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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| As a barrel racer, I tend to lope in circles, big, little, figure eights, but almost always a circle of some sort. Now my barrel horse doesn't think he can lope in a straight line in an arena! He is fine loping straight down the road and I have started loping in giant squares, it helps but he usually has a little bend. Do I need to work on loping with the head square, not flexed at all? He is not overly bendy, but usually has some flex. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
 
Location: Bandera, TX | My gelding has 4 left feet when it comes to loping in a straight line, unless it involves barrels.... I'm glad he is not the only one. The funny thing is, that he is a really well broke horse and has some fancy moves, but straight lines, to the right especially, is very awkward.... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| GoMistyGo - 2015-01-26 1:28 PM
My gelding has 4 left feet when it comes to loping in a straight line, unless it involves barrels.... I'm glad he is not the only one. The funny thing is, that he is a really well broke horse and has some fancy moves, but straight lines, to the right especially, is very awkward....
My gelding is very athletic, he can spin, do flying lead changes, etc. But loping in a straight line is a different story! He does fine in his runs, keeping straight lines in between barrels. Glad I'm not the only one! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | IowaCanChaser - 2015-01-26 11:22 AM
As a barrel racer, I tend to lope in circles, big, little, figure eights, but almost always a circle of some sort. Now my barrel horse doesn't think he can lope in a straight line in an arena! He is fine loping straight down the road and I have started loping in giant squares, it helps but he usually has a little bend. Do I need to work on loping with the head square, not flexed at all? He is not overly bendy, but usually has some flex.
When I'm running between my barrels in an arena, I like having their head going to the barrels. When I come off that 1st and 2cd, I like to make sure that I can get their nose and push them off with my inside leg in necessary, without having to pull their head in the opposite direction..If that made any sense at all...?? The only time I want his head straight is running home...Does your horse still bend running home? |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | A couple summers ago I borrowed a horse similar to that. Unless I haul to an arena, all of my riding is in a big, open pasture. The first time I rode him in the pasture, when we started to lope, he automatically went in a circle without me cuing him for it, even though there was more than enough space to lope a straight line. I got him to where he would lope in a straight line, I just thought it was amusing how "automatic" he was with it. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I believe in equivalent exercise, i do straight lines make sure both leads, I do circles, squares.
Squares really help them stick their hind leg and pivot. I find this gets them using their hind end better, and it makes their turns snappier. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| IowaCanChaser - 2015-01-26 2:31 PM
GoMistyGo - 2015-01-26 1:28 PM
My gelding has 4 left feet when it comes to loping in a straight line, unless it involves barrels.... I'm glad he is not the only one. The funny thing is, that he is a really well broke horse and has some fancy moves, but straight lines, to the right especially, is very awkward....
My gelding is very athletic, he can spin, do flying lead changes, etc. But loping in a straight line is a different story! He does fine in his runs, keeping straight lines in between barrels. Glad I'm not the only one!
I would make sure your not cueing him to do so or holding him without realizing. You probably slightly have a hold of him causing this to happen, if he is as broke as you say he is with spinning and flying lead changes.
Ray Hunt is famous for saying in all his talks "I bend my horse in circles to go straight when I choose" or something along those lines. If your horse lopes effortlessly on your cues then loping in a straight line should not be a problem. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 805
Location: Montana | I work on straight lines a lot along with circles. My gelding has decided the only way he can pick up his leads is if he is bent and goes into a circle right away. I may trot half a lap before getting him to pick it up but I will make sure I ask him on long straight aways. Once we get it, we lope straight down the wall and lope circles in the corners |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | Lope octagons...point to point straight lines, even if they are short lines, keep them straight. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| QH<3er - 2015-01-26 1:32 PM
IowaCanChaser - 2015-01-26 11:22 AM
As a barrel racer, I tend to lope in circles, big, little, figure eights, but almost always a circle of some sort. Now my barrel horse doesn't think he can lope in a straight line in an arena! He is fine loping straight down the road and I have started loping in giant squares, it helps but he usually has a little bend. Do I need to work on loping with the head square, not flexed at all? He is not overly bendy, but usually has some flex.
When I'm running between my barrels in an arena, I like having their head going to the barrels. When I come off that 1st and 2cd, I like to make sure that I can get their nose and push them off with my inside leg in necessary, without having to pull their head in the opposite direction..If that made any sense at all...?? The only time I want his head straight is running home...Does your horse still bend running home?
He does have his nose tipped running in between barrels, but only slightly, just how I want him. I completely agree that there should be some flex! When running home he does have his head straight with his body and runs in a straight line. |
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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
Location: Southern Oregon | One of the "straight" line exercises I do is lope a straight line. stop back roll back and lope off in another direction. The object of the drill is to never make a corner, just straights and roll backs. Some of my lines are super long others short. Its a great exercise to help with rated, shoulder movement and impulsion off the hind end. My horses were all ridiculous when I tried loping them in straight lines to start out with. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | I find often that horses who are consistently loped just in circles get to this point. I also feel that by staying on the circles so much, we lose our horse's ability to properly use the shoulder. By always staying "shoulder fore" which we need to have attained in order to ride a proper circle, we have diminished their ability to use the shoulder as a source of power. I realize that I preach that a horse should always work from it's hind end, but in a turn, during a run, that shoulder needs to be helpful.
Some cases will get to a point where I will work a horse through a corner in a reverse arc. Some may just need to get sent more forward while on the straight line, in order to help them to re-engage the hind end and get straight. Either way, while your horse might perform well even while loping like this, if you can get him to free up in the shoulders and line out, he will perform even better. |
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  Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | My dad was just the best "hand" with a horse. And he always told me if a horse can't lope a perfect circle he won't ever be able to lope a straight line. I have always trained my horses with this is mind. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | my horses hardly ever see any kind of circle, im more straight lines...i find circles way to reptative and mindless.................. waaaaaayyyy over used..imo
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | I read a topic from a well known barrel racer who provided her routine. She stated after her horse knew the fundatmentals and was solid in them, she very seldom loped circles because circles were very physically demanding on a horse. She kept hers conditioned by lots of trotting and loping straight lines. Circles were done on occasion to help keep the horse soft and responsive and to keep the muscles needed for turns conditioned but she did not over do them. You can get the bend in the nose, neck and body by side passing at different gaits as well. |
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 On the Countdown
Posts: 2934
Location: Texas | The area I ride is just about as wide as a small arena, so some days I just lope the perimeter, others we do circles. |
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