equine girl asked:
I have been asking questions about pole bending, but for some reason never asked a ? about if she can.
loll.
Any way, she is 18, has alot of spunk, a smooth gait, and loves to gallop.
She has tons of energy too.
She is a good cutter, and is neck riened.
Do you think she will make a good pole bending/barrel racing horse?
And what are somethings you do to train a horse to pole bend or barrel race? Like things you do just while riding?
horse race
horse race
Of course you can. If you are willing to put in the time. People say that you can’t train anything old new tricks. But that’s stupid. They are not close to being retired, because it all depends on the horse. If your horse doesn’t have any problems such as: Arthritis, hoof rot, etc. It shouldn’t be a problem. And every horse learns at different speeds. Like my friend, it took her four years to train her horse. But it can be done, so don’t let other people tell you otherwise! Hope I helped!
horse race
I too disagree with the first answer
But i agree with the secong answer
horse race
It sounds like you have a older mare who is well in shape. I would call your vet and ask. You vet can tell better then anyone and it is the safest thing to do to.
horse race
If she has been a cutting horse, then she already works well off her quarters. Pole bending is about lead changes. Work on those. If she can’t do flying changes, she can’t be competitive at poles. Keep her working collected, and teach her the pattern at a trot. Work on lead changes away from the poles, and keep her flexible with leg yield, counter canter, lateral flexion and bending exercises. Uncontrolled energy is not what poles are about. Collection and control lead to measured performance so that when speed is added, it doesn’t go out of control. A well seasoned older horse can show those youngsters a thing or two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
horse race
I disagree with the answer before. I really actually like working with older horses. Like you said, she has spunk, she’s smooth, and she just loves to be a horse. A horse like that, you work with until she’s no longer able to work. I have two horses that are senior aged-one’s 21, the other is 23. My little sister rides them without saddle, but I still lunge and do ground work on them. They’re awesome in showmanship classes. If you take it slow, and teach her step by step, I really honestly think she could be real good at it. Make sure you warm her up and cool her down, otherwise horses about that age start getting cramped up and their arthritis shows. Work on lateral bends and stretches every day so she becomes more flexible than she already is. I always love to do a little lunging before I ever hop on a horse. Just so I can look them over, see if they’re favoring any legs, or just make sure they’re warmed up properly. Remember to clean those hooves too!
horse race
An 18 year old horse should be on the verge of retirement. If a horse is that old and has never done a speed event like pole bending, it is not a good time to start. To just play around on him would be okay, but if you expect to win anything on him, it will take about a year to get him going well, and then you would only have one other good year out of him. Go spend your time with a young horse, and put the training into him. Let the old horse enjoy being old. One great thing to know about pole bending is to have your horse working off your legs. You don’t want to be yanking their mouth weaving in and out of poles. So instead shift your weight and bump them with your leg. My mare responds WAY better to this method.