My Mare

Question
Hi, I wanted to ask you a question concerning my mare. The previous summer, I barrel raced my mare, and when winter came along, I quit riding her and gave her a break of three months. This is her first break shes had ever since barrel racing last year. I have recently started riding her again the first week of January. Her problem is that every time I go on her, she is really moody. She runs away and she never used to do that. I put the saddle on, and she pins back her ear. She is always shoving me away from her. This was in the beginning of January till February. Now, nearing the end of February, she has gotten worst. I went to barrel race her, and she ran away, and was hard to saddle up. I ignored this, thinking she liked her break to much. For the last two weeks, I have been back to reviewing her in barrel racing just two weeks ago, mostly the walk and jog. But for the last couple days, I realized something is wrong with her. When I asked her to trot towards the first barrel, she bunched up and backed up. Every time I ask her to go forward she pins back her ears and bunches up. I was certain that if I kicked her harder, she was going to kick. And she was threatening to rear.She is opening her mouth every time the bit makes contact. During the barrel run, she will sometimes slow down and kick out. She has never done this before. She loves barrel racing and is always eager to gallop the course.      -My horse is turning five in April. She was broken in at two but barely ridden. Then she was being trail ridden at three, and barrel raced at four. To fix her problem, I turned her in a circle each time she threatened to kick. She is kept with 5 other horses. They've been her stablemates ever since she has arrived here as a weanling. She lives in a pasture full time.    I think something may be wrong with her teeth, because she hates contact. I also thought maybe she doesn't want to move forward because it could hit her in the teeth? Is she getting her adult teeth?    I am worried about her and would love to recieve your answer as quickly as possible."

Answer
Hi Marianne!

Barrel racing is very hard on horses.  For the most part it is run and gun, kick and pull.  Your horse is telling you very clearly she has had it.  She does NOT love barrel racing.  She is telling your pretty clearly that she hates it.  

Some horses will just say enough is enough.  She hates being pulled on.  I have seen the best of the best at barrel racing, and even at that level, it is still kick and pull.  Most barrel horses have to give up and check out in order to survive.  It is a rough sport.  Five is just barely an adult horse, and yet she is burned out.  Sad.  

Turning her in a circle will do nothing to solve these "problems".  The problem is the lack of good horsemanship, understanding the horse, getting to the feet and to the mind.  I would go back and re-start this mare taking into account really great horsemanship, quality ground work, really getting control of the feet and educating the WHOLE horse not just staying glued together long enough to run a barrel pattern.

I believe, better yet I know that you can run barrels and not have a mentally fried, completely freaked out horse.  How nice and what a great goal to be able to be completely competitive on a horse that was CALM and CONFIDENT.  Marianne, this will require real commitment on your part to learn the basics of great horsemanship, teach it to your mare and then have QUALITY performances where your horse is listening to your body, shifts in weight, leg aides and not just being pulled around by harsher and harsher bits.  

Re start this mare.  Do not race her again until you can softly canter out of your tracks, use a flag/tarp/slicker on her, get her leading by a front foot and stopping on a hind foot, yield her hind quarters, totally control with understanding every footfall.  I want you to start by watching the "Ground Work" DVD by Buck Brannaman and read his ground work book.  Commit this information to your soul.  Make sure your mare totally understands each and every aspect.  Better still, attend a horsemanship clinic with Buck, Ricky Quinn or Ray Hunt.  These are my teachers and they can help you first hand.  Check the web and see if one of them will be traveling to your area.  

Do these things and then give me a shout and let me know how it is going.  If you need a clarification on any of these concepts, let me know and we will work through it.  This will be wonderful for you and your mare.  You will have the total performance horse package and I'm betting your times will improve also when your mare is free to relax and run.  You will  be surprised at how good things can get!

Smiles!  Denise