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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| I need an extra horse for Youth World this year and my boyfriend offered to let me ride his steer wrestling horse. This guy is a 14.3hh gelding (I have no idea how he's bred) who used to be an all-around horse with his previous owner (including barrels and poles
--apparently he used to be pretty jam up)... The last couple years he's only been used for bull dogging and hasn't really been ridden consistently at all. I've never ridden the horse, but I'm going to assume that he has a bull-dogging handle (solid run in a straight line.... and forget brakes!)
He's bringing me the gelding this weekend and YW is toward the end of July. I should have plenty of time to put a handle back on him and get him back on the pattern.
What problems does everyone think may arise from his bull-dogging background? Also how would you start one back on the pattern after being off of it a couple years? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
  
| Run him through it and see what he remembers, then evaluate and determine his weak spots.
He'll probably be stiff, need to be refreshed on rate and keeping his hind end under him. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Since hes used to running straight out of the box I would work on his leads to refresh him on them.
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2016-04-06 9:58 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| FlyingJT - 2016-04-06 9:50 AM Run him through it and see what he remembers, then evaluate and determine his weak spots. He'll probably be stiff, need to be refreshed on rate and keeping his hind end under him.
I had considered this but my only concern is I don't want to make a run on him if he has zero brakes to speak of... Last thing I want is to get on a horse that doesn't belong to me and get him flying down the pen and not stop until we either duck from the panel or run slam through it. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | **Cowgirl Up** - 2016-04-06 9:56 AM FlyingJT - 2016-04-06 9:50 AM Run him through it and see what he remembers, then evaluate and determine his weak spots. He'll probably be stiff, need to be refreshed on rate and keeping his hind end under him. I had considered this but my only concern is I don't want to make a run on him if he has zero brakes to speak of... Last thing I want is to get on a horse that doesn't belong to me and get him flying down the pen and not stop until we either duck from the panel or run slam through it.
Just do slow work on him for a few weeks. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I was thinking too, maybe theres a reason hes a steer wrestling horse now maybe hes got to much run and dont rate very well, so be carefull and just do lots of slow work for a while to see if there is any stoping power on him.  |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| Like the above person said, make a run and see where you are. You might not need to do a darn thing! I would also get him to a jackpot or two just to see if he acts any different at home vs. Away from home with pressure. If he is a solid horse and runs a bit stiff but fits your needs I wouldnt change a thing. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 310
Location: North Dakota | I think steer wrestling horses get a bad name based on stereotypes. All go, no woah. Don't know leads. etc. Take him for a spin when you get him and evaluate from there. You'll know right away what buttons he has/doesn't have. We have a couple steer wrestling horses that have been competed on in HS and College. Just riding around the arena you wouldn't be able to pinpoint the doggin horse from the team roping horses from the breakaway horses.
Ed Wright trained steer wrestling horses as well as barrel horses. He said he put all the same buttons on them as he did his barrel horses. So just because a horse is a steer wrestling horse doesn't mean all it knows how to do is run fast and straight. I'm guessing if he was an all around horse before, he's going to be more broke than you think. And/or if there's a hole in his training, it won't take long to fix. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| Southtxponygirl - 2016-04-06 10:09 AM I was thinking too, maybe theres a reason hes a steer wrestling horse now maybe hes got to much run and dont rate very well, so be carefull and just do lots of slow work for a while to see if there is any stoping power on him.
Well I was kinda wondering that but I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with him... The girl who had him before is a family friend with my bf's family and she used him primarily for roping in HS rodeo (team and breakaway mostly but he did calves too with her brother) and she only sold him because she needed a better breakaway horse for college rodeo. He didn't do steers before my boyfriend got him but that's pretty much all he's done since. |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| I have a friend that used to run one and he was a jam up barrel horse. HOWEVER, if she had to come in to the arena to set up (rather than run through the gate, he would tend to try and "blow" to the end of the arena. I don't recall what he did with running from the gate.
I would certainly try him before you haul him. AS far as brakes , they will stop before the end of the arena and he has run barrels before. Or maybe ask boyfriend to run him through while you watch. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | **Cowgirl Up** - 2016-04-06 10:17 AM Southtxponygirl - 2016-04-06 10:09 AM I was thinking too, maybe theres a reason hes a steer wrestling horse now maybe hes got to much run and dont rate very well, so be carefull and just do lots of slow work for a while to see if there is any stoping power on him.
Thats good that you know the history of this horse, then take him slow for a few weeks refreshing him on barrels and then go from there. Hope that he works out for you  |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | shakeit0410 - 2016-04-06 10:16 AM I think steer wrestling horses get a bad name based on stereotypes. All go, no woah. Don't know leads. etc. Take him for a spin when you get him and evaluate from there. You'll know right away what buttons he has/doesn't have. We have a couple steer wrestling horses that have been competed on in HS and College. Just riding around the arena you wouldn't be able to pinpoint the doggin horse from the team roping horses from the breakaway horses. Ed Wright trained steer wrestling horses as well as barrel horses. He said he put all the same buttons on them as he did his barrel horses. So just because a horse is a steer wrestling horse doesn't mean all it knows how to do is run fast and straight. I'm guessing if he was an all around horse before, he's going to be more broke than you think. And/or if there's a hole in his training, it won't take long to fix.
^^This!!!
I wouldn't assume anything about him until I'd worked him a bit and got a feel for him. I've riden super broke team roping horses and seen people running barrels on horses I wouldn't consider broke enough to trot a pattern. Sounds like he's done quite a bit in his life, he might be lots of fun.
Just because someone bulldogged on a horse, I wouldn't assume it would run off with me. |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | shakeit0410 - 2016-04-06 10:16 AM
I think steer wrestling horses get a bad name based on stereotypes. All go, no woah. Don't know leads. etc. Take him for a spin when you get him and evaluate from there. You'll know right away what buttons he has/doesn't have. We have a couple steer wrestling horses that have been competed on in HS and College. Just riding around the arena you wouldn't be able to pinpoint the doggin horse from the team roping horses from the breakaway horses.
Ed Wright trained steer wrestling horses as well as barrel horses. He said he put all the same buttons on them as he did his barrel horses. So just because a horse is a steer wrestling horse doesn't mean all it knows how to do is run fast and straight. I'm guessing if he was an all around horse before, he's going to be more broke than you think. And/or if there's a hole in his training, it won't take long to fix.
Yep. My friend has a steer wrestling horse turned breakaway horse, turned babysitter lol. He went from running past to stopping hard.
It just depends on the horse!
My first "all around" horse had been a steer wrestling horse in his younger life. And he was a sweet kids horse.
And a tip if he does run off...sit deep, push on your horn, and wait for the fence lol. Most won't stop until they get to a corner. But he won't be running out of a box so he should be fine.
Leg him up, take him through a couple times and see what you have. Good luck! |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | You won't know anything until you try. Keep and open mind. Maybe there is a reason he isn't barrel racing, but then again, maybe he will remember it all and not miss a beat. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | **Cowgirl Up** - 2016-04-06 10:17 AM Southtxponygirl - 2016-04-06 10:09 AM I was thinking too, maybe theres a reason hes a steer wrestling horse now maybe hes got to much run and dont rate very well, so be carefull and just do lots of slow work for a while to see if there is any stoping power on him.
Common sense would tell me if he was used as a roping horse, including BAW and Tie down.. he probably has brakes, or at least has had and can be refreshed. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | We have had several steer wrestling horses that also ran barrels, poles, roped both ends etc. For steer wrestling they had the lightest bit in and for barrels, poles etc they ran in a different bit. Just because the horse is a steer wrestling horse don't mean it has no breaks but you'll know when you get on him and ride him around how he does. I have found that SOME (notice I said some) team ropers and steer wrestlers do not work both sides of the horse equally so you may need to work the horse on both sides and get back his lateral movement.
I'd ride him off pattern and see what he remembers in terms of leads, bending flexing etc. If everything is still there then make a 3/4 speed run and see how he goes and then you'll know what to work on.
If you're really concerned ask your boyfriend if he's okay with speaking with the previous owner then contact them for how they conditioned the horse and what bit etc they used. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 324
| ACEINTHEHOLE - 2016-04-06 12:21 PM **Cowgirl Up** - 2016-04-06 10:17 AM Southtxponygirl - 2016-04-06 10:09 AM I was thinking too, maybe theres a reason hes a steer wrestling horse now maybe hes got to much run and dont rate very well, so be carefull and just do lots of slow work for a while to see if there is any stoping power on him.
The only reason I was concerned about his brakes (regardless of his background) is because my bf's mom has been the only one to ride him in the last couple weeks and she said she was having trouble with getting him to stop and collect, but she isn't an experienced rider and only rides for fun on trails and such so maybe she wasn't asking him right.
I'm not concerned about being able to teach him and refresh him, it won't be hard to tune him back up I'm, I just need to figure out where to start since I have zero experience with steer wrestling horses and they ALL have a bad rep where I'm from. |
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 Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | Years ago, I ran a barrel horse that was also a dogging horse. He had a better handle on him than a lot of horses out there and there was no real need to change things up or refresh his mind on things for the barrels. He was finished and seasoned at both jobs and knew which was which. They know the difference and most dogging horses aren't the runaways that people sometimes make them out to be. Good luck! |
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Life Saver
Posts: 10477
Location: MT | Just another thought. Has he been hazed on before too? I should add that if he's been used as a hazing horse as well, then you know he has to have a good handle on him. Hazing on a horse without a good handle is not real productive. |
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Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | ruggedchica - 2016-04-06 4:09 PM
Years ago, I ran a barrel horse that was also a dogging horse. He had a better handle on him than a lot of horses out there and there was no real need to change things up or refresh his mind on things for the barrels. He was finished and seasoned at both jobs and knew which was which. They know the difference and most dogging horses aren't the runaways that people sometimes make them out to be. Good luck!
Ya know, thinking back, I know a lady that used to run her husband's pro level dogging horse. She would come out for fun and smoke us haha. |
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