5 yr old having trouble with speed

[brookenmagic]

I have a mare that i competed on in western pleasure and ran for rodeo queen and i have been training her on barrels for the last two yrs she is very soft mouthed and can hardly even stand a large smooth snaffle in her mouth so i ride her in a s-hack and she is really good for me and very responsive and she works the pattern almost perfect at a high lope but everytime i ask for more speed she gives me the speed i want but completely blocks out what i ask her to do she almost always over runs the 1st but drops her shoulder on the 2nd and either overruns or drops on the 3rd i have been asking for more speed since about april and when she does bad i take her back to slow work for a while and focus on rating and giving her a very wide pocket but still every time i ask for speed again she does the same please help i dont know what to do anymore

[lauraSchumann]

hi...

Its sounds like to me your horse is not making the transfer of understanding the difference between
"lift means turn here"...and "lift means get off my hand and move over"...

Go back and start doing alot of circular work making sure that you keep her ribcage up and loping
alot of round circles around one barrel...using your inside rein and foot, keeping that inside corner of the horse's eye and nostril....forward motion and move the horse from a 20 ft circle to a 10', to an 8', and back to 20' without letting her drop her front end or push into your hand.  Do alot of this at all different
distances until you feel that you dont have the "push" you feel in your hands that you do now when you are running.  Slow her down for now until she is more accomplished at this drill.  Apply this to your pattern and remember to put her all the way into the turn with enough pocket that she not only has the room she needs to turn the barrel but that she also stays lifted in her ribcage and is able to engage her hocks
properly. 

Let me know if this helps you...Good Luck!

Laura Schumann
Laura's Ladder To Success Barrel Racing Clinics
www.lauraschumannbarrelracing.com