I have a 20 year old gelding that made a lifestyle change from western pleasure and trail to barrels about 2 and 1/2 years ago. He has really started coming on and inhaling the barrels. Here recently, especially in arenas with solid concrete walls he has started slamming on the brakes about two to three strides in front of the second barrel. I really try to push him past it, but when he shuts down I am doing good to stay in the saddle. He is stopping with all four feet, esp on the front end. Once he even threw my boot off it was so hard. He makes the first and third great and doesn’t do this on every run. Any thoughts on what could be causing this and what to do to fix it?
Thanks
Amy

With his age, it could be that he doesn’t see as well as he used to and he may think the walls or fences are closer than they actually are. Be sure that his feet are in good shape and shod correctly. Keep his teeth floated about twice a year and be sure that all your equipment fits him correctly. You might want to try keeping him on a glucosamine supplement to assist his joint health.

Martha Wright