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Member
Posts: 6
| Needing opinions please.. I have a 10year old grey mare that is a consistent 2D/3D horse, but I know she has more to give.. She's a natural ratey horse so she is a very PUSH style but I feel like she is shutting down halfway across the pen to the second barrel. Whether it be I kiss, kick, whip she is short. I just cannot get her to run across the pen. She doesn't get any special supplements, just good feed and hay regular exercise. I ride her in a short shank (teardrop) smooth snaffle, no tie down. She is broke! She could be a 1D horse if I could just get her to give me what she has.. Just looking for different ideas or opinions. Thank you. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
   
| First of all, horses have to feel like running. It is like taking a couch potato and expecting them to run in a 2 K race. They might try hard but just don't have whatvit takes. Make sure the horse is in shape. PLATINUM PERFORMANCE will put some gas in their tank. A good supplement will make them feel so much better. I would get rid of the whip, that makes my horses slow down. Breezing them is also good. It helps to free them up. |
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Member
Posts: 10
| I feed Platinum performance and love it it really does give them some extra go I think! I have 2 ratey horses also and I've really been working on them the last year to get them to open up, I breeze them out in the open paster once a week or so depending on what you think your horse will need, I also do a lot of forward shoulder movements to keep them pulling ground underneath them so there not getting front endy...there's a bunch of routines on YouTube that are helpful........and last but not least lol.....I set up a barrel and then set up a barrel quite a ways after the first and lope strait lines past the first barrel to get to the second it really helps keep your eyes up and your horse not anticipating that 1st barrel turn.
Hope this helps and good luck don't get discouraged if it doesn't help right away it takes awhile.
I agree about the supplements also though you'll see a difference right away! |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4642
Location: Texas | I have seen many horses shut down after being whipped, so maybe ditch it for a few runs and see what happens. Keep in mind that even though you may be feeding her good grain and hay, she may still not be getting enough of the nutrients that she needs to perform at her top level. I agree with the previous poster who suggested putting her on a supplement. Take her out in a good, open pasture and breeze her until you feel like she's really opening up for you. If she won't open up when you ask her to outside of the arena she definitely won't inside. Worst case scenario, she doesn't actually have more to give. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| Start with the feet, what kind of ground is she rode and shown on, lameness? Bloodwork, saddle it look and you will find it. |
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Member
Posts: 6
| I should have mentioned earlier.. I did get rid of the whip because I did notice she was a lot shorter. I just tried it to help her out but it was a fail.. Ive been thinking about supplementing her just didn't know what to use.. I had someone suggest B12 powder. I do breeze her in the open occasionally maybe just not enough. Another friend suggested hot lapping her in the arena a few times too to help her learn to run. I know she has the speed, she can flat fly out in the open breezing.. just transitioning that to the pattern. She is sound, always has shoes. Ground hasn't ever really bothered her. Thank you for all your suggestions! |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| So one time I had this grey mare. I couldn't get her out of the 3D. Then we started running in the 5D. Weren't bad runs. She didn't do anything wrong. I didn't do anything wrong. She just didn't want to run.
She vetted really sound and sold to a nice girl who took her to win 1D-2D stuff in good company. Like within weeks!! I was so, so epically relieved that I hadn't messed her up.
That mare just didn't want to run for me, plain and simple.
Something to consider. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I would start with a good check for soreness. Even if it isn't obvious f there's just a bit of soreness when she sets to turn it can make then back off and safety up to protect themselves.
Don't neglect looking at her feet, I just swapped my very setty push style gelding out of shoes to a barefoot trim. He is much freer across the pen than he was before. |
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