I have posted about this colt before and I just keep working at it but Im at a total loss of what to do with him.  He is 4, I have been trying to get him ready and keep him eligible for 5 year old futurities.  He has a mental block about getting his leads when coming off the first barrel. 

First,  I have had him to the vet to get checked. we did blister his stifles hoping that would help but vet said everything else is working good. No soreness.  I have a well known very respected vet.  So I dont think thats it.  

Second this colt is well bred, very athletic, stout made.  Hes Frenchmans Bogie/Streakin Six.  

He is a lazy, stubborn, onery, kind of an A***H**** at times, and a little broncy still (not an outlaw) just kinda crowhoppy if he is fresh. Never got me off. Hes not mean.  Hes a ham. Into everything, big lover, has try, takes a licking and just keeps on.  Hes beautiful.  Buckskin, not that that matters.   

I am getting him another saddle, its on the way.  I thought that was it so I got a test ride saddle rode for 2 weeks. No better..  I like the saddle tho

I have tried ignoring it like some suggest, just pushing him to go faster thinking that would do it.  He gets the front lead, sometimes and not the back with more speed.  

He is stuck in barely high lope.  I sprint him once a week.  You practically have to flog him to get him to freakin move out.  He will get another gear on the track just wont put it with the run.  (working on that)

I have hauled him all over the place.  

I have switched him to the left.  Now he wont get his right leads.  

Here is the deal though, If I break him down in between first and second,  he gets his leads EVERY SINGLE time and keeps it going to the third so its not like he cant! I dont want him thinking slow down inbetween he is hard enough to just get to lope through the entire pattern.  

He is on a good feed program.  He is turned out on 20 acres and gets 14/7 Patriot with flake of alfalfa a day. Hes in good shape.  I ride 5 days a week. Lots of long trotting, sprint once a week.  We do Drills, Ive worked on straight barrels, done drills you name it.  He will get it if I break him down to a trot.  EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.  Just not in the pattern.

Nothing is working he is still not getting it.  

Any other suggestions? besides selling him.  Im not there>>>YET

I have trained a lot of winners (all mares) (coincidence?),  He just has me baffled. Is this because hes a gelding? will he ever get it? 

UgH...

If you listen to people like Joy Wargo, she doesn’t worry about leads. She states they will figure it out in the run because they have to at speed. Joy has some great videos online.

This was a topic on the Podcast Married with Horses.....someone sent in the question about leads......Jackies response she never really worried about them...she didn't break them down per say.......as she progressed in speed she just sent them....yes they fumbled around the barrels crossing firing etc..but if the talent was there they would pick up the lead as the speed came along...kinda learning from their mistakes.....she said her only cue to the horse for the lead change was when she picked them up for the turn.....

With that said.........maybe try adding the speed and see what happens.....

You may be overanalyzing a problem that will go away by itself.   At four he's still looking for where to put those feet.

Can you rope on him or have someone rope on him?

I really think that it helps them mentally learn to problem solve and figure things out.

Otherwise I do agree that they will figure it out and they all mature at different rates.

My gelding will only switch on his own if he's making a real run. Anything slower & he doesn't switch unless you break him down. He's 20, been my main runner for 10 years now. And he won't RUN in a pen either, you only get like 80% of his ability to run unless he's out in a field breezing. You just get what you get with him. Might be a similar situation with your guy as well. Mine's not bred to run at all, so he's got that against him as well. If he's being really lazy at home I just grab a crop & give him a solid whack on the ass, usually puts a fire in him. You could try that for his laziness. But as far as leads I don't worry about it too much. I do usually break them down when I first start loping, but after awhile I quit holding their hand & let them figure it out on their own. They usually do when they're going fast enough. Mine tried to turn the 1st barrel on the wrong lead last weekend, which made him trip and swan dive. The next day I didn't even have to ask him for his right lead at the gate like I usually always have to do, he learned his lesson. 

I've had 2 colts this year and this is a mental block for me. One thing that helped the one was, i almost overfinished the turn and she strided right into it then and now its habit to swith on the backside of one.

The other, is a very tight mare when she over analyzes. And so i took her into the field. I loped around trees and bushes and put some random cones out and just got her listening to my ques where she didnt think so dang hard.

I agree with the others, common problem. My one gelding, only switches at a run... and he CANNOT get his lead into first without some type of circle first but can switch in poles... who frikkin knows on that situation.

Thank you for all the replies.  I will carry on.  Maybe one day I will report back with great news.  Im off to ride :) 

Speed him up, don’t worry about it, he’ll figure it out 

I've never had a horse that would switch their leads on their own for any kind of SLOW WORK. Even a "high lope" still is kind of slow work. I always break them down to switch the lead for them, so they learn how to turn the 2nd and 3rd CORRECTLY and use their body correctly.

When they are ready to add speed, I let them figure out the leads on their own. Yup, they're pretty messy the first few times at least, because I've always changed them for them at that point, but they will figure it out eventually (some slower than others).

Can you get him to pick up a lead from a standstill? That's one of the first things I like to work on with my young horses.  I really dont like to circle to get a lead once on the pattern. I will if I have to for certain horses but my goal is to always leave from the gate or fence without a circle.  I do, only in slow work, stop, right as I'm leaving the first and ask for them to pick up the lead for two. I do this just to show my expectation of them and repetition and consistancy gets the point across. However. Once I start asking for speed, I dont pick on them about it, I let them figure it out, as others have mentioned. Unless they are having a complete come apart, I leave them alone and ride through it. Some horses "get it" sooner than others. Some it comes natural, others have to work at it.  

I had one like you are talking about. Frustrating !  He went to a reining horse trainer to be started 3 months. He was 4.  Still would not respond. Sent him to a cutting horse trainer to get a HANDLE on him!!  Comes home after 3 months and evidently forgot everything he learned so by now he is 7 years old. I send him to a barrelhorse trainer for 3 months. Did well at a slow pace just loping. Took him to a couple of races he did fine till I put some dull spurs on and I swear he took off crow hopping to the first barrel. Well I then I was grounded with a detached retina for over a year. Now this guy is 14 and I am starting again. Please pray for me!!

Oh man. Reading this gave me serious deja vu over a colt I sold about 7 yrs ago. He'd switch leads but like yours I could never get him to move out. 

It ended up being an inexperience issue in my end, long story short. Sold him to a gal that was able to get it out of him but evidently he always had an attitude about it. 

Wishing you a better ending that I had. Keep at it! 

I am not a trainer. I start and finish my own. Here are a few things I’ve tried that “helped”.

i put mine on the pole pattern some. 

Also, I do a lot of bumping that rear over each direction, 360 degrees in slow work.  When I start them on the pattern I always bump their rear in and their shoulder is a little to the outside, but the minute I bump that rear in, they take that lead. I’ve always found it easier to catch leads from a rear cue.

Start him on the pole pattern. It gets them thinking faster, feet moving faster and they have to switch leads. Might be awkward and fumbling through at first but they are awkward at 4 years old and like a jr hi kids that is gangly and growing. 

Curious for an update from the original poster!

Had a mare in for a friend to start speeding her up on the pattern a few  years back. For the life of me I could not get her to switch leads coming out of the first barrel which is where I like them to do it. So we did hte Ed Wright drills for it, over turn, figure eight right after the 1st, over turn counter arc, ect.  Everything I could think of, all it did was make her anxious and she started hippity hopping leaving the 1st barrel.  Called her owner and sent a video of what was happening and what I'd been doing at which time she told me "just forget the lead change and send her, she'll figure it out.." It as against everything I like to do but that is what we did anyway.  I did remember what Ed had always said that if you found yourself at the barrel in the wrong lead to rate a little more, get the stride as short as you can to give them the best chance at working the barrel anyway.  A week and a half of rating her a little more and her having to work her butt off to fix herself at the 2nd and next thing I knew she started switching at our rate point (not my ideal but she was athletic enough to get it done that way and her owner was happy with it so we left it)

Two things got me thinking,

A, didn't ketch the hind lead &

B, Stifles injected

1. Maybe more slow collection type work, make sure he's using his core and driving from the back end.

2. Do you think he could have mild EPM?  Does he trip now and then with the slow work on front and back ends? Does he possibly show some lack of cordination?  Have you taken him to someone who does Accu-puncture?  (No, I can't spell well) I don't believe stifles are a common problem in horses that young with no harder then most barrel races train/ride colts.  Oklahoma and Texas folks do see a high amount of EPM.  

I had this problem with the leads, with my horse I am running now. I have never had an issue with any other horse and it seemed like no matter what I did I couldn't figure it out. Went and took lessons and we did a lot of drills and things before ever getting on the pattern but nothing specic to leads and from first pattern on magically not an issue anymore. If I do a bunch of drills where I do turns in one direction she will have a problem going back to the pattern at times and I still can't run a figure 8 pattern on the right leads most of the time lol but some how after months and months she just figured it out. I would suggest taking some lessons with someone that can see things you might not pick up on . 

I am sending him to my friend who is a top trainer to see if she feels what I am feeling.  I just cant get him to move forward.  He is just not a "forward" type of horse.  I did quit worry about leads but he just does not have any go.  I can sprint him weekly and he will grab several gears take him straight to the barrel pattern and he barely gets out of a high lope.  I am going to swallow my pride and let her work on him for a few months but im afraid she will feel the same thing.  I am praying she can get him over it but honetly in my heart I dont think he is going to be a barrel horse.  Fortunetly I have a 3 year old filly that has passed him leaps and bounds so I will keep working on her and pray he comes around.  I really really dont want to sell him in spite of all the issues.  He is a NICE colt.  maybe he just needs a lot more time. IDK stay tuned.