Getting frustrated!

Okay so Sassy...is a hyper nut. The beginning of all our rides start off with her head way up in the air, her charging out from under me, just not responding to the bit. I get frustrated easily, and this really doesn't help.

Once she is over it, she's just a normal horse...but it's really embarrassing when I go somewhere and she is just being stupid. I want people to take me seriously, not that-one-person-with-the-runaway-giraffe. :/

It's not that she is getting excited over the pattern, she's only loped it like 5 times... It's really annoying because I want to work with her, but I'm spending the whole ride and all her energy just getting her back under me.

She is on pasture, gets fed a quarter of a scoop of SafeChoice once a day.

Tack all fits fine, I ride her in a snaffle, I don't want to have to, but I might have to up the bit...I'm against upping the bit when your having issues, but this is becoming just a flat out safety hazed for me!
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Bend. Flex. Counter arc. Long trot as soon as you're in the gate. Make her think.

Selena gets stupid like that as well. Chargey, pushy, etc. Everytime she does it, I turn her bak into a reiner and snuff her into some tight, well-bent counter arc circles and make her bend and flex and soften every which way, then give her the loose rein and let her go again. It makes their mind come back to them.

On the other hand, Bailey also had the same behavior and the best thing that worked for her was just getting in there and long trotting laps upon laps.

Good luck

Have you tried lunging her a bit before you ride? I've had a couple horses who need to get a couple "kinks" out by bucking and cantering without a rider before they can concentrate on their job. Be sure though that she's always listening and paying attention to you. Then transition to some ground control, then hop on and do hip disengagement and focus on softening her face. Any time you feel her "charging up", do several hip disengagements and make her use that energy! She'll get a big butt, and find out that getting hot is waaaay more work than it's worth!

Lunging just isn't practical at a rodeo or a barrel race:

The will try bending and flexing her, but you can do it for hours and it won't phase her. And long trot is Sassy's trot. Hahah
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I feel your frustration! Things like this are enough to keep you awake at night!!!

Nikki is like that sometimes.. At first I just fought with her doing flexing, bending, backing..Nothing worked, it just frustrated us both. I've gotten to the point of knowing that Nikki will never be a pokey trail horse, she'll walk but it's a fast walk, she wants to work. At a show if she starts doing it she immediately gets taken away from the arena and we go lope circles for a few minutes. It brings her mind back to me and she gets to "work".. She's not thinking about bending and flexing, she's listening to my legs, seat, hands..We'll do a few circles each way and if she's still feeling frisky I will just keep her moving doing different things. As long as I have her moving at a show she's not getting hyper and turning into a giraffe..

Are you standing at the arena watching other people run? I can't stand by the arena on Nikki, she gets worked up and uses all of that excitement and energy just standing at the arena and wanting to run, she'll literally lunge at the gate when someone runs out thinking it's her turn. I work away from the arena and just keep walking around then when my name is called I let her trot up to the arena, crow hops into the chute and then by the end of it I'm pushing her into her stride...

I'm usually not for it but have you thought about breezing her? That way she gets that energy out in a good way, you can work on your seat and how she listens to you at a good amount of speed, then bring her back down slowly, long trot around, then do the bending and flexing..Then back down to a walk..You used up that energy in a good way, not fighting with her.. I've started doing this with Nikki about once every two weeks or so..Maybe once a week if she absolutely needs it but that's very rare.. If you're just going to trails and that jazz I would just lope circles before you went out on the trail, use that energy in a positive way, not fighting with her on the trail.. It's all about redirecting that energy in a positive way and not you both getting frustrated.

I've always ridden Nikki is a snaffle combo, it's what I bought her in.. If you want to bit up a little, I ride Lark in a hack combo bit..It's a chain mouth piece but it's actually a very light bit. It also works off of the nose arena so it's an equal pressure on her face..Not just her mouth. When a snaffle just wasn't working for her I moved her to it with great success.

Breezing her does help (I just do it at a controlled fast lope, not full on throttle), A LOT...but it's just not always practical..if I can get to wear I am going early and get the stupid out of her, then we are great!!

I always feel bad when I step into the arena, and I'm having to do one rein stops on the rail, and I have learned to have spft hands, but she is forcing me to get wayyy to heavy handed and I hate it. She responds sooo well to leg and seat, when she isn't trying to kill me! Lol she used to be very soft in the face, and I have been riding her with draw reins to help bring her back to that, and it helps, but then everyone on here seems to hate draw reins...and they work well for me, so they can't be as bad as how everyone acts like they are. It's not like I'm forcing her to drag her head, I'm just getting her to come back to me.

I took her to one actual barrel race and she acted fine. It's during the warm up that she is a freak...even when I'm the only person on the arena property.

Thanks for the tips DR!! Good to see I'm not the only one..;) I'm thinking about trying her in a Jr. Cow horse bit.
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Why can't you lunge her at a rodeo or race? And I personally would go back and do a lot of foundation work. I don't like a horse that is chargy, rushing, head in my face, ect. I have delt with a couple horses that way and we went back to the basics for awhile to get them where they need to be.

They get hard riding and lots of camping on when we haul. JJ can be quite the hothead and he gets camped on a lot and I expect him to stand with his head dropped where ever I want him to. I want a horse to travel relaxed and on a loose rein and not a hot mess.

But that is just me....
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Huh... Hold old is she? Maybe it will just cool off with seasoning and hauling to arenas..Nikki gets wacky in the arena sometimes, I just have to let her be wacky for a minute and she'll calm down but yeah, I have to be a little heavier handed with her when she gets like that. Not like pulling on her but just firmer actions and a steady pressure work. Try warming up away from the arena and then going to it, just straight into it don't let her get side tracked. Just let her know you are going into the arena and whatever pace and she will maintain it. Doing this can't hurt at all, it's actually good for working on the gate with her, she won't develop gate issues when you're relaxed and going in and out of it a bunch..

The Jr Cowhorse is a good bit, I've said it many times...I ride Hickory in it and he loves it.

Lunging at a rodeo is not practical, because horses aren't allowed in the arena because stock is out, so it would be rude of myself to be lunging a horse while 30+ people are warming up their horses. I don't like a horse that's hot or chargy either, and she normally works well on a loose rein, just recently....idk.

Sassy is 5 years old.
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