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Help With Sudden First Barrel Issues

15K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  wild_spot 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

My BO doesn't have an account on here but he's impressed with all of the information I've learned on this forum. He asked me to post a few videos of his horse Zip to see if anyone can help out with solving what happened.

Background on Zippy:
-6yrs old going on 7
-started under saddle with very, very light work(walking for 20 mins or so) at 2 and a half but was then let to rest for a year because his knees were not set yet and my BO didn't want to create any issues.
- When his knees set my BO started more "proper" training but still nothing too heavy.
-Last year was the first year my BO started to actually push Zippy at the shows and he did amazing. He's a great all around horse. He wanted to make sure Zip's training was fairly solid before he started competing him.

The problem:
---Out of nowhere Zippy started to, I guess you would call it, refuse the first barrel. He acts like he is scared of it, or rather scared of the pocket. He runs the pattern with a right, left, left, so his first turn is a right turn.

The Weird Thing:
-Any other time he has to turn right he does it beautifully.

Things have not changed at all for him though:
- He's been coming to these show grounds and working in this arena for 3 and a half years (first 2 were walk, trot just to get him used to it.) This year he started off great and out of nowhere he changed.
- His bit is the same (It's a hack combo with a smooth, jointed mouthpiece. But my BO is willing to change it if anyone has any suggestions)
- My BO uses spurs but they are bumper spurs that look like knuckles on a person's hands.
- My BO's riding has not changed since he started training him.

Zippy's Cues:
-Inside leg moves him over to get him to bend around the barrel
-Outside leg drives him out of the pocket
-Still learning how to neck rein, he's a ton better than he used to be.
(Zippy is a TON of leg)

What We Thought It Might Be:
- Teeth - nope had the dentist out in March to do teeth but when Zippy started acting up we had him out again in the beginning of June to check and his teeth are fine.
- Back- another negative- had the chiropractor out and they said Zippy was fine.
- Feet- Nope farrier comes out on a strict 6 week schedule.
- Issues with his legs - The vet took some Xrays and cleared him.

So basically after spending a whole lot of money they come to find that Zip is "healthy as a horse" (pun intended)

What We've Been Working On At Home:

***We do not run barrels all the time. We show with barrels once a week. We work on barrels lightly at home.***

- At home trotting the pattern twice a week. On the second day after trotting we lope it once or twice. MAXIMUM that we do...first day- 4 times trotting the pattern with about 15 minutes between each time. second day- 2 times trotting with about 15 minutes between each and once or twice loping with about 10 minutes in between. That is all we do with barrels for Zippy in a week.

- We walk around the half mile track once, trot once, lope once, then trot once again, then walk twice as a cool down.

- We do bending at a walk excerises around 1 barrel in the middle of the round pen.

-We do figure 8's and serpantines at a walk, trot, and a lope.

-And we go on a trail ride once in a while.

**Mind you not all of this is done is one day it is spread out over the course of the week. 2 days of the week he is not working, those days are the day before and after a show. And of course since we don't have an indoor it is all weather permitting.

My BO is going to be working late for the time being so I will be working Zippy. I have no idea how long my BO will be working late but it's the least I can do for him after all he's done for me.

Here are some videos:

This is how Zippy ran the pattern a few weeks before he started acting up at the first barrel.(Sorry for some reason there is no sound and my videographer cut off too early grr)



This is what Zippy has been doing since the middle/end of May.
(My BO always makes him go back and walk around the barrel so he's not getting away with it.)(And before you think it is because of the night shows, it's not he's used to running at night)


This is a poles run from the same night...it shows that he can turn to the right with no problems.(Sorry my camera battery died towards the end)



This has become a bad habit of Zip's now. And as we all know bad habits are really hard to break.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what we can do to maybe stop him from doing this? Any exercises that may help? Input would be great.:)

I will be going out to work with him on Wednesday because they are predicting a storm for tomorrow, so any ideas I get between now and then would be very helpful.

Also, please no critique on riding, this is the Training Thread not the Critique Thread. :wink: Insightful ideas to change things are very welcome (my BO said if he has to change his riding, he is all for it) but going off on a tyrant of how something is so "howrible" and people are "mean to the pwetty paint poneh" will be ignored.

Thanks in advance. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I have more video footage if anyone needs to see more. He is willing to change anything to get Zip to stop.
 
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#33 ·
The biggest thing that jumps out at me is that the horse is so straight through the body, and the rider has zero control of anything behind the head/neck. He steers the head and the body just kind of swings along behind - it's why the turns are no good.

This horse needs to learn to bend it's body, and then turn with a bend in its body.

The rider needs to learn how to control the horses body with his body. The horse gets away with running off the first barrel because the rider is only riding the head. He tries to steer the head, but the body just runs where it wants to go.
 
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