He is so hot in the ropin box how do i calm him?

Question

im just startin a break away horse and iv only pushed 10 cows on him and hes already hot to were he almost wont go into the box iv scored many of times but that doesnt seem to work what do i do he tracks really good and all but maybe i pushed him to much since hes just started and ruined him........so then how can i fix my mistake?!?!

Answer 1

I did this a LOT of years ago with an old QH gelding (Well he was about 7 when we started ropin'.).  Because it was so much like a starting gate (He was an EX race horse.), I made him just stand there quietly as they ran cattle through.  IF this isn't your ropin' arena, this is going to be a costly fix for you unless the owner takes pity on you.

So, just SIT on him in the box and let them let the cattle through.  Once he's quiet doing that, then let them let the cattle out once again and WALK him out once the steer is released.  Then try a TROT and finally a LOPE but don't change gears until he's absolutely QUIET.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Every horse is different, and sometimes scoring isn't the thing that'll calm a horse. So try one of these several times, if it doesn't work move on to another one. It'll take patience but you'll find his calm button :)

If he is EVER calm in the box REWARD him!

Try working him out before heading to the box. 20 Minutes of lungeing could calm his nerves.

Try arriving to competitions early and just walking him around calmly, this way he doesn't think just because he's out there doesn't mean all he's going to do is roping.

You could also try putting him in the box without releasing a cow, (reward him if he's calm) and just walking him out without running him, do this a few times, like scoring without the cow.

Groom & feed him in the box.

With nothing but a halter & lead walk him on the ground in to the box, if he's calm reward him with pats, talk & maybe a treat.

Another trick is once you do get him in the box, just walk him around in it, if he calms down just let him stand, Reward him, then walk him out calmly.

Read your own body language, you may be sending him signals your not aware of. Maybe try putting a calm experienced rider on him to see if he acts any different.

Also think about what food your feeding him and when, make sure your not "fueling the fire".  Feeds high in starch can make them hyper and anxious, while feeds with fiber & oil give a more balanced energy release. Horses are different and just cause you need to feed one horse a high starch feed, doesn't mean you should feed it to all competition horses.

It might take a lot of patience just be persistent.