like someone leads a pushy barrel horse down the alley. As soon as that mare got her head in far enough to see what type of arena she was in (no barrels in there) the head down low neck slow jog began in the blink of an eye as if nothing ever happened. In her case the warm up area never stopped bringing back memories but she always got past it immediately and could focus and did her job without fail or added stress. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
Location: sunny california | Tilt The Kilt - 2015-12-14 5:48 AM I think it's great to try to undo (or manage to undo) much of whatever negative issues their past training and experiences had left them with. That said, if I'd spent "years" on one and they weren't progressing into what I wanted to do, for me, I'd quit torturing them. You know it's not but they don't. If a horse wasn't progressing for any other reason, say they just didn't have enough speed, etc. you'd think nothing of finding one that fits what you wanted to do. I think it's a kinder thing to take an honest look at whether this is any good for the horse, the path you want to continue down. There are some things they aren't going to get past to make them as competitive in that sport as you'd need.
A funny memory for me, my sister had a long-since-retired barrel horse who she showed in western pleasure and HUS. The mare could beat anyone who showed up ONCE you got her in the arena. My sister has a wall of awards from that mare. Watching the look of horror on the other competitors faces as this older supposedly pleasure riding mare walked on her hind legs neck arched, fire-breathing towards the in-gate made me chuckle many times. My mom would have to grab her and lead her to the gate like someone leads a pushy barrel horse down the alley. As soon as that mare got her head in far enough to see what type of arena she was in (no barrels in there) the head down low neck slow jog began in the blink of an eye as if nothing ever happened. In her case the warm up area never stopped bringing back memories but she always got past it immediately and could focus and did her job without fail or added stress.
It is probably not very nice, but I chuckled at this. The visial was just too much |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | I would do a full ulcer treatment and then run him on a calming paste like OxyZen or Pozzi Relax. It will make him feel more comfortable and not worry about everything. |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | clampitt - 2015-12-14 7:33 AM Does he feel trapped in a bind to you.I rode a lot of them.They are for the most part pretty smart and most of them are very athaletic There is the problem.They tend to get a head of the rider..They are fine in their place but the rider all of a sudden is out of their comfort zone on them.So they try to bring them back to where they are comfortable.They start to pull a bit more.Then get into a pulling war and the horse wins.So put more and more on the horse to try to bring them back to where the rider is comforable.Then the war starts.They get confussed What do youwant me to do.Run or not run.You cant push ad pull at the same time. As a frined of mine said to me once.Speed distrupts everthing.
I found when I let them out of the trap.It may take a while if the horse is really shell shocked so to speak.For them to trust you.They have no trust.They just know its going to hurt.A lot of it goes back to the rider.They have to be capable of handling the speed and power.Front end big time horses have those;Pure speed and power.There is speed and Ohhhhh s***t speed.
I worked for a good old hand year ago.And told him one time.This horse is crazy hes an idiot.No hes not all he wants is to save himself.Hes looking for relief.If you give him that he will get better.Took a while for me to understand that right there.
I built my hackamores because I wanted to find something that would take the trapped feel off.
It took a while to get them figured out. When I did I have a different horse.It may take a while for one who has been abused for a while to understand Its not going to hurt.
Because a horse is an animal of flight.When you do anything to him.To scare,hurt,surprize,confuse them.Their tendance is to run.Yours is to pull.Then get into a push pull war.You cant win.They are bigger and stronger.
Take then out of the trap.
Yes. I have one that came from a home that did all of the above. It was a kid on him so they just added a bigger and bigger bit so she could control him. I'm sorry but an adult can't control a horse if they make their mind up to get away.
He just wanted relief. He wasn't crazy or dangerous.
I watched her run him like this for 2-3 years. Blowing off barrels, head shaking. Ducking. They decided they didn't want him anymore and asked if I'd make a couple runs on him to sell for them.
I ran him without riding him at home first, and was too fast for a 2D check. The next week at the same pen I ran the same time and won the 2D. He had been turned out for months at that point and out of shape.
I ended up purchasing him bc I knew I could ride him. He is scary fast to the first and likes to run straight at it lol. But you just have to trust him, and he will lay down a run. We've had bumps along the road getting to know each other. But he's come to trust me, and I force myself to trust him and not pull on his face. It's hard sometimes on such a hard running horse. All I do is place his body correctly to set up the turn. Once I go to the horn, I don't touch his face.
He's turned out currently waiting on his foot to grow out. Crazy injury. But he's been solid 2D against tough horses so I'm ready to leg him back up and go when he heals up! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Durango CO | Story of my life just last week! I had a mare for a year and a half that has a similar background. I made great progress on the mare for a while but she just wasnt progressing that way I hoped. I tried drugs, different equpment, different vet appts, time off, different riding style, etc. She was great on trails and working cows but even out of the arena she could not handle the pressure of being asked to move off your leg and was constantly bracing and fighting. I finally had to realize that she probably doesnt't want to do it anymore and it wasn't fair to keep tryign to get her to be a horse that she no longer was. I gave her to a friend of mine for a forever home. While I do not have advice other than retire the horse I do feel your pain. Letting go of my horse was very very difficult but it also gave me peace. That was a solid sign that I was making the right choice for the horse. |
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 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| I have a mare right now who is mentally frail...all the ability in the world and I have been very patient...she is at the point in her training were she will either blossom or find a new job...I sure hope it's blossom. she has a really hard time with pressure she is terrified of everything and I have pumped confidence into her but the moment she reverts back to fear she is done. She will NEVER make a rodeo horse but I'm hoping for at least jackpot. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Put him on magnesium and B 1 . Check for ulcers and other pain issues. The horse isn't lying to you. I have a mare that will work her guts out for me even if she is crippled in all four . They have to trust you. |
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