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Expert
Posts: 1477
  
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | My young horse is a very nervous but not spooky horse. I'm naturally a nervous person. He's getting more mature and he's becoming a fire ball. My nerves make him completely spaz out and have a nervous breakdown. I was told I had to stay completely relaxed on him or I was gonna have a horse that I couldn't do anything with because he was goons be so nervous and hot. Any suggestions? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Chew gum!! I know it sounds silly but I noticed it has relaxed me a little bit when I'm waiting for my turn to run (that where I get most of my nerves). Before I would over think and be so stiff, I wouldn't even swallow. It might help you a little bit but I'm not quite sure on how to stay completely and fully relaxed on a fireball horse lol. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I have a barn full of great horses now but there for a while I was riding a lot of *no bashing me* trash horses that was really crazy and it completely destroyed my confidence. I never thought about it until someone asked me Saturday what had happened with my riding. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I have a really hot gelding that's got a ton of talent and I'm figuring out how to keep him calm(er) as we go along.
A few things that help me:
* I stay away from the pen until the last minute.
* Stay off him as much as possible. I warm him up fairly early and then loosen the cinch & hand walk him until they're about 4 away from me. Then I step on and band my feet. While we wait, I sit relaxed with one hand on the reins and pet him on the neck or face.
* Ride into the pen one handed.
* I am taking my time once in the pen (side gate rodeos) or alley, and not letting him run until he's calm.
Here's a video of us last night. You will see that I am that obnoxious barrel racer who takes forever waiting for her horse to be ready, but I've decided that I paid my fees and I'm going to get the best shot possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmrmGoFxWNs&list=UU3h0VmyuYbqBRUor4JBQVlA |
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 Peecans
| Sometimes I think its about finding a place / something that makes neither one of you nervous and getting used to being settled together and truly connected and then building from there. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| .5 mg Xanax and 1.5 mL chlorpromazine 3 hours out. Xanax for you and chlorpromazine for your compadre. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Supplemental magnesium seems to help the nerves on the horse.
For you, maybe a supplement like Kava Kava. You can find it on Amazon.com or a health food store. It really does take the edge off without making you dopey.
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 Certified Snake Wrangler
Posts: 1672
Location: North MS | Could you find a groundwork/calming routine to practice at home and use it before you run. Example- tossing lead rope over back until they lower head and then you rub. At the event if you see them getting nervous, do the same thing until they relax. After you warm up, get off and do your relax thing until your turn to run. After run cool off and do the same thing. Teach him a chill button. |
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Expert
Posts: 2678
Location: Mi | I'm not a real nervous person, but as someone else suggested chewing gum, believe it or not it helps. Also singing. Sounds crazy but true, by singing it makes you breath and breathing relaxes you. Doesn't matter what the song is, if it playing before I run, I'm usually singing to it, while chomping on a piece of gum. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| I like to do 2 things if my nerves are getting the best of me. I will walk up to the alley with one hand on the rein and one hand patting/rubbing his butt. I also like to have my ground crew around, If my dad or husband comes I will sit there and talk to them. Its a slight distraction but it also helps with breathing. If your talking to someone, you cant hold your breath or stiffen up. I dont think your nerves will ever be 100% controlled but at least you can bring it down a level. Being a little nervous means you still care about racing and all the hard work you put in to it. |
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 Banned by Booger
Posts: 2168
Location: Huffman, Texas | i have started running with my iPod in my ears listening to music..had a bad crash last year and mentally cant get it out of my mine however the music really helps..i listen to it during my run so it takes my mind off me thinking what could happen again, instead im just running to the music and singing in my head..its not any slow songs either!! its BLACK BETTY! |
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Expert
Posts: 1280
Location: Texas | Like Ahmac suggested, singing actually soothes both of your nerves. Don't laugh but, here's what I sing:
"All the girls in France
Wear tissue-paper pants,
And the boys all stare,
Cause they're not wearing underwear."
(There are other words but I don't know them)
LOL if that doesn't make you giggle a little, I don't know what will. It's a rhythmic little song that I sing over & over if I get nervous.
Ok, so does that make me a weirdo ? 
Or you could drink 2 beers
Edited by tracies 2014-07-30 10:10 AM
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| I agree w/ "Rodeowithjoker" Except, I do NOT wait for them to "be calm" before I let them run as some simply WILL be on the muscle and the longer you try to get them to calm down the worse they will get. I also DO NOT worry about what anyone else around me thinks. Do NOT worry about "what other people think" and don't let that change what you KNOW is the correct thing to do with your horse. YOU know him, they do not. I DO NOT like using any drugs as they are only temporary and you may as well not use them as a crutch if you can keep things under control without them. I have had some extremely hot horses, and you would not know it as I simply don't let them get to that "point of no return." You know what I mean if you have that kind of horse. When that switch goes off, the battle is lost. Don't let that switch get turned on in the 1st place.
Get off and walk your horse after you warm him up away from all the commotion of competition as the previous gal suggested. When you're done running, get off, uncinch, and walk him around praising him how well he did... even if he messed up!! Nervous horses are insecure horses. They need a secure rider. YOU have to get your nerves under control. That is an absolute.
Tell yourself it is only a barrel race, which it is. I don't care HOW big a deal it may seem, it really is only a barrel race. Keep it in perspective. Understand NO ONE really cares how you do either. They are NOT there to watch you, they are concerned w/how THEY do. I think a lot of barrel racers get worried more with how other perceive them, and need to get that thought out of their head.
Barbra Schulte is great at teaching riders how to get control of their thoughts, thus emotions. I highly suggest this audio by her- http://barbraschulte.com/barrel-racing-with-confidence-digital-audi...
I know how hard these nervous horses can be, but they can be SO worth the hassle once you figure out a way to manage them. Good luck! |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | bingo - 2014-07-30 10:28 AM I agree w/ "Rodeowithjoker" Except, I do NOT wait for them to "be calm" before I let them run as some simply WILL be on the muscle and the longer you try to get them to calm down the worse they will get. I also DO NOT worry about what anyone else around me thinks. Do NOT worry about "what other people think" and don't let that change what you KNOW is the correct thing to do with your horse. YOU know him, they do not. I DO NOT like using any drugs as they are only temporary and you may as well not use them as a crutch if you can keep things under control without them. I have had some extremely hot horses, and you would not know it as I simply don't let them get to that "point of no return." You know what I mean if you have that kind of horse. When that switch goes off, the battle is lost. Don't let that switch get turned on in the 1st place. Get off and walk your horse after you warm him up away from all the commotion of competition as the previous gal suggested. When you're done running, get off, uncinch, and walk him around praising him how well he did... even if he messed up!! Nervous horses are insecure horses. They need a secure rider. YOU have to get your nerves under control. That is an absolute. Tell yourself it is only a barrel race, which it is. I don't care HOW big a deal it may seem, it really is only a barrel race. Keep it in perspective. Understand NO ONE really cares how you do either. They are NOT there to watch you, they are concerned w/how THEY do. I think a lot of barrel racers get worried more with how other perceive them, and need to get that thought out of their head. Barbra Schulte is great at teaching riders how to get control of their thoughts, thus emotions. I highly suggest this audio by her- http://barbraschulte.com/barrel-racing-with-confidence-digital-audi... I know how hard these nervous horses can be, but they can be SO worth the hassle once you figure out a way to manage them. Good luck!
That part in blue is OH SO TRUE!!!
The other thing I have been trying to remember is that no matter how one barrel race goes, they will always let you enter another one next weekend.
Waiting for Cliff to calm down works because he'll settle down and work after a bit. If I run him right away, he won't be focused and we'll totally miss the first barrel. My oldest gelding is the opposite - you have to just let him go because he'll find the first barrel no matter what he acts like before you start running. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
| I am in the same boat as you TessBelle! Humming when I start to feel those butterflies has helped a lot...I like to hum "Walking After Midnight" by Patsy Cline :) I will also shake my arms out. When I get nervous, it feels like all of my strength just drains away and shaking my arms out seems to bring it back. I also say affirmations to my horse and myself - sort of a vocal form of visualization. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Rescue Remedy by Bach's. Two drops under MY tongue. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | Agree with RodeowithJoker, also i sing Steve Earle's guitar town to my horse as we're getting ready don't judge it's a catchy tune lol.
If I'm on a horse that makes me stress or I'm feeling stressed about a particular arena/race/etc. I avoid caffeine the day of, that really helps me take the edge off myself. It's amazing what skipping my morning cup of coffee does for my nerves. I don't remember who told me to try that but thank you whoever you are  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
| I have found the longer I am on my horse the more relaxed I am and it has helped my horse. I will go about 50 horses before my run (its alot i know) But i then warm up and then will just walk for the rest of the time. It has also helped my horse because always walk alot at home after a ride or before or even in the middle and it has really paid off at the barrel races his mind really frees up from when I would just climb on warm up and go in the holding pen and then run. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
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A shot or 3 and maybe a puff or two... |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I will try some of this stuff. Some I can't do because I haul 4 horses and a lot of the time there's only around 30 entered at our nbha shows because were a very small district. This doesn't help my nerves because sometimes I will get stressed and rushed to get everyone ready to run. Usally I warm him up first then tie him and start with the other 3. Because I have 4 and have to change some tack around she enters me on "horse" for all my runs and then I can just run them in the order I want. Usally do run him first. May try running him last next time and see if he's more settled and relaxed and that way I won't be in a hurry to move on to the next one. |
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