Conference noted::equitation

    If the weather holds out, I'll be showing in
    Western Pleasure, Equitation and Trail tomorrow
    at the Weston show!
    
    Lynne

   
  I have a question about barrel racing. 
  As I understand it, one can start on either the left or right
  barrel, (rider's choice) and that shows cannot mandate that 
  one starts on one barrel or the other as log as one does the
  pattern mirror image. The starting barrel makes a big difference 
  on horses who bend a little better on one side than the other.
  
  Are there any official rules regarding this?

    Hi Kiirja-
    
    I just checked my APHA rule book and there are no rules specific
    to how you start the barrels, just that you complete the pattern
    appropriatly.  You would want to do barrels #2 and #3 with your
    horse's better lead.
    
    Michele
    
    p.s.
    
    My friend is getting into this seriously, and she's quite good.  If you 
    have any more questions or want to watch her ride, let me know.  She'd 
    love to talk barrels and give you some pointers.  

    Re: barrel racing....
    
    You can start with either barrel, as long as you
    do the correct pattern.
    
    Lynne

    
    Thanks Michele and Lynne for confirming the answer. It's all water
    under the bridge now, but last year I barrel raced my mare and at one
    show they insisted that everyone start on the right barrel. I didn't
    think that was right because I was pretty sure it was against the rules. 
    I always started her on the left barrel, because she bent better to 
    the right. Because of that we got only fourth place and I'm certain we 
    would have won if they had followed the rules and allowed us to start 
    on the barrel of our choice. 

    

    Well if you want, I can send you a copy of the APHA rules.  I'm not
    sure if my friend has the real rodeo rules.
    
    Are you going to continue to race her?  

    
>    Are you going to continue to race her?  

     Probably not, since I sold her several months ago! :^)

    
    
    aqha and womens professional rodeo , states that you can 
    race form either side.
    
    If they insisted you race from only one side, I would protest it
    (only if the instructions were on the pattern) small shows can do this 
    i think.. I had run into it and the pattern wsnt posted so I got
    away with it. 
    
    depends on the show i think.
    
    

    HELP HELP HELP
    
    
    		ok, all you people that show furity's snaffle bit and/or show
    phba,paint,buckskin,aqha.. I need some more ideas on setting the head
    (with a young one) .. say you just broke him and want him to come over 
    himself more.. what do you do? you have noticed he drops his head
    but speeds what, or drops his head for two seconds.. and if you kepp
    fussing with him , he's gunna be fussy with his face..
    
    
    anyone.. how do you start for western horses with the horses face on 
    the veritcal and head down.. I'm having problems with him at the 
    canter, hes being qued and hes putting his head way up..
    trot he pops his head up and he lowers it later... its just again
    pulling that nose in and hes just not bending at the pole.
    

    I just got my 2 year old back from the trainer.  He was with her
    for 40 days.  She let him have his head for about the first 30 days
    - to do what he wanted with it.  After 30 days, she put a martingale
    on him and that seems to help keep his head down and nose level.
    It just takes time!  Once he has the idea, and is comfortable with
    his head in the correct position, I intend to take it off so he
    doesn't get to the point he HAS to have it.
    
    Sherry_who's_first_snaffle_bit_futurity_is_in_July!!!

    I have tried tieing the head (with gimmicks, isnt there another 
    way tho'? ) I mean you are setting the head but not the rest of the
    body ... I had a trainer set my other horses head with someother 
    rig and dont think I would want to do the same with him, he would 
    either be ruined or freak! 
    
    Ok .. i'll ask another question. the poeple who show w.p. 
    how many people here have a nice slow moving (barely moving) jog?
    	And does the horse move in Cadence (what is cadence to you)
    and how you know she/he is in cadence??? i'm not trying to
    be difficult, I just have old pictures of the way I used to do
    things out west and the poeple out east (Yanks :*) ) well not are 
    yanks, sorry SHERRY :*)  do things different.
    
    
    		wendy o'
    
    
    
    
    

    When my horse is working off his hind quarter well his head usually
    stays in position.  This is when we are both relaxed.  If I get up
    tight his head comes up.
    
    Some of it also depends on his conformation....where the neck comes
    out of the shoulder.  His is set a little high for a western pleasure
    horse so we lose it some times.
    
    I am more for getting him to work off the hind end then using gimmicks
    to set him up.  Then he is all front end and seems dumped to me.
    
    Good luck.
    
    Kathie
    

    Success in developing a head set is in getting the horse to do this
    themselves using aids.  For this reason I would use a running
    martingale with two sets of reins onto a D-ring snaffle with a half
    cheek.  One set of reins through the martingale and attached as the
    lower rein, the other attached above the first and not through the
    martingale.  This setup is used just like a double bridle with the
    lower rein used as the curb and the upper rein used as the bridoon.
    The curb is used to set the head (slowly, over many lessons), while the
    snaffle is used to elevate.  This approach takes lots of time to get
    the desired affect since too much too soon will cause leaning on the
    bit.
        The rationale is this; use the curb rein to encourage the head to a
    vertical position slowly over time.  This means that you must reward a
    movement in the right direction with relief (lack of pressure).  Over
    time when you get to the position that you want you continue to use the
    martingale as an aid.  This doesn't mean to allow leaning, only to
    support the training.  The object is to develop muscles and habit which
    put the head where you want it to be.  If you learned to ride western
    pleasure using ONLY the left hand like I did, you will recall that any
    use of the right hand western reins is uncomfortable and combersome. 
    The same will be true of the horse, it will be uncomfortable unless its
    head is where you trained it to be.
    
    Bob
    

    I myself have never shown futurity or any association shows, but I have
    found  that if you leave a youngster's head alone sometimes they will
    take a natural headset.  I understand that is what is prefered now
    instead of the "peanut rolling" headsets.  True, the more you mess with
    it the more the horse is likely to start "fussing".  Just be as
    supportive with you hands and seat as you can.  I have never been much
    on gagets, I have used them but when you take them off the problem is
    there just the same.
    

    I's like to ask a question about western hats. Why do some folks wear
    hats that look like they're a size or two large and sit down to their
    eyes? Is it just a style or is there some reason? Most of 'em that I
    see wearing their hat like that also picked a hat with a fairly wide
    brim so ya kinda hafta stare in to see their face

    
    You buy them so that you can pull them firmly down to your eyes and
    ears and SNUG so they don't blow off.  REAL cowboys wear 'em that
    way.  And you have them shaped so the front dips down and the back
    dips down even farther.  That keeps the sun and the rain off your face
    and the back of your neck.  Garth Brooks wears his just right (for 
    someone from Oklahoma).  Texas is another matter (i.e, George Strait
    wears his not so low in the back).  And Colorado is different also.
    ;-)  )  And it depends on whether you are a roper or a bull-rider or
    a steer wrestler.  Or just a western pleasure rider. 
    
    Kinda like wearing your boots and jeans just right. 
    
    ;-) 

    Western hats come in many styles, too!
    
    There is a special crease and crown design for if you are a
    cattleman, roper, cutter, AQHA, etc. etc.
    
    
    L-

All of us who have endured "English riding" comments will commit the
number "21.17" to memory !

    
    
    I dont know what the current sytyle is out east, lately especially
    if its AHQA, I have an AQHA crease in my hats but thats been 5 years
    and really havent kept up with the mucky mucks that are big time 
    winners so I couldnt answer that question on styles.
    
    as far as brims go, hats come in different size brims , you can get a 
    4-6 (i think) brims... I ride with big brim, but being from
    colorado thats what i'm most comfortable with.
    
    as far as the hats position, out west the hat band (not the brim )
    should be horizonatal and slightly back...
    
    and of course like someone mentioned here , whatever you are is how
    you wear you hat :*)
    
    	wendy o '
    
    
     

    Re: Last few
    
    In what context are Western Hats being considered? In the show ring or
    just getting one to stay on your head in a gale or at a full gallop, or
    while having a brief but multi-dimensional ride [ :-) ] on top of a
    bronco or bull?
    
    If your concern is keeping your hat on rather than being in the current
    style some hat stores recommend and supply strip of plastic foam to go
    around the inside of the hat between the inner head band and the hat
    itself. This material is very similar to draft excluder strips which I
    suppose you could use just as well. Then the hat will, through
    compressing the foam, grip your head more tightly.
    
    Since I have a very hard time finding hats that are big enough for me
    let alone being one or two sizes too big, I will have to forgo the
    western classes (about the only kind of activity my horse hasn't done)
    if that's the current style!
    

    Steve at Allies shaped my hat for me.  I liked what he did, and he said
    it was the current style....but I didn't realize there were that many
    styles/shapes for hats.  My hat was slightly large, but it was a
    discontinued model and at a reduced price.....so I have made do
    with stuffing strips of foam.  No one would know it was slightly too
    big, and the foam does keep it on at a canter in a windy day. 

    	I haven't tried the foam, (maybe I should!) but I have gotten
    	away with three loops of masking tape inside the brim. I just 	
    	don't plan to take my hat off until the end of the day!!  :)
    
    
    	Sherry

    My Western straw show hat fits me perfect.  My black felt one, however,
    requires a few folded pieces of tissue under the brim to make it small
    enough and snug enough to stay on.  Nothing worse then your hat coming
    off in the ring, and seeing another rider's horse stomp on it...
    
                   L-

    Can someone give a rundown on the various methods of holding the reins
    in western riding.  Some of the variations that I have noted are:
    
    California "split"? defined by me as one rein over and one rein under
    index finger
    
    Cavalry "droop"? defined by me as both reins drooped over one hand
    
    Underhanded grip which I use with both reins under the heel of one hand
    coming out between the thumb and forefinger
    
    Double-handed "loopback" in which the rider reins two-handed, holds the
    biddle rather than riding with the biddle on top as in English riding
    
    Please don't beat me up for the terminology... I made the names up from
    observation; maybe someone can tell me the correct names (if any)
    
    Thanks for any advice; I get Horse and Rider, check out all the
    pictures, but so far have never read any discussion on this subject.
    
    John Wood

    
    THe AHSA Rule Book has a description in the equitation section for what
    is acceptable per their standards. 

    I am not familiar with AHSA; my daughter has just started showing
    English in 4H classes.  The rest of us are strictly pleasure trail
    riders (some English, some Western).  I am curious, but I am not
    planning to show Western.
    
    I just thought there might be pros and cons for the various methods I
    have seen.
    
    John

    
    
    
    re: western riding..
    
    I dont know about the old calvry days 
    
    but western riding uses only one hand to hold the reins,
    unless in a snaffle and that you can hold english style.
    
    there are two western riding styles as far as hands and thats
    the split rein style and the calfornia style.
    
    the  split rein style defined by me as one rein over and one rein under
        index finger (out here they ride with eitehr hand, I was always
    taught to get on the left side and USE YOUR LEFT HAND :*) Out in the
    easet they use either hand which I fell is not correct, and there is 
    reasons for this!!
    
    calfornia style is the when you hold both reins together like an ice
    cream cone and the ends of the reins come up  throgh the top of your
    hand and falls towards the horse.
    
    
    and where to hold your other hand is another story :*)
    
    
    wendy o'
    
    

    IMHO if you are not showing, you should use whatever style is the most
    comfortable for you, with the following caveat...  If you `ever' plan
    to show under AHSA rules, you should get used to doing that or you'll
    find yourselve reverting back to your own style if you loose your
    concentration in the middle of a class.  AHSA rules are close to what
    you described as the way you currently ride.  There are actually two
    sets of rules depending on which type of rein that you are using.  With
    split reins you must hold the reins entering your hand at the heel of
    your palm and exiting between your thumb and index finger.  Splitting
    the rein around the index finger is NOT allowed.  If the loose end of
    the reins are to be held in the second hand, their must be 13" or 16"
    of rein (can't remember which) between the two hands.  Rommal (sp?)
    reins are held in a similar way but also cannot be split by the index
    finger.  Now that I think of it, you can also use a bosal or broken
    snaffle for junior horses (< 5 yrs), these of course you use both
    hands.
    
    Bob
    

    Thanks for your comments.  My confusion stems from horse magazine
    photos which almost always show the reins entering the hand at the
    index finger and thumb and exiting at the heel of the hand.   WHY?
    
    We have young children and friends over to ride frequently;  I would
    like to get them started correctly.
    
    Thanks, again.

    The style you mention is the style I was taught by my
    trainer & instructor in TX.  It is the one I use for
    showing in western classes.  It is what my sister does
    while showing in AQHA point classes.  I call it the
    "handgun position". as that is what your hand looks like.
    
    Another style I use when riding is called "squaw reining".
    The left rein crosses to the right side of the withers, and
    the right rein to the left.  The reins meet in an X at the withers,
    and you hold your hand w/ knuckles toward the horse's head.  
    This is good for when riding an english horse one handed.....
    
    Lynne