third barrel blowing

[rodeosamantha]

I have a 18 year old barrel horse. let me first start off by saying that I have taken him to 5 different vets and have had soundness exams and can't not find anything that should be bothering him to this extent. I ride him in a twisted wire wonder bit. Not my favorite bit but what he has been ridden in all his life. He turns his first and second beautifully. And when I take him to his third he stiffens his neck and takes the bit and lounges off the back side of the turn.

[Bob Gould]

It sounds like your horse has been allowed to develop a bad habit just
because "that's how he's always been ridden".  If you do not have control of
your horse, you need to do two things - educate the horse and get a bridle
that will give you the control you need without having to arm wrestle with
your animal.  You will have to go back to the beginning as far as the third
barrel is concerned - that means walking to the barrel and establishing a
rate point (every time you take this horse to the 3rd barrel for a while)
and then walking around the barrel several times.  WHEN you can walk to that
barrel and your horse will acknowledge the rate point without you having to
pull him to a stop, then you can advance to the next gait - the trot.  Do
the same thing - trot to the barrel, stop at the rate point and then WALK
around the barrel several times.  As you get more and more rapport with your
horse, you can move your speed up but only as long as the exercises are
being done correctly and PERFECTLY.  If it's not right, then DON'T speed up.
The other thing you should do is have this horse's mouth check very
thoroughly, have his teeth floated on a regular basis and also have him
checked by a good equine chiropractor.
Martha Wright

[MINPITD]

MY HORSE IS DOING THE SAME THING... BUT I HAVE HAD A CHIRO OUT AND VET CHECKED GOOD....HAVE STARTED HIM OVER AND AT A WALK TROT AND LOPE/AND AT HOME HE SETS HIMSELF UP AND DOES PERFECT
AT THE SHOW HE WILL STIFFEN HIS NECK AND LEAP OFF THE BARREL...HAVE TRIED NEW BITS FROM COLT BITS TO COMBO TWISTED WIRE ....AND...AT HOME HE WILL RUN THE BARRELS IN A HALTER...
YOUR ADVICE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

[acheela]

I have to agree with Bob, these older horses "know what they are doing" and they start anticipating the run home when you compete. I keep my horse real snappy in the last barrel by turning it twice, and then riding directly to the fence and back around to your first barrel. you are actually turning it 2 1/4 times, and back to the fence. These horses don't need to "practice" running home, you need to really reinforce that turn by overexaggerating it. Hope this helps!

[Bob Gould]

 I know very little about horses. I sent this to Martha Wright and that was her answer, I sent the other question too but she hasn't answered yet

[Bob Gould]

MY HORSE IS DOING THE SAME THING... BUT I HAVE HAD A CHIRO OUT AND VET CHECKED GOOD....HAVE STARTED HIM OVER AND AT A WALK TROT AND LOPE/AND AT HOME HE SETS HIMSELF UP AND DOES PERFECT
AT THE SHOW HE WILL STIFFEN HIS NECK AND LEAP OFF THE BARREL...HAVE TRIED NEW BITS FROM COLT BITS TO COMBO TWISTED WIRE ....AND...AT HOME HE WILL RUN THE BARRELS IN A HALTER...
YOUR ADVICE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

Any time you are having problems away from home, then you have to start your
training over away from home just like you would at home.  Go back and read
the earlier answer I gave you and apply that same procedure to any training
you are doing.  You cannot correct a horse at home and then go off and run
him and expect the problem to be gone.  You have to correct the problem away
from home, starting from the basics and moving up in speed as you and your
horse develop a partnership and some understanding.  People think that just
because a horse does everything great at home, they are going to go to a
strange arena with new distractions and diversions, different noises and a
rider that is probably in doubt and that horse is going to be perfect.  NOT!
Doesn't usually happen that way.  You have to develop a horse's confidence
and trust in you, the rider; then you have to give consistent and definite
cues or directions to that horse EACH AND EVERY time you go to the barrel.
Don't sit on your horse and wait to see if he is going to work.  You are the
driver, not a back seat passenger.
Martha Wright