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Monday, September 21, 2009
Do I need a bigger bit?
I wish you were closer. My 14yr old daughter who has trained her own barrel horse is having troubles getting him to rate the barrels now that she is letting him run. He goes wide and doesn't collect and rate. It has been suggested to us to try a competition bit???? She normally uses a jr cow horse with a dog bone, or an s-hack. She says when she checks him to rate he runs harder. Do you have any suggestions. She is trotting him a lot now and stopping at the pocket then going on. At home he runs beautiful patters, at competitions, he is a run away. Any help would be appriciated. Thank You. Jackie - Nebraska
Hi Jackie, first of all a change in bit is fine, but a bit doesn't fix horses only better training or education with speed! You can put him in a bit or hackamore that has more WHOA then what the jr. cow horse offers, something your horse would like such as a Jim Warner hackamore or a long shank ed wright 3-piece dog bone or small port bit with leverage shank.
First thing I would do is stop competing and only exhibition at a speed she can do it correctly. You said horse is great at home only bad at show. Keep doing slow work at home only! Work on whoa and backing off body and give and take 2 hand rein pressure. You can work whoa in straight lines and in circles long trotting and loping. For the pattern work, rate down one speed where the tracks cross, if he does not rate off her sitting and bumping the reins, stop and back up 2 or 3 steps, then walk around barrel and go on to next barrel and repeat.
I worry that she says when she checks him he speeds up, sounds like a foundation problem that has been ignored or pain if his basics are solid! Go to vet, then go to training pen! Buy my book it has great exercises in it like spirals, pasture loops, big circle small circle, single barrel, many exercises to teach a horse to extend, collect, rate and have proper form. You have something missing, what it is you have to help me figure out as you are in Nebraska. Is it foundation, fear, pain, respect, not enough bridle, not enough training? Change one thing at a time and then you will know!
Take him to exhibition and buy 3 tickets, do not enter! Do this for 3 or 4 shows and see if he improves. Of course you need to see a vet and rule out sore back, hocks, teeth anything that may have caused this problem besides pressure of speed in competition.
Exhibition trot to walk around the first one, then high lope to slow lope around with correct pocket and form and then the last one trot/walk only!
By taking the pressure off of competition but still working on smooth lope throughs with rate at a show, he should come back to her and start improving. Do not go faster then you can do correctly and keep preparing at home with slow work, stopping and such.
Bits don't fix horses, A BIT more KNOWLEDGE does!
Remember education with speed is important, there are many speeds and training parts between lope and full run, go at a speed he can handle. Have three clear cues, Go, Rate, and Turn!
Thanks, Tina Spangler
www.tlcbarrelhorsetraining.com
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