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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
   
Location: North Dakota | What are your favorite exercises to help a young horse keep their lead all the way through the turn?
Some of you may have seen my previous post about "attention".
http://forums.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=462633&posts=35&mid=7161583&highlight=&highlightmode=1&action=search#M7161583
I was very happy with his "run" from this past Saturday, as I felt he finally paid attention to me the whole run and didn't look at anything beyond the fence. But I do notice in the video that he's losing his lead in his hind end on the backside of the barrel. He is very much a colt and he will swap his leads when we are riding so its not just on the barrels (doesn't cross-fire very often though), so I know he's still learning and building muscle to do things, and he's just green.
Being proactive, I've already had a lameness eval set up for him for weeks since I need my other horse checked anyway. I don't expect the vet to find anything but I'm just being proactive, since he just turned 4 and I am asking him to turn barrels. The appointment is next week.
Here's the video:
https://youtu.be/5nOFaqXoKuM
After watching it myself, I think it's time to shorten my reins on him. And while I want him to learn to be "independent", I probably should still 2-hand him around the barrels. I'm so used to running my other horse that I just automatically drop that outside rein. I'm guessing that would help him hold that lead better and finish his turns better.
Anyway, what drills do you like to do to work on that?
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | I think he's looking good - I can see the progression from the last video, you guys are looking nice! I, personally, would shorten your reins and 1-hand around the barrels. When I went to a clinic with my 4yo that is about at the same place yours is, I asked Lynn Mckenzie about 2-hand vs 1-hand. She said she 1-hands anything higher than a lope. I think if you shorten your reins and 1-hand, it will be even more effective. Just my 2 cents though - and I'm no trainer :).
I would love to hear what loping exercises others have. I make sure that I'm focusing on driving him from behind when I lope and he typically holds his leads quite well. Other than that, I do spirals and I'm working on more endurance at the lope with mine.
He looks good :) |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| I think he looks great! Great improvement from the last video you posted!
I agree with the other, that said if you shorten your reins and keep 1 handing, you'll do fine. I would keep doing spirals, and backing builds the backend as well.
I don't think he missed his leads as bad as you think. He kept his 1st barrel lead all the way to the 2nd. He changed in the front and back, and he came off the 2nd a little wide but switched to the left in the front and the back, then dove into the turn at the 3rd with the correct front lead, but he looked like he stumbled when he did that, and probably just was a little surprised by the stumble immediately after the lead swap, so didn't get to switch in the back. He did take the left lead leaving the 3rd again. I wonder if he prefers his left lead since he took it coming out of the 2nd and 3rd? |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Thanks guys. Yeah, I was really pleased with him on that run. I was super happy that even though he tripped going into the 3rd barrel, and my rein position got all messed up and I literally neck-reined him around the turn, he did it so nicely! Didn't miss a beat.
Strangley, when I am working with him on drills, it feels "more easy" to him when we go to the right. And most of the time, if I wouldn't ask for a lead while we are out riding, he usually picks up his right lead. (Or rather, when I'm trying to ask him for his left, he'd rather do his right!)
Just to make him more versatile, I thought I maybe should start running him the other way, just for a heck of it. And see what happens. But I do think he tends to turn better to the right.
Right, and he's not doing horrible, but I'd like to see him KEEP his lead going from the 2nd to the 3rd. He seems to lose it a little on the backside. But I know too he's still building up the muscles to be able to do that.
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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
Location: Southern Oregon | He has come quite a ways since the last two videos you posted. That being said in the video you just posted too me it looks like he is struggling since his lead change is just a stride or so before the second barrel which looks to be throwing him off. What I would do is in practice I would circle the barrels twice, making sure to leave where your tracks cross. That should help him get that hind end where it needs to be for smoother turns and with finishing them, plus lines him up better for his next barrel and gives him an easier place to change leads leaving his first. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I'd love to know any exercises for helping them hold their leads in the back. Both of mine are very prone to cross cantering if they've had some time off and aren't too strong yet. |
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 Saint Stacey
| He looks sore to me. He isn't wanting to reach up underneath with that right hind and split the back legs like he going left. Typically inability to hold a lead is sore hocks or an SI problem.
Edited by SKM 2015-06-01 6:44 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I haven't watched the videos, but I have rode colts from 2 yrs to 6 yrs old and have never had a colt not keep their hind leg, unless they were sore.
I would suspect a soreness issue |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | He's a nice colt. I love how quiet he is. I don't think he's sore. He just looks very...."boggy" to me. I think you really need to work on rate and shortening the stride. He's taking the full hit of the turn on his front end because he's not transferring his weight to his back end. I'd like to see him lighter on his front end.
You might try doing an Ed Wrght exercise where you lope circles around the barrel and you simply vary the sizes of your circles. Bring him in for a tight turn and then move him out for a wide circle. Lunging or roundpenning him will help him build stamina and strength to hold the lead. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | I really, really doubt he is sore. Like I said, I already have an appointment for him anyway b/c I planned to be proactive with him, but I am not suspecting the vet to find anything. He gets regular chiro treatments too, along with my other horse, and he never has any major issues. I have a horse that has hock and stifle problems (Red) so I know what that feels like; and Shotgun doesn't feel like that.
He is very "flip-floppy" with his leads, which is just a colt trait to me. If I do any direction change with him (regular riding) he'll do a flying lead change all of his own (sometimes when I don't want him to!) and he rarely cross-fires. If he does, he usually corrects it on his own within a stride or two. I'm not too concerned about the flip-flopping right now as he is learning to be consistent with his simple lead cues and building strength.
Cowgirl 3207- That's actually exactly what I did in his exhibitions that morning. We circled each barrel 2 or 3 times. Which seemed to help when it came time for his "run". We've been having some rain so I've been practicing when I can at home when the arena is dry enough, but this past week I just set up one barrel and just loped around it, in different sizes. That really seemed to help him stay engaged and keep driving, without expecting to leave the barrel.
Hammertime - I agree with you in that he should be more on his back end and that might help him keep his back legs engaged. Glad to hear I already did the drill you suggested last week! Unfortunately, we got a bunch of rain last night, so now I'm going to have to wait for the arena to dry up again! Overall, I've actually tried to do as little circles as possible with him, and do mostly straight lines, just to try to be as easy on his growing joints as I can. But I think that now I do need to start doing more circle work so that he can build his strength and stamina for it.
Edited by r_beau 2015-06-02 11:16 AM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I watched the video.
Was the ground hard?
I suspect r stifle/hock soreness, as when he turned he is stabbing his toe into the ground, this is a sign of stifle my vet says.
Also I don't see any collection in this horse, to me he is too flat going into his turn, then to slow down he is using his front end to slow down, instead of his hind end.
I would work on collection getting him rounding up and strengthening those top line muscles.
He is a nice horse, I would also be helping him a little more into his turns, he needs more rate and shape IMO |
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