RacingTheArabian - 2015-12-13 4:00 PM I have been working with my QHx for the last two years. She gets over whelmed easily and she is very sensitive. She likes barrels, she like to go out and do them. I have tried hauling all I can this summer and last and we are only exhibitioning at the moment. She has started to pop up.... Its not bad and its not even big. I'm not handsy with her at all and she has never until a few weeks ago gotten light in the front end. She's getting light because I won't allow her to just go forward and do what she wants and blow past me and ignore what I am asking. She is also one of those horses *figuratively* that you can beat all day. She locks up and will just stand there. So to even try punishing her on the ground working her around etc. She locks up. In the saddle she can do the same thing but its a lot less. I have tried making her work when she rears, small circles or getting off and lunging. But when she knows I'm frustrated/angry and its for punishment she will literally lock up after a couple circles. I had her on a calming supplement a while while back. It seemed to help. I was just wondering if there was any good cheap calming supplement I could try? The one I was using is 60 dollars....... Or any advice?? In 2013 I broke my leg to a rearing horse, broke my femur in two and now I have a rod. So it worries me and makes me a little angry at the same time. I never thought I would have this problem with her. I don't know what more I need to do or less I need to do.

Southtxponygirl - 2015-12-13 4:53 PM


What type of bit are you using on her? And when was the last time her teeth were done? 

CurlyQ - 2015-12-13 5:12 PM

 Take her away from barrels, ride the roads, pasture, track cattle. Maybe she's tired of training? There was a good thread awhile back by one of the founding member on here that gave great advice at keeping their feet moving, not necessarily forward if all she'll do is turn to get unlocked. Can't win a battle of wills. It gets dangerous when they can set up and then go up. 

Anniemae - 2015-12-13 5:28 PM

Have you tested her for PSSM1?  The "locking up" would concern me...
 

streakysox - 2015-12-13 6:07 PM

First of all, not all horses make barrel horses. They either have the desire or they don't The second thing is that the horse sounds like it is spoiled. I think the horse is coming off the ground to scare you. I would suggest you get some one to evaluate the horse and give their opinion on what is going on. (As in trainer or someone who rides well)

RacingTheArabian - 2015-12-13 5:16 PM Thats the thing though. I do not do barrels at home, the only time I get anywhere to do them is when I haul. We either trail ride or do exercise work. She's got no problem going in and out of the arena, she just gets so anxious and nervous that I don't know if she knows what to do with it so up is the only way when I wont let her go forward. We haven't even begun to add a bunch of speed yet, we are only loping a low 19.

streakysox - 2015-12-13 6:48 PM

My trainer has ridden all of my horses for the pest 6 or 7 years. All of them have ended up being 1D horses except one. My trainer called and said pick her up and get rid of her. She was certainly bred to be a barrel horse, just didn't have the desire. She never got far enough to get stressed she just didn't want to even try to run barrels. If the horse is coming off the ground before you go in, then I really don't think the horse seems to like it.

Fun2Run - 2015-12-13 7:07 PM


Maybe let her go forward then. Sometimes we can do slow work too long, and the horse gets frustrated.  Make sure you are not nit picking at her.  

RacingTheArabian - 2015-12-13 7:18 PM This actually makes a bit of sense. You're possibly right. I've been doing slow work for so long she's probably peeved I won't let her do what she knows how to. But I will get the rest of this checked out. Hocks, teeth and ulcers.

streakysox - 2015-12-13 10:21 PM

How many times a month do you take her to exhibition?

WrapSnap - 2015-12-13 10:28 PM

In your original post you said that when she knows that you are frustrated, or angry and when what you are doing is as punishment, she locks up. There is a very good reason for this. A very wise horseman once told me something that had the largest impact on not only my life with horses, but life in general of anything that I have ever heard. Patience and knowledge run out at the same time. When working at anything, we must put our unproductive emotions aside. More often than not, when we become angry, frustrated, or impatient, it is because we do not know what to do in order to resolve a situation. All the while, those emotions are blocking us from being able to pick up on the subtle answers which we are being given.

I am sure that some will disagree with this statement, but it is okay for one not to want to stand still. If she doesn't stand still, rather than argue about it, allow her to move, but only in ways that you ask her to. That may mean walking a circle. It could be sidepassing, leg yielding, whatever you choose. They come to realize that they just might want to stand still and take that breath for a minute. It sounds to me like through the best of your knowledge, you have tried to make this horse do the things that you have learned to be correct. That is both a good and bad thing. When we learn things in theory, such as "a horse should be kept slow and correct until they perform the pattern perfectly before adding speed", we so often lack the knowledge of how to put that theory into execution. We end up picking and picking at an animal who is doing things right in an effort to achieve perfection, but we don't know how to acknowledge, or reward the steps toward it.