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| I used to live .2 miles from the Wrights. The grass/ground is very sandy there. So I could see working on grass seeing how the grass/ground gives so easy (not slick). Now I live in east Texas.....and there's no way i'd try to even high lope on this grass/ground around here. Sandy in some places....but mainly clay or dark top soil. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 253
Location: EDGE OF INSANITY | Three 4 Luck - 2014-10-28 2:48 PM
Gunner11 - 2014-10-28 12:27 PM horsepoor1 - 2014-10-28 12:20 PM Gunner11 - 2014-10-28 1:08 PM horsepoor1 - 2014-10-28 9:30 AM I don't have an arena at home, so my horses have all learned the pattern on grass out in the pasture. I get them up to a slow lope, and then Once they are ready for speed, i will go to a local arena and work them some. The horse i'm running now, clocks better on trashy ground than pretty manicured arenas-i've often wondered if him learning how to handle turning on the grass contributed to this I'm the exact same way! I like that my horses learn how to handle themselves on bad ground instead of getting used to nice, manicured dirt. The spot where I have barrels set up is mostly weeds with a little grass, so as long as I keep it mowed down, it's not slick. I live on hard, black dirt, so I really like it after it rains--the ground is soft enough that they can keep their footing, but not so soft that they can really dig in, so I don't go faster than a slow/medium lope. This is kind of off topic, but I don't have problems with my horses running past barrels, which i think goes back to them learning the pattern out in the open. It doesnt matter how far from the fence the barrels are, my horse is going to find them and turn I actually agree with that--they learn to listen to me and not rely on a fence. I've always practiced poles and barrels out in the wide open, with only a little work in an arena. For the most part, the only time my horses see an arena is at a race.  The bad part of not having an arena right now is my horses work great with no fences or huge pens where the barrels are out in the middle of nowhere, but they have a hard time running to a fence in a little pen, especially when it's inside.
i agree! My horse really struggles with deep ground and i think its because he's not used to it-kinda like going from running on the road to running on the beach. Fingers crossed on not hitting barrels indoors-so far so good here |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
 
Location: Montana | My mare was first started on the pattern on grass in the pasture, but only loped it at the fastest. But I will agree, that if the ground is too deep at an arena, she doesn't handle it the best, but neither do a lot of the horses I'm running against. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Depends on where I'm at in the pasture as to what my ground is like. I have a small pattern set up, and at 1st it's hard clay with rocks here and there, at 2nd it's the same but at third its all black dirt that stays thicker than snot. And I have no where else to move the pattern around at all. Oh and it's also not level, but the most level spot in the place. I won't make a run, but a nice lope through works well for me. And you would think that my mares would both love trashy ground because of that fact, but actually my mare craves trashy ground and the kids mare loves nice jackpot type of ground. |
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  Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place |
Me too. Black dirt and grass back in the good old days. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Three 4 Luck - 2014-10-28 1:48 PM
Gunner11 - 2014-10-28 12:27 PM horsepoor1 - 2014-10-28 12:20 PM Gunner11 - 2014-10-28 1:08 PM horsepoor1 - 2014-10-28 9:30 AM I don't have an arena at home, so my horses have all learned the pattern on grass out in the pasture. I get them up to a slow lope, and then Once they are ready for speed, i will go to a local arena and work them some. The horse i'm running now, clocks better on trashy ground than pretty manicured arenas-i've often wondered if him learning how to handle turning on the grass contributed to this I'm the exact same way! I like that my horses learn how to handle themselves on bad ground instead of getting used to nice, manicured dirt. The spot where I have barrels set up is mostly weeds with a little grass, so as long as I keep it mowed down, it's not slick. I live on hard, black dirt, so I really like it after it rains--the ground is soft enough that they can keep their footing, but not so soft that they can really dig in, so I don't go faster than a slow/medium lope. This is kind of off topic, but I don't have problems with my horses running past barrels, which i think goes back to them learning the pattern out in the open. It doesnt matter how far from the fence the barrels are, my horse is going to find them and turn I actually agree with that--they learn to listen to me and not rely on a fence. I've always practiced poles and barrels out in the wide open, with only a little work in an arena. For the most part, the only time my horses see an arena is at a race.
Is your horse named Chevrolet? I mean, if it needs 40 acres to make 3 turns that would be a good name for him. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Haha.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 623
Location: /ARKANSAS | I have an arena half the size of a dressage arena. I had lots of sand brought in, over the years it has been covered with grass, putting roundup on it became old fast, the grass and sand footing has so much give without shifting a lot. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| I'd like to read this article or any others about getting one to move their front end.
Edited by astreakinchic 2014-10-29 9:20 AM
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | SwingingGdiamond - 2014-10-28 2:20 PM I used to live .2 miles from the Wrights. The grass/ground is very sandy there. So I could see working on grass seeing how the grass/ground gives so easy (not slick). Now I live in east Texas.....and there's no way i'd try to even high lope on this grass/ground around here. Sandy in some places....but mainly clay or dark top soil.
I gotcha. Seems like it would have been smarter to qualify that statement in the article then. Or maybe I'm not giving people enough credit.
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | astreakinchic - 2014-10-29 8:30 AM I'd like to read these article or any others about getting one to move their front end.
This one was more about teaching them to stand up straighter and stay more square when the ground is crappy, using experience (bad ground) as a teacher. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| Three 4 Luck - 2014-10-29 9:37 AM
astreakinchic - 2014-10-29 8:30 AM I'd like to read these article or any others about getting one to move their front end.
This one was more about teaching them to stand up straighter and stay more square when the ground is crappy, using experience (bad ground) as a teacher.
They must move their front end to do this. To stand up straighter. I'm not saying to be "front-endy" but to move the front end to have a quick come around. On grass if they lock their front end and don't come on around they will slide.
Edited by astreakinchic 2014-10-29 9:12 AM
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 Do You Feel Lucky Punk?
Posts: 3156
Location: NM...the Land of Manana | rowdy256 - 2014-10-28 9:07 AM We sure don't have much grass out here in AZ, what is that stuff? 
LOL, it is that dead looking brown stuff you see scattered about in random clumps. |
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 Saint Stacey
| I don't think you need to practice on grass. I think where people screw up is that they only train and practice on ideal ground. Thus allows for a lot of bad habits to develop. Mainly in that it allows a horse to lean in the turn instead of standing upright and driving up underneath themselves. They then start clocking at jackpots where the ground us ideal so their riders think it's time to rodeo. At that point it falls apart because rodeo ground is unforgiving when it comes to a horse that doesn't stand upright in the turn. Our ground tends to get hard at home. While we don't run on it, we do train on it and make sure all of them stay upright no matter what speed they go. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | I lope through the pasture, but I won't ask my horse to lope the barrel pattern on grass. |
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 Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
Location: Oz, Kansas | sorrel horse ranch - 2014-10-28 3:51 PM Me too. Black dirt and grass back in the good old days.
We also used to race trains when they went by so I wouldn't say we were the sharpest crayons in the box but our horses were tough & could handle any ground conditions. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | astreakinchic - 2014-10-29 9:10 AM Three 4 Luck - 2014-10-29 9:37 AM astreakinchic - 2014-10-29 8:30 AM I'd like to read these article or any others about getting one to move their front end. This one was more about teaching them to stand up straighter and stay more square when the ground is crappy, using experience (bad ground) as a teacher. They must move their front end to do this. To stand up straighter. I'm not saying to be "front-endy" but to move the front end to have a quick come around. On grass if they lock their front end and don't come on around they will slide.
"Keeping the front end moving" wasn't specifically addressed in this article that I remember. I know what you're talking about tho. I have one that wants to get down and cow a barrel which makes his front slow down and rear step out. I have specific exercises that I do with him that have improved him tremendously. Bumping with my inside leg while sitting down and driving his rear helps, but that by itself doesn't keep him correct. |
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BHW's Simon Cowell
Location: The Saudia Arabia of Wind Energy, Western Oklahoma | SwingingGdiamond - 2014-10-28 2:20 PM I used to live .2 miles from the Wrights. The grass/ground is very sandy there. So I could see working on grass seeing how the grass/ground gives so easy (not slick). Now I live in east Texas.....and there's no way i'd try to even high lope on this grass/ground around here. Sandy in some places....but mainly clay or dark top soil.
That is what I was going to say. My house is pretty sandy soil and you could work barrels in the grass all day. |
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 Peecans
| I think the more you can do the better your horse will be, my horses are all good with different ground and i belive this is because i use them on the farm. Working in feedlot pens, in the winter the ground had frozen lumps every where the horse really has to learn how to watch thier feet and still work to get the job done. In the summer they can be deep and they really learn how to be light in deep wet stick ground. And in the pasture the grass, deadfall, hilly uneven ground, they really learn to keep thier feet under them.
AND the most important part if they get in a bad spot, slip, stumble what ever they know to not panic and make it worse and i trust my horses enfough to not get in thier way, sit still give them thier face. They know better than me how to get stood back up. I see most horses that go down *(NOT ALL)* start to slip and they and or the rider panic and make it much worse.
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 Ms. Elvis
Posts: 9606
Location: Running barrels or watching nascar | SKM - 2014-10-29 7:33 AM
I don't think you need to practice on grass. I think where people screw up is that they only train and practice on ideal ground. Thus allows for a lot of bad habits to develop. Mainly in that it allows a horse to lean in the turn instead of standing upright and driving up underneath themselves. They then start clocking at jackpots where the ground us ideal so their riders think it's time to rodeo. At that point it falls apart because rodeo ground is unforgiving when it comes to a horse that doesn't stand upright in the turn. Our ground tends to get hard at home. While we don't run on it, we do train on it and make sure all of them stay upright no matter what speed they go.
That sounds like our arena. Work it, it gets chewed up and gets hard. A little sprinkle helps it even if it means me taking a day off. I too would rather teach a horse to stand up instead of just letting them just flail around the barrels. That messing around doesn't work on trashy ground. |
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