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Posts: 14
| I have a great little barrel mare that was a solid 1D last year. We were a great team. We've been in a funk for the past 6 months. When do you move on and quit trying? I love the horse and she's great but my confidence is sooo broken i don't know that it will return (with her or even another horse). What do you guys do when you get in this situation? Start over with a new horse, try something new with your current horse (trainer/discipline), or just take time away?
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 A Somebody to Everybody
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Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | How about going to a good clinic or asking for help from someone thats really a good hand and has a good eye that can help you. Sounds like you have a nice horse and your the one that needs the help.  |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Go to a great clinic (at least three days).
Make a run after the clinic.
If failure, sell the horse. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| Go ride with someone who can help you. More than once.
It's insane the habits that we get ourselves into by riding alone. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | Do a clinic or find a trainer that has a similar riding style as yours and work with them. |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | I believe that once a person has thought " should I quit" whether it be an issue or one horse or horses all together, I think that they are done. Once it hits that point its just a matter of time. This is supposed to be fun and when its too much it's not fun anymore. There is nothing wrong with moving on to the next if what you have tried isn't working or you just don't feel like trying any more. Not everyone has the personality to deal with everything that is thrown at them so go with your gut. If you are asking then it probably isn't going to work out. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| My now 5 year old had a winning 1D 4 year old year then went to crud beginning of this year. Soundness issues ruled out. So I gave myself a deadline of Oct 1. If no improvement then down the road he would go as a trail horse etc. Mine turned the corner and is really working good now but I was prepared to make my final decision on Oct. 1 |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | If it was easy every body would be great.......m |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I'm in the same situation. My mare was usually 2D but up in the 1D pretty frequently. Our last several runs have been less than stellar and we've been in the 3D. It's discouraging but I've never considered selling her. I am clearly doing something wrong if my horse is not sore (which is the first thing I check with her - her teeth are up to date, been massaged several times and my lady is AWESOME at figuring out exactly where she is sore, which she hasn't been) and she's not clocking. I do know that I have not been riding enough. She's in shape because I pony her a lot, but I hardly ever make runs and I don't "school" her enough I don't think. I really think we are just both not in shape, mentally and physically.
I would LOVE to take a lesson with her, but she can be a total pill when it comes to working the barrel pattern. I think she was soured on it at some point, because she doesn't have any gate issues and she will do slow work but only for so long before she just gets ****ed. I'm going to really buckle down on getting us both in shape and make more runs on her and if I'm still struggling I will have to see how a lesson goes. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2674
Location: Silver Lake, MN | I started riding with a trainer 2 years ago and it has been amazing. She has really cleaned up my riding and gave me some tools to better my runs and my horse and we hardly work the pattern at all. It all just transfers over if done correctly. I love it and look forward to my weekly ride and my "homework" she gives me. |
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  Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | Was last year your first year to compete on this mare? Was she new to you last year? I have found that there is a "Honeymoon phase" when buying a new horse that is finished when you get them. During this honeymoon phase, everything goes great, the horse is winning, etc. Then when the horse starts adjusting to the new rider, things begin to get out of whack. Sometimes it takes a while to get things back going the right way. Sometimes it takes going back to who you bought the horse from and saying, "fix him, then fix me", which is what I had to do once. Bottom line, I truly believe it takes 90 good runs for you and your horse to be a team once the "honeymoon" phase is over. That's 90 GOOD runs, the bad ones don't count. You two have to learn to become a team and work together rather than work against each other. That is the ultimate goal.
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Expert
Posts: 5290
| Herbie - 2016-08-29 12:23 PM
Was last year your first year to compete on this mare?  Was she new to you last year? I have found that there is a "Honeymoon phase" when buying a new horse that is finished when you get them. During this honeymoon phase, everything goes great, the horse is winning, etc. Then when the horse starts adjusting to the new rider, things begin to get out of whack. Sometimes it takes a while to get things back going the right way. Sometimes it takes going back to who you bought the horse from and saying, "fix him, then fix me", which is what I had to do once. Bottom line, I truly believe it takes 90 good runs for you and your horse to be a team once the "honeymoon" phase is over. That's 90 GOOD runs, the bad ones don't count. You two have to learn to become a team and work together rather than work against each other. That is the ultimate goal. Â
  Â
90 seems like an aweful lot to me. Thats like 3 years or more if you make 3 rodeo/jackpot runs a month. I am a firm believer that if you buy a FINISHED horse, and you are an EXPERIENCED rider yourself it should not take more than 4-5 runs for you to know how to keep the new horse working good and tuned up and the horse should know how to run with you as pilot by that time if they are truely finished. |
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Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | FLITASTIC - 2016-08-29 3:17 PM Herbie - 2016-08-29 12:23 PM Was last year your first year to compete on this mare? Was she new to you last year? I have found that there is a "Honeymoon phase" when buying a new horse that is finished when you get them. During this honeymoon phase, everything goes great, the horse is winning, etc. Then when the horse starts adjusting to the new rider, things begin to get out of whack. Sometimes it takes a while to get things back going the right way. Sometimes it takes going back to who you bought the horse from and saying, "fix him, then fix me", which is what I had to do once. Bottom line, I truly believe it takes 90 good runs for you and your horse to be a team once the "honeymoon" phase is over. That's 90 GOOD runs, the bad ones don't count. You two have to learn to become a team and work together rather than work against each other. That is the ultimate goal.
90 seems like an aweful lot to me. Thats like 3 years or more if you make 3 rodeo/jackpot runs a month. I am a firm believer that if you buy a FINISHED horse, and you are an EXPERIENCED rider yourself it should not take more than 4-5 runs for you to know how to keep the new horse working good and tuned up and the horse should know how to run with you as pilot by that time if they are truely finished.
I think it just takes a while to get that split second timing on a horse it takes to be a great team mate. Some people are better at it than others. Maybe i'm just a slow learner.....it's quite possible! LOL That horse taught me a great deal about being a passive jockey and learning to let a horse work. I'll compare every horse I ever throw a leg over to him, but those first few years were admittedly some of the most frustrating times i've had running barrels.
Edited by Herbie 2016-08-29 4:12 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| I agree with Herbie! It really does take a long time. Especially if you haven't ridden a ton of top notch horses. I once trained a mare got her clocking in the 2d and a year later she got a small cut on her leg which caused like a month of a break (not very long)and we never got back right. Never! I did everything in the book to help her and me. Took her to the vet, went to 2 different clinics, let a friend ride her for a month, everything I could think of. I tried until every run I made on her brought me to tears (not the good kind) and I finally had enough. I sold her for what she was doing at the time for me 3d/4d barrel horse with major potential and the lady that got her thanked me for selling her. They love her. I really think that after you seek help and make sure your not just doing something simple, if a horse is hurting your confidence it is time to let them go. I have a new horse now and I am doing great and my confidence is slowly being restored. I really think that me and the horse after a while of trying just really did not trust each other any more. It can be a very hard decision but go with your gut! |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | It all takes time, people are in such a rush. Why? If you aren't enjoying it, fix it. If you can't fix it, or turn a corner on to the right path, something is wrong. Find a mentor, have someone watch you and try to figure out what your 'funk' is. Friends are a great tool!!
Good luck!!  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| CarrieH77 - 2016-08-29 12:13 PM
I started riding with a trainer 2 years ago and it has been amazing. She has really cleaned up my riding and gave me some tools to better my runs and my horse and we hardly work the pattern at all. It all just transfers over if done correctly. I love it and look forward to my weekly ride and my "homework" she gives me.
This. Even the best of the best get "stuck" on something or in a funk and sometimes you just need a little help from someone who can see it from a different angle than you can.
Maybe taking a break from barrels and just trail riding or trying something new will help. I believe that those of us who were born with the "horse bug" will always have the addiction/love/desire for horses, even if we try to repress it. Denying yourself your love of horses will only push you into a further funk in other areas of your life. True story...don't make the same mistakes I did.
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Member
Posts: 14
| Herbie - 2016-08-29 2:23 PM
Was last year your first year to compete on this mare?  Was she new to you last year? I have found that there is a "Honeymoon phase" when buying a new horse that is finished when you get them. During this honeymoon phase, everything goes great, the horse is winning, etc. Then when the horse starts adjusting to the new rider, things begin to get out of whack. Sometimes it takes a while to get things back going the right way. Sometimes it takes going back to who you bought the horse from and saying, "fix him, then fix me", which is what I had to do once. Bottom line, I truly believe it takes 90 good runs for you and your horse to be a team once the "honeymoon" phase is over. That's 90 GOOD runs, the bad ones don't count. You two have to learn to become a team and work together rather than work against each other. That is the ultimate goal. Â
  Â
Yes, last year was my first full year. I bought her the October before. She wasnt a finished horse when i bought her but she knew more than i didn. My horses before this one were far from 1D caliber so this whole 1D thing was/is new to me. Maybe im trying to hard to maintain what she was doing for us and not doing my part? I have a trainer that i have been working with for 3 years as often as i can. i think i am sending her back the the trainer i bought her from for a tune-up while i work on me with my daughters horse. thinking a break from each other is a good start. She is a top notch mare that gives me more than i could ever ask for (i think that is part of the problem, i am polite when i ask). she puts up woth my "monkey" riding and im not sure a new one will and it i have to just fix whats broke with me while someone gets her back to where she was. |
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Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | I think you're being a little bit too hard on yourself. It sounds like to me you're just dealing with a little bit of a learning curve.....it happens to all of us with a new horse, even those we train ourselves. Try not to get down on yourself and hang in there. Sounds like you've got a really nice horse and that you're willing to invest the time with her. I applaud you for sending her back to the who had her before, now go back after a week or two and let that person help you as well. That is what it took for me with the horse I was speaking about before. I told her to fix him, then fix ME, as I knew I was causing the majority of the issues with bad timing or small things I was doing that were counter productive......like grabbing the outside rein when I felt like he was crowding me. For my horse, he didn't enjoy the daily grind and riding, and we fought daily. She told me to leave him alone and let him do his job, so I ponied him or lunged him or even chased him around on my other horse. I learned from her that this horse was a business man.....and after that I never rode him unless it was time to make a run. It's just what worked for us as a team. It's the little things like that sometimes that affect the outcome. Another thing with this particular horse was that I had gotten him very fit....riding every day. He worked better a little on the heavy side, and if he was too fit, he wasn't happy. Seems silly but it was true. Another thing for him that made a big difference was back boots. I had put boots on him all the way around, white boots, and boy did he look sharp. The lady I bought him from advised to take the back boots off, he doesn't like them and they aggravate him. She was right. Sometimes it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference in learning the likes and dislikes of these horses that give us their all.
It took me several years to completely get with him, but it happened, and we were a great team before it was said and done. Like you, I won alot on him that first year, then he fell at a rodeo and broke my leg. Had to have surgery and didn't walk for about 6 months, so we had to start all over. Set backs are to be expected and sometimes unavoidable, as mine was. Hang in there and know that neither you or she will be perfect every time. You two have to get to know each other inside and out. Think of it like dating, and then a marriage. You don't truly know someone after even a year of dating. It's not until several years into the relationship, even when spending an enormous amount of time together, that you learn what makes them tick and what aggravates them......as you're still in the "honeymoon phase". Even after several years you're still learning things about each other that make things easier for the both of you. With a good horse, or a good man, it's worth the extra effort, patience, and work to get to that point where you're comfortable and a great team. :) Don't give up on something that is worth fighting for. Great things take time, but the juice is worth the squeeze.
Edited by Herbie 2016-08-30 8:17 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 2128
| Herbie just gave me hope..and a new perspective |
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 Expert
Posts: 1286
Location: Mississippi | I don't have alot of advice for you as I am somewhat in the same boat, but I want to say that Herbie has restored my faith! This is my third year to compete on my gelding (with minimum runs last year due to hubby's health) and we are still so inconsistent. He is very push style and I have struggled to keep the barrels up. Confidence takes along time to build and I feel like I am sloooowwllly gaining a little more each run and pushing him a little further. Practice Practice practice - I try to go to at least one clinic a year or more if I can. I am not a naturally confident person and that carries over into my riding. This is silly but I have a Pinterest board of motivating quotes that I try and look at before I run.
Also another word of advice, you may want to have a vet check her. On a whim at a big race I took my guy to see a top vet and he found some issues that were definitely causing some of our issues.
Edited by turtleaut 2016-08-30 11:39 AM
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