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 Elite Veteran
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Location: USA | This mare has been vet checked, teeth done, chiro, massage - you name it, it's been done. Second and third barrel are great. First barrel, not so much. She will slow lope around it fine but as soon as you ask for speed, when you go to rate her down she basically gives you the finger and doesn't want to turn it. She's not sore anywhere. Any suggestions on how to remedy this? She can slow work great till the cows come home. She was off the barrels for a couple of months for various reasons. She was super sore when I got her in, I had all that taken care of. I let her chill out and be a horse for a while. Just started back working with her and I'm not sure which direction to go in with her. I don't want to make the problem worse. Do you think just constant slow work to the first barrel and let her cruise the rest of the way? |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Lope a circle 0r 5 to get her collected and calm, if she gets antsy as you point her towards the barrel just lope another circle and dont let her fire to 1st at all, if she tries stop her and back her up then continue and I dont think you should push her between barrels until you get the 1st dialed in a little better as it will just make her want to run more.
Im not the best so... |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| Dreamingofcans - 2014-07-25 12:04 PM
This mare has been vet checked, teeth done, chiro, massage - you name it, it's been done. Second and third barrel are great. First barrel, not so much. She will slow lope around it fine but as soon as you ask for speed, when you go to rate her down she basically gives you the finger and doesn't want to turn it. She's not sore anywhere. Any suggestions on how to remedy this? She can slow work great till the cows come home. She was off the barrels for a couple of months for various reasons. She was super sore when I got her in, I had all that taken care of. I let her chill out and be a horse for a while. Just started back working with her and I'm not sure which direction to go in with her. I don't want to make the problem worse. Do you think just constant slow work to the first barrel and let her cruise the rest of the way?
How are you getting a hold of her at the first? And what bit do you have on her? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | astreakinchic - 2014-07-25 11:31 AM
Dreamingofcans - 2014-07-25 12:04 PM
This mare has been vet checked, teeth done, chiro, massage - you name it, it's been done. Second and third barrel are great. First barrel, not so much. She will slow lope around it fine but as soon as you ask for speed, when you go to rate her down she basically gives you the finger and doesn't want to turn it. She's not sore anywhere. Any suggestions on how to remedy this? She can slow work great till the cows come home. She was off the barrels for a couple of months for various reasons. She was super sore when I got her in, I had all that taken care of. I let her chill out and be a horse for a while. Just started back working with her and I'm not sure which direction to go in with her. I don't want to make the problem worse. Do you think just constant slow work to the first barrel and let her cruise the rest of the way?
How are you getting a hold of her at the first? And what bit do you have on her?
She's in a short shank chain mouth gag right now. I don't ask for speed until she's chilled out and listening which sometimes takes quite a few circles. I don't yank on her. When I do ask for a little speed, I just keep her in check by lightly see-sawing the reins and then sit deep to cue for the turn.
Edited by Dreamingofcans 2014-07-25 4:22 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1280
Location: Texas | Just a few thoughts: I am assuming you are talking about the right barrel first. Have you asked her to use herself the same way, to the right, but off pattern? For example, in tracking & turning cattle, or running poles. If so, does she show any resistance? Have you tried taking her to the other barrel first? (Sometimes, when it is NOT a pain/physical issue, this will help to shake loose that knot in their head). Has she EVER mastered the first barrel at speed? If not, then maybe she is scared & has holes in her training. Try to ask questions of your horse & listen to the answers. You have to be a detective.
Edited by tracies 2014-07-26 12:30 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | tracies - 2014-07-26 12:28 AM
Just a few thoughts: I am assuming you are talking about the right barrel first. Have you asked her to use herself the same way, to the right, but off pattern? For example, in tracking & turning cattle, or running poles. If so, does she show any resistance? Have you tried taking her to the other barrel first? (Sometimes, when it is NOT a pain/physical issue, this will help to shake loose that knot in their head). Has she EVER mastered the first barrel at speed? If not, then maybe she is scared & has holes in her training. Try to ask questions of your horse & listen to the answers. You have to be a detective.
Correct, it's the right barrel. She's a jam up pole horse, so I really think it's a mental thing with her. I was going to try to switch her to the left to see if that will reboot her brain. Yes, she has mastered the first barrel, prior to becoming sore. She got sore and the owner didn't realize it and therefore nothing was done till I got her. She's no longer sore but it's like she's got this mental block with the first barrel. Hasn't been back on the pattern long so I'm going to give her some more time to figure out I'm not going to jerk her face off or anything. And that when she does turn it, it won't hurt like before |
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 Keep those crap slapping tails away!
Posts: 8871
 
Location: Around here somewhere... | Have you tried an "all rights" exercise with her? Loping clockwise around the barrels, and as you come up to each barrel make a right hand turn around it. Will help show her that it doesn't hurt to turn to the right around a barrel anymore. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Blaundee - 2014-07-26 11:58 AM Have you tried an "all rights" exercise with her? Loping clockwise around the barrels, and as you come up to each barrel make a right hand turn around it. Will help show her that it doesn't hurt to turn to the right around a barrel anymore.
Good idea. Just set them up in a straight line and go from there? I need to work poles on her too. |
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Expert
Posts: 1280
Location: Texas | You can set up 4 barrels at your corners of the arena and do all rights as you go around the arena, that way you aren't "working the pattern" |
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Keep those crap slapping tails away!
Posts: 8871
Location: Around here somewhere... | Dreamingofcans - 2014-07-26 2:20 PM
Blaundee - 2014-07-26 11:58 AM Have you tried an "all rights" exercise with her? Loping clockwise around the barrels, and as you come up to each barrel make a right hand turn around it. Will help show her that it doesn't hurt to turn to the right around a barrel anymore.
Good idea. Just set them up in a straight line and go from there? I need to work poles on her too.
You can do it in a straight line, but I usually just leave the 3 barrels in the cloverleaf pattern and use the entire arena. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Blaundee - 2014-07-26 8:28 PM Dreamingofcans - 2014-07-26 2:20 PM Blaundee - 2014-07-26 11:58 AM Have you tried an "all rights" exercise with her? Loping clockwise around the barrels, and as you come up to each barrel make a right hand turn around it. Will help show her that it doesn't hurt to turn to the right around a barrel anymore. Good idea. Just set them up in a straight line and go from there? I need to work poles on her too.
Good idea! Thanks so much for the replies y'all!! |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Ed Wright has some good ideas for this. There's some public videos on youtube of his clinics to give you an idea on working just one barrel at a time. There's also a good drill where you put a barrel in a round pen, and work off the rail, around the barrel, then back out to the rail. It works well at a walk, trot, and lope. I think I first saw it in Barrel Horse News, it has worked well on dialing in my young gelding. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | Your first barrel is your money barrel, it sets up your whole run, I always feel like if I have a bad first barrel I have to recompose for the other two and it's not as smooth. You should not be "running" if she doesn't have the first down.
Good exercises are mentioned above, all right turns, and set 3 barrels up in a row turn them both ways. Also sounds like you may need more rate work at the first, I like to have them loping to and breaking down to a trot in a perfect transition before I ask them to lope the whole thing, I also make them lope 2-3 circles around each barrel, going in wider and turning the last turn the tightest.
Also you may want to switch her to the left, change it up a bit, I did this with a smiliar case recently and now she works amazing to the left!!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | RnRJack - 2014-07-27 2:45 PM Your first barrel is your money barrel, it sets up your whole run, I always feel like if I have a bad first barrel I have to recompose for the other two and it's not as smooth. You should not be "running" if she doesn't have the first down. Good exercises are mentioned above, all right turns, and set 3 barrels up in a row turn them both ways. Also sounds like you may need more rate work at the first, I like to have them loping to and breaking down to a trot in a perfect transition before I ask them to lope the whole thing, I also make them lope 2-3 circles around each barrel, going in wider and turning the last turn the tightest. Also you may want to switch her to the left, change it up a bit, I did this with a smiliar case recently and now she works amazing to the left!!!
I agree. I haven't let her "run" to the first barrel, I just knew she would do it at a high lope, and if she did it at that speed, chances are she'd do it going faster. Definitely going to work on getting more rate and getting our transition down. Problem is she does great when going slow, however, I don't think the previous owner emphasized rate and transitioning down for the first barrel. If none of this works then switching sides will be the next thing. Thanks! |
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