We recently had one of our local race trainers/exercise rider ride in a XC Jimmy Wofford clinic in her exercise saddle. He made her lower her stirrups a bit from the usual track length, but it was still great to watch!
I used to ride my show horses in an exercise saddle all the time, on the flat and over fences :). I can ride quite long in them, though, when I want to.
Starting a horse well so that it is calm, obedient, supple and carries itself well is all about who trains the horse and who is riding it. You can start one well in the same amount of time it takes to start one badly. That said, you may still end up with a horse that pulls like a freight train once it’s figured out how to/what is breezing and racing or even just when it’s started to get fit and doesn’t yet know it’s job. If you have a good rider and trainer combo, they will try to mitigate it. If not, the rider will deal as best they can or just plain wrestle with it. I actually know a guy (who has been galloping and training for 30 years) who thinks that you stop the horse by it’s mouth, like a hand brake. Guess how well his horses go when they get fit, they’re a real joy …
Double black screens…works everytime. Of course making sure her mouth is not sore, as with her back, etc and re-schooling are things to look into first and foremost…but yeah, two black screens a few workouts and then start taking one off at a time as she settles in.
What is a black screen?
What I recall reading about Seattle Slew at the time he was racing is that Paula Turner, Billy Turner’s wife, did start him as a yearling and early 2yo. She had a business starting young Thoroughbreds for the racetrack in (I think) South Carolina, and used dressage techniques with all her young horses.
This would have been before he was sent to the racetrack rather than for retraining between races; as far as I know, he never went back to her after he started racing.
I second the screens. I have seem them totally transform horses like the one OP describes.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;6501131]
What is a black screen?[/QUOTE]
http://tfloki.com/pelling.html
Pelling Pacifier
Since it really hasn’t been mentioned, I would like to suggest just riding the filly like a regular horse. Sit down on her. Even use a western saddle (if it fits). Throw her head away, sit back and act like you are going from a gentle canter over the prairie.
I wasn’t that strong as a gallop girl myself, so when that became obvious, I never got real tough horses. There was always some 155lb guy to take those.
But when I was training (AND galloping), I picked up this 6 yr old stallion and it turned out he was such a monster puller he ran off with EVERYONE.
So I slapped my Circle Y saddle on him (the one I used for ponying) and took him out. I don’t know if it just took him by surprise or what, be he was like a rental horse! Even galloping. I think it really relaxed him.
Again, I think either a stronger, better (sorry) rider OR ponying her is probably a better choice, but letting her get o/o control on the track is certainly the last thing you want to happen.
[QUOTE=lily04;6503215]
http://tfloki.com/pelling.html
Pelling Pacifier[/QUOTE]
You could go that route, but I have found that I prefer the plain black screens to the Pacifier, which is too rigid and will sometimes make the problem worse.
A black screen is basically a fly mask without ears, but it is less see through that a normal mask. I get mine at Kelly’s at the Meadowlands, but most track suppliers should carry them or be able to get them for you.
[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;6394481]
We had a huge Dixieland Band stallion in training a few years back. I likened galloping him to moving the 100x200 indoor arena 10 feet to the east!! “Hurting” him just made it worse. I ended up with a Dutch gag/Pessoa/elavator bit on him with a regular noseband. But with two sets of reins - one on the snaffle ring and one on the bottom ring. When he was good, I stayed on the snaffle - when he announced that we “were leaving” I set him back on the bottom rein. Not only did I get his respect, but I also taught him to stay “nice” for most of the ride. As soon as I pulled him up I hacked home on the snaffle rein. I called that rig a “snaffle with clout”!! He never got away from me and went on to win several stake races…we sent the rig with him!! We had another Cozzene horse that was impossible to gallop until we put that bit on him. I do prefer it with the two reins, though.[/QUOTE]
Was my “go to bit” for years…it gives them the familiarity of the snaffle, yet as you say–“with clout”. I also use 2 reins. I now see a lot of them on the racetrack.
3 ring snaffle
The 3 ring snaffle has been my "go to " bit for several years now…with 2 reins. You have the snaffle with top set of reins, and lower rings with another set so that you only use the leverage you need. I see a lot of them on the racetrack now, but not too many people use 2 sets of reins.
I had a fair amount of horses “in and out” of my barn to train and race, and you can’t re-train all of them to be good to gallop…in these cases you need a
good system for those horses who are “serial pullers” that enables you to be effective and yet not cause the horse to fight the equipment.
