The Blame Game

You and your equine partner go to town and  she lets you down. Your expectation was to be “in it to win it”. But things didn’t go according to that plan. 

First of all, preparation. If my horses let me down at the show, for example running by the first or missing the second barrel because there was a banner there. My first response to myself is that I let my team mate down.  She was not prepared for the circumstances I placed her in. 

Now if you have a proven winner and he lets you down by running by the first and ducking from the banner or flash. You need to start asking yourself WHY. 

From my experience, here is where you need to start. 

1. Ulcers. 90% of all performance horses have ulcers to some degree. They must be treated with medication from a veterinarian and diet.

2. Bleeding. 90% of all barrel and race horses suffer from bleeding to some degree. They range from a 1 to 5. 1 being minimal tracheal traces, and 5 being excessive through the nostrils. Learn how to manage a bleeder.

Why do they bleed? Because when a horse runs to its maximum ability, it pushes its lung pressure beyond its capacity, thus causing bleeding in the lung. 

3. Lameness. A good horse does not quit working for No reason. Find out what is causing this horses issues. It could need injections, could have a soft tissue or ligament tear or strain. Learn how to manage or repair that lameness.

Remember that none of these are a fault of anybody’s, they are simply issues that take place with Barrel horses and race horses, that you must be prepared to deal with.

When it comes to your horse working or not working due to preparation, you may need to seek advice to help you learn how to prepare that animal to the best of its ability. And this advisor can simply advice based on what you have shared with them, if you do not give a detailed record of what took place, then they may not be advising on the correct problem.  You must follow a trainers program and see it through over time. There is no overnight fixes that last. And when things go wrong, you need to seek a solution rather than placing the blame on an individual or your horse. 

You must understand that it is a process to get these horses brought to a level, and that things will go wrong before they go right. You must keep your eye on the target of where you want to be.