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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
   
Location: Kansas | classicpotatochip - 2014-07-26 10:45 PM Seasoning horses is humbling. There, I said it.
Ditto. It is a roller coaster ride and you can't get too high or too low. Heck earlier this month I thought I had my blaze face sorrel lined out and ready to go on a rodeo-winning tear, then he promptly creamed the first barrel and ran off the next two nights (after WINNING a rodeo the night before), then a week later decided to be scared of the bucking chutes and first barrel. In two weeks I went from choosing him over my more seasoned gray horse at the good ground rodeos to being afraid to run him at a rodeo until we hit a jackpot & he proves he can work in public again. UGH. |
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  Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | bccanchaser16 - 2014-07-27 6:14 PM Well, thank the good Lord for the D system. I just got a message that I somehow placed in the 4D. That was a shock because yesterday was a complete disaster and she threw me the middle finger(hence the post). I'm a little less mad at the horse now! lol.
Do you have any pictures of that? |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| komet. - 2014-07-27 5:43 PM
svincent - 2014-07-27 6:25 PM
bccanchaser16 - 2014-07-27 6:14 PM
 Well, thank the good Lord for the D system. I just got a message that I somehow placed in the 4D. That was a shock because yesterday was a complete disaster and she threw me the middle finger(hence the post). I'm a little less mad at the horse now! lol.
Yahoo!!! A 4-D check cashes exactly the same as a 1-D check! Congratulations!
Your horse has a middle finger??? 
All horses do! They walk on them! LOL
OP: I hear ya, I am in the same boat with my mare and as someone said earlier it is humbling!!! And way to go on your 4D check! Keep riding!
Edited by 2H~QH 2014-07-28 10:28 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 915
Location: SE KS | I am having a good time seasoning my 7 yo gelding. I hauled him & exhibitioned him last year, so this year I have been running him. He is working good, now if only his rider would get her shit together maybe we could do a little better!!! |
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Veteran
Posts: 238
| We discussed this a fair amount this weekend. I used to run in Cali where you could run almost every night of the week and 4 times on the weekend. Didn't take long to season one when you did that.
Here in FL there are almost NO week night barrel races anywhere, much less in a reasonable driving distance. And while you can run every weekend, you have to haul and they are 1 run barrel races.
Takes a lot longer to season one when you only run 2-3 times a month as opposed to 3-5 times a week. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| SpottedT - 2014-07-29 2:52 PM We discussed this a fair amount this weekend. I used to run in Cali where you could run almost every night of the week and 4 times on the weekend. Didn't take long to season one when you did that. Here in FL there are almost NO week night barrel races anywhere, much less in a reasonable driving distance. And while you can run every weekend, you have to haul and they are 1 run barrel races. Takes a lot longer to season one when you only run 2-3 times a month as opposed to 3-5 times a week.
this is a very good point. Now combine that with living in tundra where you have to take 5 months off a year. That REALLY makes seasoning fun. :) But it is so totally worth it when they start working and not only that, but ENJOY going in there to work a pattern.
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 Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | I am so glad I am not the only one. I have been struggling so much these last couple weeks with mine. He is 7 and was futuried on briefly but I bought him 3 years ago and started him over. I got him feeling good and healthy finally. June of this year is when I first started entering him. We went from not clocking to winning the 4D to winning the 2D all within a week or two. I was on cloud nine. Then he started wanting to run off and dive into barrels again and it was like a knife in the stomach. Thought maybe he was sore again and had him worked on a little but he isn't. Now I am doing a 10 week little Friday night series running in the same arena every week to see if I can see improvement and consistancy after awhile. Last week was the first of the series and he was a complete jerk. I took him to the same arena last night to work him and he made the prettiest runs I have ever made on him, but this is in practice of course. I am making myself stick with this series though because I think it will be good for us. I know he can do it now which is the worst part about it. This horse has the potential to be the real deal but man have I shed way more tears than victories. Hang in there because I am trying to as well! |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| cavyrunsbarrels - 2014-07-27 9:33 PM
I should NOT have looked at this thread. I'm going to look at a 3 year old. Of course he'll be doing a whole lot more running around balloons on sticks than around barrels. Must think happy thoughts. Â
chin up pal!!! I've seasoned a horse to mtd shooting ...! A TON of patience and you'll get there! I'm not looking forward to hauling the 3 yo this fall to shoot off!! We can commiserate! |
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 Mature beyond Years
Posts: 10780
Location: North of the 49th Parallel | Went to a "little" jackpot down the road- 80 girls showed up on a weekday barrel race. Anyways, I creamed the third barrel because I rode like crap and we zig-zagged all over the pen. Apparently she isn't ready to "throw the reins at". My fault. It wasn't pretty. BUT I had no gate issues. It's been something that has reared it's ugly head and I went over her with my vet with a fine tooth and comb and injected her hocks. Ordered some ulcer meds as well. She did go in cleanly at a trot, with a side alley too! It's the little things.
AND- I found out I won money from the last time I came to this pen. 2 for 3 this year for checks ain't bad.
Feel free to add any updates or vents about this long, humbling process. It will all be worth it, right!? |
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 Certified Snake Wrangler
Posts: 1672
Location: North MS | Mine is doing great in private even at the arena we had trouble at the week before in "public". Awesome exhibition. Nice easy lope through. I wanted the same thing for our run, but he was wide open and WIDE! |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| The seasoning process is my least favorite of the whole shabang. I dont mind the dry work or the first rides even but the ups and downs of seasoning really sucks... and it makes me feel pretty crazy.
However, yes, it is worth it! Hang in there because it does get better and you will appreciate your finished horse so much more. Mine is finally getting there and I never want to let it go! |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Well, my guy is 6 and last year I would have given him away, this year he definitely is coming into himself. I got serious about patterning him this spring he has had 9 runs (mostly double headers) cut up his coronet band a month ago (so had a month out) Saturday the ground was DEEP and he didn't handle things well (we were in the 7D)
Drove an hour and a half to another big money added race on Sunday-(I thought of every bad scenario possible) my horse was a freak-everything scared him-everything. Except in the arena, went in and did a few exhibitions, still scared, I even think he tried to buck on me while I was riding him down, again all the bad scenarios went through my head. Went in and made one heck of a run and ended up second in the 4D with a heck of a payout!! Was half second splits too which was even better just 1.5 seconds off the fast time-I'll take it and look forward to seeing what he can do in the future!! Still flying high 4 days later. BUT going to another race on Sunday and only God knows how that's going to go :) |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | Â That is all part of the fun of seasoning a horse! Two weeks ago I nearly fell off then this week we got our fastest time to date on a standard pattern with a 20.86. I also understand the gate is thing my mare has gate issues when she is in heat. Yes it is frustrating but I think we are starting to figure it out. So good luck to you...you at least have pulled more checks than we have. :) |
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | Is anyone's young one trying TOO hard? She is on the hot side and I have to hold her face in order to get her pattern like I want it. I never push her, I just either hold her back or release just a little. She's busy, busy, busy and will pass up a barrel if I let her out too much. She can slow lope a perfect pattern but if I left it up to her, she would be off like a rocket. My analogy for her is... She's like a man driving, doesn't know where he's going but he's making good time. :)
What kind of bit would you suggest for a young one like this? She's seriously broke with a year of reining training. I thought I would have to teach her to move out, not slow down.... |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 596
Location: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere | chasendacash - 2014-08-08 9:44 AM Is anyone's young one trying TOO hard? She is on the hot side and I have to hold her face in order to get her pattern like I want it. I never push her, I just either hold her back or release just a little. She's busy, busy, busy and will pass up a barrel if I let her out too much. She can slow lope a perfect pattern but if I left it up to her, she would be off like a rocket. My analogy for her is... She's like a man driving, doesn't know where he's going but he's making good time. :)
What kind of bit would you suggest for a young one like this? She's seriously broke with a year of reining training. I thought I would have to teach her to move out, not slow down....
I was helping a high school girl this summer with her horse, horse may be 9 or 10...I told her the horse reminded me of the squirrel on "Over the Hedge" when he drank coffee, only this horse was more go, go go....barrel! as he went past it
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| chasendacash - 2014-08-08 10:44 AM
Is anyone's young one trying TOO hard? She is on the hot side and I have to hold her face in order to get her pattern like I want it. I never push her, I just either hold her back or release just a little. She's busy, busy, busy and will pass up a barrel if I let her out too much. She can slow lope a perfect pattern but if I left it up to her, she would be off like a rocket. My analogy for her is... She's like a man driving, doesn't know where he's going but he's making good time. :)
What kind of bit would you suggest for a young one like this? She's seriously broke with a year of reining training. I thought I would have to teach her to move out, not slow down....   Â
It sounds like your horse hasn't learned rate.
It doesn't matter what discipline the horse has been trained, some horses have fragile minds and blow up easily. It sounds like the trainer has blown her up.
I fixed one horse traned by a well respected trainer, the horse was dangerously blown up. This horse couldn't stand, he knew he couldn't move forward, side to side or backwards, so on a loose rein instead of standing he would go straight up in the air. |
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | I wouldn't say she was blown up but she is seriously 'antsy'. I've had her about 9 months and she had about 6 months off (her 4yo year) before that. (She's 5) she is calmer than she was and has learned to stand still and rest. She rates great at walk, trot, and slow lope but when the speed gets past that... it is a question mark. She's very eager to please and it's almost like she wants to do too much. |
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