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| I just purchased a mare that is a little more than track broke. She passed all vet checks (only raced as a 4 and 5 year, 6 outs) so no health issues. She seems to always cross canter when she is free lunging. Is this just something she needs to learn or should i be concerned with an underlying issue that didnt test? I have never had one cross canter in both directions. i dont know if its a balance thing for her or if she just doesnt know how to use herself properly. Anyone deal with this? Riding, canters properly.
Video of her being lunged
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyb7DmhIOHk
Video of her on her own
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92dbsuCSMCo
Edited by htaucher1 2015-12-14 7:11 AM
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 Scorpions R Us
Posts: 9586
  
Location: So. Cali. | htaucher1 - 2015-12-08 7:24 AM I just purchased a mare that is a little more than track broke. She passed all vet checks (only raced as a 4 and 5 year, 6 outs) so no health issues. She seems to always cross canter when she is free lunging. Is this just something she needs to learn or should i be concerned with an underlying issue that didnt test? I have never had one cross canter in both directions. i dont know if its a balance thing for her or if she just doesnt know how to use herself properly. Anyone deal with this? Riding, canters properly.
Does she still have her track set of shoes on or have you had her long enough to atleast get her feet done?
Could easily be a training issue with them, could always be a number of things, but I'd aim at training issue first if she passed vet.
I ask about the shoes because some of those track shoeing jobs are quite damaging. It's good to get those suckers off asap.
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I know you vetted her.
What was she doing when you bought her? If she was standing, you bringing her back to work can cause soreness. I'd check her hocks and stifles again. Crossfiring isn't something they do for fun, it would be like you forgetting how to climb in the pickup. Easy when you're healthy, but difficult with an injury. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | Are you loping larger circles under saddle than she is being asked to work while free longeing? |
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| Three*C*Champs - 2015-12-08 11:16 AM htaucher1 - 2015-12-08 7:24 AM I just purchased a mare that is a little more than track broke. She passed all vet checks (only raced as a 4 and 5 year, 6 outs) so no health issues. She seems to always cross canter when she is free lunging. Is this just something she needs to learn or should i be concerned with an underlying issue that didnt test? I have never had one cross canter in both directions. i dont know if its a balance thing for her or if she just doesnt know how to use herself properly. Anyone deal with this? Riding, canters properly. Does she still have her track set of shoes on or have you had her long enough to atleast get her feet done?
Could easily be a training issue with them, could always be a number of things, but I'd aim at training issue first if she passed vet.
I ask about the shoes because some of those track shoeing jobs are quite damaging. It's good to get those suckers off asap.
She had just had her track shows removed. she seems to have solid feet, no ouchies at all on any ground. I have my farrier coming out shortly. |
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| classicpotatochip - 2015-12-08 12:07 PM I know you vetted her. What was she doing when you bought her? If she was standing, you bringing her back to work can cause soreness. I'd check her hocks and stifles again. Crossfiring isn't something they do for fun, it would be like you forgetting how to climb in the pickup. Easy when you're healthy, but difficult with an injury.
She had just cpome off the track and was outside 24/7. she is very fit so i dont think she was sitting long. |
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Veteran
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| WrapSnap - 2015-12-08 12:10 PM Are you loping larger circles under saddle than she is being asked to work while free longeing?
the circles are definatly larger while riding. we aren't very good at bending/flesxing yet. |
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| htaucher1 - 2015-12-08 9:24 AM
I just purchased a mare that is a little more than track broke. She passed all vet checks (only raced as a 4 and 5 year, 6 outs) so no health issues. She seems to always cross canter when she is free lunging. Is this just something she needs to learn or should i be concerned with an underlying issue that didnt test? I have never had one cross canter in both directions. i dont know if its a balance thing for her or if she just doesnt know how to use herself properly. Anyone deal with this? Riding, canters properly.
Riding, canters properly
****************************************************
Race horses are taught to get on the correct lead and to do their flying lead changes by tipping their nose in the opposite direction of the lead you want ..
i.e. tip nose to the right to open up the left shoulder and whack or smooch to get the horse to move out into the left lead and into a lope ... do the opposite for the right lead
Watch closely and even pause the American Pharoah video at 1:54 thru 1:59 to see jockey's hands do a fast rein movement .. watch his left elbow lift up right at the black inside pole to move AP to his right lead to run down the stretch ... this is his fresh side and gives him the fresh muscle energy to maintain his momentum ... you will see a lot of races lost due to jockey NOT switching leads coming out of the far turn!!
https://youtu.be/weKIGbOKHyE
For the time being ... only trot in the round pen .. and do your pickup the lead changes while riding ... horse will get more settled into using both leads ... once he has no mistakes ... then ramp it up in the round pen by scaring the crap out of him to move from trot to lead without restricting his head and see if he will pick up both front and rear leads ... keep in mind the left lead is the prominent lead used in racing ... due to races being counter clockwise and the 3+ gallops they get per week may have a knucklehead exercise rider that will not change to the right leads in the straightaways ...
GOOD LUCK ..
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| Here is a video of my 10 yo daughter loping her. I see no lameness issues buti am not a vet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_muLUgcDA0 |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | htaucher1 - 2015-12-08 9:24 AM
I just purchased a mare that is a little more than track broke. She passed all vet checks (only raced as a 4 and 5 year, 6 outs) so no health issues. She seems to always cross canter when she is free lunging. Is this just something she needs to learn or should i be concerned with an underlying issue that didnt test? I have never had one cross canter in both directions. i dont know if its a balance thing for her or if she just doesnt know how to use herself properly. Anyone deal with this? Riding, canters properly.
I had the same issue. Mine was a balance issue. He didn't know how to properly carry himself in small circles. Worked with him just like I would one I was starting and he is fine now. he needed to learn how to bend his ribcage and stay collected so that his back end was moving with his front end instead of all over the place. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas |
She has her leads in this video, she does look a little tight, but thats a small area that shes loping in, I would check your saddle and make sure its not to tight in the withers.. |
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| FYI horses that go to the track know their leads...no like a reiner or cutter, but they know how to stay and switch leads....it is usually taught to them their yearling year or so....they need to know how to switch leads coming down the back side. All our yearling sales prep babies know how to switch leads at time of sale. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | While horses coming off of the track are physically strong in many ways, they are also conditioned for a specific job. The muscles and balance that they have built are far different from those required to lope a small circle. I would focus on continuing to build proper strength and balance under saddle. The more that she goes around like this in the round pen, the more improper muscling is built. |
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| I will get some video of her tonight lunging. maybe that will help you guys se if its a balance issue or stifle/etc issue. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
Location: IL | WrapSnap - 2015-12-08 12:40 PM While horses coming off of the track are physically strong in many ways, they are also conditioned for a specific job. The muscles and balance that they have built are far different from those required to lope a small circle. I would focus on continuing to build proper strength and balance under saddle. The more that she goes around like this in the round pen, the more improper muscling is built.
^^^This exactly. It took quite awhile for my OTTB mare to be able to canter a small circle. I started out with large circles and slowly started conditioning her to small circles over time. She just didn't have the muscle strength/conditioning to carry herself in a small circle at first. |
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Elite Veteran
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I don't see any lameness, but I think she is not conditioned to the circles yet. That's a pretty small circle when all they are used to doing is running straight. I would try to find a bigger area so you can do a bit bigger circles until she gets more accustomed to them.
How long have you had her? How many rides had she had off the track in that video? |
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Expert
Posts: 2121
Location: The Great Northwest | Track broke is far from broke for barrel racing! You maybe need to send to a trainer. |
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She is favoring her right front ... either in the shoulder or in the knee ...
Look for a small less than 1 inch scar on either side of her right front knee for a bone chip removal ... or she may have a floating chip right now or some cartilage damage ..
Watch her short step that RF ... and it falter when moving forward ...
What's the allbreed pedigree on this mare??
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2015-12-09 4:01 AM
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Veteran
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| BARRELHORSE USA - 2015-12-09 4:56 AM She is favoring her right front ... either in the shoulder or in the knee ... Look for a small less than 1 inch scar on either side of her right front knee for a bone chip removal ... or she may have a floating chip right now or some cartilage damage .. Watch her short step that RF ... and it falter when moving forward ... What's the allbreed pedigree on this mare??
I dont see the short step. its hard to see much since she's so high headed and not using herself very well. Anyone else see that? i want to make sure i take care of this mare so if i need to have a second opinion, i will. She has no scars on her knees. The people I bought her from owned her from birth so they know everything about her. Most of her conditioning was done via swimming. |
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Veteran
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| skye - 2015-12-08 9:11 PM Track broke is far from broke for barrel racing! You maybe need to send to a trainer.
This mare heads to the trainer on 12/19 for a few months. I cant put 5/6 days a week on her so she heads south. :) |
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