|
|
Location: Washington State | I have a 6 year old mare that I've started very slowly since she was 3. She was my project through college and only recently have I had the funds to haul her to any races. She's been doing great, I haven't asked for much speed or breezed her much yet. I have different cues for loping and "running". Smooching and then "Shh"ing.
My problem is she can't seem to slowly lope, it's always so charge-y. She will collect for me and work off her hind-end but she won't slow it down. I've tried just loping around the arena on a loose rein, sitting back and letting her have the opportunity to slow down on her own, she never slowed and I didn't want her to keel over from exhaustion. I've tried loping the arena on a loose rein and then sitting down and asking for random small circles, never slowed down. I've done the loopty-doos exercise from Heather Smith's 50 first barrel exercises, she still won't slow down and we are a train wreck.
I know barrel racing is all about speed, but I want to be able to practice on a nice lope and work on moving her shoulders up and over without the anxiety of speed. She's a short (14.2) Peptoboonsmal granddaughter, so definitely more cutting bred than barrels.
Any suggestions to slow her down? |
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
   
| Two suggestions: relax your legs--the number one cause. Make very small circles. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
| You may also try; loping a few strides, stop, back 4 strides, loping a few strides, stop, back a few strides, etc...don't crank her to a stop and jam her backwards...everything slow and easy and see if you can't get her (and you) to relax and back off the bit... |
|
| |
|
Location: Washington State | Great, thanks! I'll try that today. I've tried multiple transitions too... Lope a few strides, trot a few strides, lope, etc. to try and alleviate some of her anxiety with loping so fast. I'll try stopping and backing today. |
|
| |
|
 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I can't guarantee it will work, but it worked on my chargy horse.
I spent a week where I loped him every single day for at least 30 minutes straight. I set a timer and he didn't get to stop until that timer went off. The first two days, he never slowed down. My arms were dead by the time we were done. The third day he relaxed his lope about 15 minutes in. By the 4th day, he loped off on a loose rein.
The idea behind it is not to tire them. It's to get them thinking "were loping and I have no idea when we are going to stop so maybe I should go slow". Kind of like how when your horse is bad at standing tied, you tie them up a lot. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | livexlovexrodeo - 2017-05-03 1:11 PM
I can't guarantee it will work, but it worked on my chargy horse.
I spent a week where I loped him every single day for at least 30 minutes straight. I set a timer and he didn't get to stop until that timer went off. The first two days, he never slowed down. My arms were dead by the time we were done. The third day he relaxed his lope about 15 minutes in. By the 4th day, he loped off on a loose rein.
The idea behind it is not to tire them. It's to get them thinking "were loping and I have no idea when we are going to stop so maybe I should go slow". Kind of like how when your horse is bad at standing tied, you tie them up a lot.
I agree with the above - I took my 5yr colt to a working cowhorse clinic - we rode for a solid 4 hours straight in the morning, had a 30 min break for lunch then repeated that in the afternoon. I was sore and tired but she was more tired. That was a big turning point in her life... after that she hasnt done a "colty" thing since. If you can get to a clinic like that - do it. Or again go out and lope for as long as possible. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1074
| Really sit on your pockets and put weight in your stirrups. Heels down, toes up. One rider in my family naturally rides further forward. When she rides our two horses that have a chargy lope, they go so fast. She fights them the entire ride. A different family member can get on the same two horses and she sits more on her pockets and adds weight to her stirrups. Both horses relax and throttle down for her. |
|
| |
|
 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Ed Wright had me do small figure 8's on my chargy mare, worked oh so much better than circles and a roll back which only seemed to create anxiety with her. He told me once she she started to relax to go ahead and lope a couple circles to the left, then if she felt like she was gaining momentum, switch directions and sizes of circles, etc. He had me start with just trotting about 8 foot circles, if she got chargy there, make them smaller, do not pull on her face, make it smaller and or change direction. |
|
| |
|
Location: Washington State | barrelrider - 2017-05-03 12:37 PM
Really sit on your pockets and put weight in your stirrups. Heels down, toes up. One rider in my family naturally rides further forward. When she rides our two horses that have a chargy lope, they go so fast. She fights them the entire ride. A different family member can get on the same two horses and she sits more on her pockets and adds weight to her stirrups. Both horses relax and throttle down for her.
I've sat as far back as I possibly can in the saddle and pushed weight in my stirrups with a loose rein, and it didn't slow her down. If I really exaggerated sitting deep in my saddle she took it as a cue to transition to a trot, so then I'm fighting sitting back enough while encouraging her to maintain a lope. I don't want her to become desensitized to rating when I sit deep in the saddle. |
|
| |
|
Location: Washington State | run n rate - 2017-05-03 1:42 PM
Ed Wright had me do small figure 8's on my chargy mare, worked oh so much better than circles and a roll back which only seemed to create anxiety with her. He told me once she she started to relax to go ahead and lope a couple circles to the left, then if she felt like she was gaining momentum, switch directions and sizes of circles, etc. He had me start with just trotting about 8 foot circles, if she got chargy there, make them smaller, do not pull on her face, make it smaller and or change direction.
What would you do for lead transitions in your figure eights? Flying or simple changes? |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| I have a 3 year old like this. He is relaxed but them long legs are taking heaping strides. He is doing better but the first chance I get hes going on the longest trail ride I can get him on. At least 10 or 15 miles. It changes their whole outlook on life. |
|
| |
|
 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Can't offer any advice but I'd start two-a-days if you can manage it.
As long as you don't think she's hurting.
Can you ask for a lope and break her into a trot everytime she gains momentum? Over and over and over? |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 107
| My mare does this too. Every time she would transition into a chargey lope, I would make her lope tight circles. Now, they will have to slow down a little bit when you make them lope these tight circles or else they won't be able to keep up with themselves. But WAIT until you feel her willingly slow down to the speed you want without you asking her to! Then make her finish that circle, and take her straight again, I promise she will charge again. Then just repeat the same process until she lopes one or two laps at the speed you want her to go.
You will have to do this a couple of times, it won't happen automatically because then it would just be too darn easy I guess! You could try stopping and going too, but I just feel that it takes too long, and too many things are going on. I just want to keep one gait the whole time, and teach my horse to go my speed, not theirs.
If I need to clarify anything, let me know. Good luck:) |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| let your horse lope whatever pace she wants to but lope for long periods of time. She will slow down within a few days. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | I know people use a variety of methods for this.
Lots of gait transitions, or half-halts as someone else mentioned (come to stop slowly and then back up though they don't generally back up in English) I think is one way to deal with it. It helps in some cases. Its not generally a bad idea to work on gait transitions to have them paying attention to you but don't drill and drill on it.
Making them run for a long period of time for a few days has been our most successful method, generally because we are not asking for it. Yes the first time they may go a long time. But get on and do it again until they figure out you are not asking them to just plow on. Eventually they will settle into a nice lope at first because they really don't want to be that tired.
And yes a wet saddle blanket on a long ride also helps. My dad always talks about how this completely changed the temperament of his old roping mare, going on her first truly long cattle drive, and settled her down. |
|
| |
|
Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | smatty - 2017-05-04 2:00 PM
run n rate - 2017-05-03 1:42 PM
Ed Wright had me do small figure 8's on my chargy mare, worked oh so much better than circles and a roll back which only seemed to create anxiety with her. He told me once she she started to relax to go ahead and lope a couple circles to the left, then if she felt like she was gaining momentum, switch directions and sizes of circles, etc. He had me start with just trotting about 8 foot circles, if she got chargy there, make them smaller, do not pull on her face, make it smaller and or change direction.
What would you do for lead transitions in your figure eights? Flying or simple changes?
at the trot Ed had me do a deep counter arc thru the middle at first so say I trotted a right hand circle, as I came thru the middle he would have me arc deep left thru the middle for the prep to the left hand circle. Same thing at the lope which then really helped lead to the flying lead change. He also had me find a corner of the arena or pasture or whatever that she was the least chargy in to start my figure 8s in, soft mind, soft body. |
|
| |
|
| If you wear spurs ... take them off .. |
|
| |
|
  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | One rein stop,with walk trot transitions,add backing and full circle before next one rein stop.do for a week without lopeing. He'll be so set into listening to you he'll quit that crap. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1611
| Start teaching speed control. When they get above the speed you want set them down and go the other direction. You might be setting them down a lot to begin with but eventually they learn speed control, same method you use for a cold backed bucker. Stay OUT OF THEIR MOUTH otherwise! DO NOT HOLD them.
I'm also going to say with her breeding your going to have to ride her. Those cowponies are smarter and more stubborn like blue heelers of the horse world. To me they require a different hand than someone like me who mostly gets along with straight track bred horses. |
|
| |
|
Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | astreakinchic - 2017-05-06 8:31 AM Start teaching speed control. When they get above the speed you want set them down and go the other direction. You might be setting them down a lot to begin with but eventually they learn speed control, same method you use for a cold backed bucker. Stay OUT OF THEIR MOUTH otherwise! DO NOT HOLD them. I'm also going to say with her breeding your going to have to ride her. Those cowponies are smarter and more stubborn like blue heelers of the horse world. To me they require a different hand than someone like me who mostly gets along with straight track bred horses.
"Stay OUT OF THEIR MOUTH otherwise! DO NOT HOLD them"...exactly. |
|
| |
Folks on-line