Barrels!

[Anonymous]

I'm starting my beautiful bay Quarter Horse that is about 11 years old on barrels. :lol: I want to get good on them. She does good but she doesn't go fast enough around them & turn good. Any advice? :?:
Thanx!

 

[Anonymous]

Start SLOW and Practice, Patience and Practice! WALK the pattern & when your horse is doing good at the turns, move up to a TROT. Do the same thing....when you are happy with her turning (remember to use your legs as cues!! Some folks even use a verbal cue like "Hup" or yell something else) then move up to a lope or a slow gallop. Once you are satisfied, go faster. Just don't get her bored with the pattern; (doing it over and over and over) keep it 'fun'. Good Luck! Just remember the PATIENCE!! It's easier to teach her correctly the first time, than to have to re-do or unlearn!

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you, but how do I keep her interested? And she get's stubborn on her turns & is hard to turn. What could I do about that?

 

[Linda]

Thank you, but how do I keep her interested? And she get's stubborn on her turns & is hard to turn. What could I do about that?

When your horse isn't working well for you, you need to go back to basics. Meaning, round pen or lounge line work, starting from the very beginning. Reinforce steps through repetition, working your way back up. When you get to the problem area, that's when you can work on it. But, you can't start in the middle! You have to start at the beginning. Work your way through the groundwork, then get on your horse and start from the beginning again, until you get to the problem area. Horses get bored, too, so work your horse, but only in limited practice times.

 

[Anonymous]

Ellie May-
Here's an excellent 'no-nosense' website for a trainer down in Gerogia. (Marv M Walker) I have his tapes, they **don't**cost alot, but you can still learn ALOT from just his website. He's also pretty dang good about answering any e-mails. His web address is:
http://marvwalker.com
Trust me, you'll enjoy soaking in all his wisdom!
Jay

 

[Anonymous]

Howdy,
Well last time she was hard headed I got her a different bit. It worked for a while, but she is being hard headed again. Our farrier said that if I were to keep her tied all day with her turned she would do better, but she doesn't turn either way sometimes.
Thanx, ya'll!