# barrel horse alley way issues



## longshot (May 30, 2012)

Welcome Barrel!!!

my suggestion is just simulate the alleyway with a few corral panels. then parctice, practice, practice. then up the stimuli, add bags and people maybe a loud radio. just get the horse settled down. Now that said you are riding a race car, don't expect a ferrari to drive like minivan.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

What type of work do you do OUTSIDE of the arena? Do you go trail riding? Do you do work away from the barrels?

Sounds like she's arena sour and doesn't want to run. Try stepping away from the barrels and fast work and go back to something that'll be different and exciting for HER.

Other then that, I can't tell you much without seeing a video of exactly what is going on.


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## BarrelCatori (Aug 6, 2012)

Thanks, but i never practice barrel racing at home, mainly what you said, i do trail riding and a lot of flat work! We do not have an arena at home it is just a pasture with a gate leading out to it from the barnyard!


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## BarrelCatori (Aug 6, 2012)

Thanks for your suggestion, that is what we were going to start trying


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Maybe she just doesn't enjoy her job? Barrel racing can be a mentally stressful job or maybe she associates it with some kind of pain (yanking, kicking, or maybe something with her own body). If she has no other issues outside of barrel racing its a pretty real possibility.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

if you start a thread in the barrel race area here maybe some of the others ther can help you.. I saw a clinton anderson Alley way segment on RFDTV 
now I am not really a fan of his but I did like what he did to help the horse out.. see if you can find that segment I will look too


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## BarrelCatori (Aug 6, 2012)

Critter Sitter: What was the episode called?


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## BarrelCatori (Aug 6, 2012)

SlideStop: Like i said its some sort of issue with the alley way not the barrel racing itself. She loves to do it and really tries hard, its just the alley way makes her nervous!!!


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

What happens when the ally way isn't there.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BarrelCatori (Aug 6, 2012)

For the most part she will walk in!


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## BarrelCatori (Aug 6, 2012)

sometimes it takes a little work, but not as much as it does with the alley way!


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## BarrelRacingLvr (Feb 26, 2012)

See...in my eyes you can sour a horse two ways and some people often don't see it. 

1. You can work the pattern and drill them to much and get them soured that way to where they don't want to do it.

2. You can sour them by ONLY running them on the pattern no other work at home, ect.....so they associate being hauled to a race and the arena with having to just run run and run some more. 


With my horses....I do work them on the pattern at least every other day. But I don't DRILL them. I may walk them through the pattern once while cooling them out and score them there, or I may work on some other things on the pattern. It depends on the day....I think it is JUST as important to occasionally take the horse through the pattern as a relaxing time so they don't associate it with a stressful tense environment all the time. 

So if this were my horse this is what I would personally do and have bought a horse that turned out had bad gate issues. 

I would start at home and just work on getting the horse to just get relaxed and go in...not picking a fight. People tend to lean towards whips and beating the horse in and kicking the daylights out of them. I also don't like working the horses to death outside the arena to go in. That only makes them want to avoid the arena even more because they are getting more pressure and beat on. Or haul to a local arena when nothing is going on and work on it there aswell....

This isn't going to be a easy fix or happen overnight. I wouldn't run her for awhile but haul and do a few SLOW exhibitions on her so she realizes that just because she is in the race environment she doesn't have to run all the time. 

Once you get her relaxing and starting to get closer to going in praise her and let her relax and keep working on getting that relaxed forward momentum. And once she is in the arena let her stand there for a few and WALK her through the pattern praising her and just letting her relax. At first if you are working on it and she goes in, praise her and end it there. I don't care if you have only been on her 10 minutes...if she goes in let her rest and end on a good note so she realizes there doesn't need to be a fuss

My mare would go FLYING backwards suddenly, just turn and bolt no matter if there were horses by her or not. She would sometimes rear then bolt...ect. It took a good year of just slow work and hauling to get her to where she would go in the gate relaxed and forward without any hesitation. This mare had a few other issues as well but the majority was getting her over her gate issues. Her previous owner used her like a machine....she associated the arena with being ran and ran and drilled and tuned on some more. 

So make the littlest improvement a good thing and don't ask to much out of the horse. Don't pick a fight...if she does good the first time end it there...and maybe ask for her to do it twice calmly the 2nd or 3rd day....Like I said earlier don't run her for awhile get her backed off and not associating races with stress. 

Make sense? (Tired so don't know if that made sense)


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

herwe is a link that has great information and sites to help.

http://www.horseforum.com/barrel-racing/barrel-racing-exercises-drills-116865/


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

BarrelCatori said:


> Critter Sitter: What was the episode called?


 i am not sure but I did just leave a link to a thread you may want to read..


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

Critter sitter said:


> herwe is a link that has great information and sites to help.
> 
> http://www.horseforum.com/barrel-racing/barrel-racing-exercises-drills-116865/


Laugh.. That kinda made me feel special! 

Ditto to what ClaPorte and BarrelLvr said.. They pretty much laid out a fantastic plan for you to work on with your horse and if done right should help stop your alley/gate issues.


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

DrumRunner said:


> Laugh.. That kinda made me feel special!
> 
> Ditto to what ClaPorte and BarrelLvr said.. They pretty much laid out a fantastic plan for you to work on with your horse and if done right should help stop your alley/gate issues.


as you should!! it is a very informative thread!
I even have my daughter reading it..
I barrel raced MANY years ago.. it has Changed alot My daughter wants to Race we are lucky to have a trainer at our barn that races.. but she still needs to read and learn.


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

Critter sitter said:


> as you should!! it is a very informative thread!
> I even have my daughter reading it..
> I barrel raced MANY years ago.. it has Changed alot My daughter wants to Race we are lucky to have a trainer at our barn that races.. but she still needs to read and learn.


Thank you! It's a very good read for someone who needs to brush up on things or a beginner. I'm really glad that others did add to the thread and it's really turned out to be great. I'm glad you like it and are getting something out of it that works for you!


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## Stillstandin (Nov 10, 2009)

Barrellvr laid out a great step by step plan, be patient it can take some time to get a horse over gate issues but it can be done. I just want to add that you also have to learn how to keep calm and not anticipate any issue in the alley/gate. Many of these horses are extremely sensitive and pick up very quickly on the rider's nerves etc. If you get tense it may trigger the same in your horse. Breathe deep, relax your body, look straight ahead where you want to go, and don't lean forward. One coach I had even sugested whistling softly or humming....it actually helped me.


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