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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
  
Location: USA | I have slow worked till I'm blue in the face. He's fine at a walk, trot, lope, but When you add speed it all goes to pieces. I check him about 2 strides out and he won't rate and collect up for the turn. All he wants to do is RUN and doesn't even think about turning the barrel. Like I said, we've done slow work, seriously, for MONTHS.
I'm at my wits end here. I don't know what to do. Help! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| Im not sure I can help but if going slow and moderately fast works, then maybe you need to not try to "check" so much. Most free running horses dont like when you pull on their face. Its more of a sit down or lightly pick them up to get ready for the turn.
If your horse is considered more ratey (at least at the other 2 barrels) its probly just because he has time to get going faster to the first, but I would still try the same thing. And you may just need to fast lope to the first for a while until he gets more comfortable. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
 
| Sore? That's the first thing that comes to my mind. My fairly ratey horse starts to run past when he hurts. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Mine does this when my rear end doesn't send the correct message to his rear end. Are you sure you're positioned correctly to help him in the turn? I know I sit differently at first barrel. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | Dreamingofcans - 2016-05-09 10:59 PM I have slow worked till I'm blue in the face. He's fine at a walk, trot, lope, but When you add speed it all goes to pieces. I check him about 2 strides out and he won't rate and collect up for the turn. All he wants to do is RUN and doesn't even think about turning the barrel. Like I said, we've done slow work, seriously, for MONTHS. I'm at my wits end here. I don't know what to do. Help!
What do you do when you check him and he doesn't rate or collect? You need to stop his @ss into the ground - HARD a couple times. Let him run up there (competition speed), give him a chance to rate and if he doesn't, hit the brakes pretty hard. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | There is no light touch with him though. Once he gets going, it's the only thing on his mind. We're not hauling butt to the first. I have him walk up close to the timer and we high lope to the first. He does great on expos. But then it's like he knows he's going to run again in the open and he gets so excited he will literally try to lope TO the arena from the trailer or warm up pen. He's weird. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | He's been vetted, chiro and teeth. Everything is good. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | Dreamingofcans - 2016-05-10 9:43 AM There is no light touch with him though. Once he gets going, it's the only thing on his mind. We're not hauling butt to the first. I have him walk up close to the timer and we high lope to the first. He does great on expos. But then it's like he knows he's going to run again in the open and he gets so excited he will literally try to lope TO the arena from the trailer or warm up pen. He's weird.
You may need to sacrifice a couple runs then. Make sure they won't fine you for schooling - might want to try a playday or something. But, make it a competition environment. Do everything the same as you would if it were a run.
You said you make him walk to the timer - try letting him go earlier, some horses want to get to speed before they are asked to rate. If you don't start him until you get to the timer, he may still be thinking run when you get to the first. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Dreamingofcans - 2016-05-10 9:43 AM There is no light touch with him though. Once he gets going, it's the only thing on his mind. We're not hauling butt to the first. I have him walk up close to the timer and we high lope to the first. He does great on expos. But then it's like he knows he's going to run again in the open and he gets so excited he will literally try to lope TO the arena from the trailer or warm up pen. He's weird.
I'd do the exhibitions at a trot or walk then, and save the speed for when you enter. He may be getting run on the mind and once he's done a fast exhibition, he just wants to go go go. |
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| Nateracer - 2016-05-10 9:44 AM
Mine does this when my rear end doesn't send the correct message to his rear end. Are you sure you're positioned correctly to help him in the turn? I know I sit differently at first barrel.
Agree! positioning can play a huge part. I would play with him on your approach and see if it helps. |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | linds - 2016-05-10 10:08 AM
Dreamingofcans - 2016-05-10 9:43 AM There is no light touch with him though. Once he gets going, it's the only thing on his mind. We're not hauling butt to the first. I have him walk up close to the timer and we high lope to the first. He does great on expos. But then it's like he knows he's going to run again in the open and he gets so excited he will literally try to lope TO the arena from the trailer or warm up pen. He's weird.
You may need to sacrifice a couple runs then. Make sure they won't fine you for schooling - might want to try a playday or something. But, make it a competition environment. Do everything the same as you would if it were a run.
You said you make him walk to the timer - try letting him go earlier, some horses want to get to speed before they are asked to rate. If you don't start him until you get to the timer, he may still be thinking run when you get to the first.
Exactly! I'd let him lope from the trailer and by the time he gets to the first, he'll be ready to slow down!! I had one that if I held him until the timer, he was sure to go by. If I let him start from the back of the alley, then he was ready to slow down by the time he got to the first. If that doesn't work, you might try switching him to the left for a little while. If nothing else, it would be some work on the right turns. If he doesn't want to rate going to the left, either, I'd take him back to the vet and make sure his hocks, stifles and SI aren't sore. |
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 Straight Shooter
Posts: 5725
Location: SW North Dakota | Dreamingofcans - 2016-05-10 8:43 AM There is no light touch with him though. Once he gets going, it's the only thing on his mind. We're not hauling butt to the first. I have him walk up close to the timer and we high lope to the first. He does great on expos. But then it's like he knows he's going to run again in the open and he gets so excited he will literally try to lope TO the arena from the trailer or warm up pen. He's weird.
Curious as to what your mind is telling your body during a run. I ask because I see this sometimes in my daughter. Her mare works great at home or practice and my daughter rides her like she expects this. When she goes fast in competition, the mare "swoops and drops" into her barrels. Again, my daughter is riding her like she expects it, and the mare doesn't disappoint. Could it be that at practice/expo you're expecting your horse to rate and turn? He's been charging through the first so often in competition that you expect that, too and maybe brace your body for it?
I put my daughter on the 4 barrel square drill to try to "reset" her muscle memory. About 2 laps through, she felt it, corrected herself and the light bulb came on for her with her posture/brain signals. She was able to put it right on the pattern and kept her mare up and square all the way into the turn.
If he's not sore or "off" somewhere, this might be another piece of the puzzle? |
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| have had the same problem and it is mostly related to how I ride differently between warm ups and competition. I would rule out all pain issues, saddle fit, etc on your horse. If it is still a problem, then perhaps someone can watch or video you to see what, if anything, you might be doing differently. I also found that some supplements for my horse that calmed him when he started get tense helped a lot. Something for stomach acid and at the time I also gave him Oxy Boost paste. Really helped him to keep thinking instead of reacting when he got on the muscle. |
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| I have a horse like this and I call her an over achiever. She gives 110% so often that its a curse. Same thing, fine in exhibitions but has go go go on the mind for her run. It's not just me sending her signals in competition because I am pregnant and she's at a trainers and the same thing is happening to her. She is going to take her to the left for awhile to see if that will bring her back into her hands, along with some other drills.
I've tried holding her until the timer and I've tried letting her go from the back 40. She is the kind of horse you can't lope down. Literally like the energizer bunny. It's actually better to spend most of my warm up just walking and trotting. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | It took a while for me to "click" with Red on our first barrel. Especially if the barrel is off the fence a bit, I really have to focus on "turning" with my body and my hands to get him to wrap that first barrel and not get by it. I have to switch his energy from going up the pen, to going around the barrel. If that makes sense!
No issues on the 2nd and 3rd barrel. But I always have to be very careful of MY body cues at that first barrel.
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | ND3canAddict - 2016-05-10 10:51 AM Dreamingofcans - 2016-05-10 8:43 AM There is no light touch with him though. Once he gets going, it's the only thing on his mind. We're not hauling butt to the first. I have him walk up close to the timer and we high lope to the first. He does great on expos. But then it's like he knows he's going to run again in the open and he gets so excited he will literally try to lope TO the arena from the trailer or warm up pen. He's weird. Curious as to what your mind is telling your body during a run. I ask because I see this sometimes in my daughter. Her mare works great at home or practice and my daughter rides her like she expects this. When she goes fast in competition, the mare "swoops and drops" into her barrels. Again, my daughter is riding her like she expects it, and the mare doesn't disappoint. Could it be that at practice/expo you're expecting your horse to rate and turn? He's been charging through the first so often in competition that you expect that, too and maybe brace your body for it?
I put my daughter on the 4 barrel square drill to try to "reset" her muscle memory. About 2 laps through, she felt it, corrected herself and the light bulb came on for her with her posture/brain signals. She was able to put it right on the pattern and kept her mare up and square all the way into the turn.
If he's not sore or "off" somewhere, this might be another piece of the puzzle?
I agree with you Brenda! What is your body language telling your horse? In time onlies are you maybe sitting a little more in a "non-go" position, and maybe when your running your body position is saying go, go, go? Just something to ponder. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| Only thing I havent seen mentioned, and I agree with all the suggestions above, is Maybe tip his nose to the Inside as you leave the starting line?? My colt off the track is " Similar" in that when he gets his legs moving old muscle memory kicks in of the 100 yard run as fast as you can in a straight line. lol SOOOOOO I started tipping his nose to the inside so every stride he is being reminded that a turn is COMING. :) |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | I've tried going from the alley and just started moving him closer up. Last night at the jackpot we were high loping to the first and he still didn't want to rate and went a stride past the first. He just doesn't even think of turning it no matter how much slow work and schooling we do. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | I was kind of thinking this too. Taking him somewhere tomorrow night and will only trot and see how that goes. |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7616
Location: Dubach, LA | I don't feel so alone now. *sniff* I thought I was the only one with this problem. |
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