No matter how long I have been around horses, I still can’t seem to get them to talk to me. Well, at least not in English.
So, what I do from time to time with my barrel horses, is turn them out to be horses and watch what they do. I stand there for 10 minutes in the beginning of turn-out time and then again for 10 minutes or so before I catch them. I may even make them move around so I can watch them in motion.
I realize that some barrel horses are fortunate to live out in big pens, but many are not. So many of us are weekend warriors and others are on the road more than that, far from home. We load up, drive, sometimes hours, unload, tack up, warm up, go make a run, cool out, load up and go home or to another race. Unless it is a green horse, then we do all of the above except maybe drive and make the run. Instead, we just go and work that horse in training. And then we do it over and over again and again. Sounds like fun, right? Well, maybe not always for your horse. This is where some turn- out time is good for his body and his mind and it can be a good learning opportunity for the rider.
It is not always rider error when our barrel runs are not going well. Sometimes your horse may not be moving quite right. I really feel that most horses with gate issues have a soundness problem. He may have pain somewhere and just can’t quite tell you. But, if you will spend the time watching a horse, turned out, at play, or even just standing around, you can learn so much more.
We should be going over our horse’s whole body every time we catch them. One way to do this is when we brush and clean feet. This way we can learn to see when something is not right. Running your hands over your horse’s back, neck and legs looking for pain or swelling is always a good thing to do. Feel for what is normal every time. Changes in your horse’s eating habits can also let you know if they are not feeling well. Turning your horse out and then watching his behavior and movement is a good way to look for the abnormal. A chance for your horse to tell you when something is bothering him.
So, once a week I catch my horse, brush them, pick their feet, boot them up and turn them out to run, buck, play, stand around and just be a horse. I will usually do this for about an hour. I watch how they move, stop, roll, how their hips move, do they move evenly, how are they hitting on all fours, do they bob their head, down or up? Does he look like he is trying to get the pressure off of one foot? If you do this from the beginning then you can learn what normal is. You can learn a horse’s natural style.
I tend to only turn one out at a time. My turn-out pen is not as big as a standard arena and of course with the time and expense it takes to make a barrel horse, I would sure hate to have one get kicked.
Horses are tough. How a horse stands, moves and acts while free to do on his own can offer big clues as to what is going on with him.
Turning your horses out from time to time will make them a happier and more willing barrel horse. It may also save you some money at the vet’s. You will have an idea what is normal and what is not, and not let the soreness go so far as to really cause a chronic problem.
We are having a great Spring, I hope you are also. God Bless!