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 Veteran
Posts: 262
 
| How do you all approach the first barrel and the rest if the pattern with a free running hard charging fast horse that knows his job? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | Set still. Let horse work. Do not pull. If as you say. Horse know his job. Let him. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| Depends on set up but rarely do we run balls to the wall to first. My horse is fast and big strided so it's easy for him to make up time in between and coming home. "Slowing" him down to first has actually made him "faster" Once he turns the first I can really drive him. I also use different bits depending on pen setup. |
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 Blond Bombshell..
Posts: 6628
 
Location: Hill Country of TEXAS!! | I agree w Clampitt. Sit tight and let the horse work! If you feel the need to do something; talk to him but try not to pull.. Enjoy the ride!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | Depends on the horse, but generally I have to bump my free runner just before I get to the barrel to help her rate before I grab my horn. I have to hold my free runner back a little right now and not let her go because she doesn't have the natural rate yet, but she's young.
They're all different, just depends on the horse. Lots of slow work and rate exercises work well with free runners |
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Expert
Posts: 1414
| First I pray, then pray again. My gelding has a bad habit of rooting his nose and pushing his head waaayyy up if I touch him on the way to the first (then the back hallows and he isn't set up to turn) so I have to just hang on and let him do his thing. He's 17, not gonna change him now.
It took me probably 2 years to actually trust that he was going to turn the barrel going in there 100 mph. I used to let him just coast in there, hoping he'd only go 3/4 speed but he never did. We seldom had nice first barrels. What I finally learned with him is if I actually sent him in there running, then he would notice my body position change as we approached the barrel and start to throttle down for the turn. Before when I just coasted my body was already in a "slow down" position and there wasn't any change from the alley to the first barrel.
Once I got over my fear it was a fun ride! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378
Location: Saskatchewan | Say a prayer, make sure you have a friend lined up to drive you to the hospital and stay out of your horses way.
I had to put my mare back in a snaffle to run cause I was just getting in her way and messing with her flow all the time.
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 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | On a young free runner I shape them slightly going to the first - by that I mean I have their nose tipped a little to the inside. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| Agree with "soonergirl" on this =] With my free runners that tend to blow by the first barrel, I noticed that I was running straight at the barrel! Once I forced myself to run toward 3rd and almost make a circle arc toward the barrel, that helps them steady themselves and not run so hard to first, and makes them start rating for the turn earlier than they normally would. Once they (and you) get the confidence, you don't have to exaggerate the arc as much =] |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I loved my free runner he was so much fun, you had to kinda watch him going into the first barrel , he would pick up to much speed and blow by it if you were not on top of things, but the second and third were awesome, all I did was smooch and squeeze, hes retired now, but sure did have good times/fun with him.. |
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