Barrels, poles and flags oh my

[Pinto Paso]

This was his first run off of his practice area...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OYzsENf2dQ

I think this may have been his first try at poles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH-KaS2QH6g

And this one was very impressive - competing against ONLY Quarter Horses (12 or 13 of them) and he placed 3rd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1vfACBuCo

[Pasogirlz]

Those freaking ROCK! How often do you compete in those events? :D

[ErinC]

o know where is Abbie :shock:

[Carol Nelson]

Hey, that's what my Pequena Flor's new owner plans to do with her!!! How exciting! She already does it with the Pasos she has...!!! :D

(Has done it in some pretty good time too, she says!)

[Pinto Paso]

Disclaimer...
I trained him on barrels, the key hole, team penning and heeling..

While we may have trained him for speed and cattle events the new owners have a friend who is competing him for them... on these videos

The new owners just put him on the flag race and pole bending and he took to it like a real pro...

[greyhorsewoman]

We also enjoy the horse games ... but I prefer to do them in gait. It's still surprising how often we place ... something to do with 'accuracy' and a ground eating largo. We like poles/keyhole/flag/can races.

The folks often ask if she can canter and/or gallop ... but at my age ... I really prefer the 'cadillac' style of riding. I tell them it's my 'handicap' not hers.

Great fun!

[Pinto Paso]

Lori - we go to the local arena and play around right now as I dont have another horse in training for speed events. I have a very good prospect that will be in training this fall.

The current owners of Tiempo go out probably atleast once a month and compete..

Right now my primary training will be for Desi in reining after the spring show.

Training to be competative in speed events and in the ranch horse competitions is very time consuming and the horses are really worked.

We also hand pick the horses we think will do well in the events, so that means I dont always have a prospect in the barn...Not all Pasos can do this at a competative level but everyone can go out and have fun with their local groups that hold these events.

[Pasogirlz]

REINING TOO! OMG, we must have video of that. 8-)
We are not demanding around here at all are we?

[PASOFAN]

Very very cool!! The only games we play is soccer w/the boys, that is very fun too! :D

[CarolU]

Great! That was his first run thought the poles??? That is GREAT! She puts him through 10 more times so he KNOWS them, he'll be greased lighting!

Awesome flag run there!

Too fun! Oh, what fond memories!!! THanks for sharing

[Pinto Paso]

He is the kind of horse that will give his all to every command - he'll run till you tell him to turn or stop or spin, he'll slide when you ask for a stop and then go again so it doesnt surprise me that he does so well first time out. They are doing so well with him.

[Pasogirlz]

He sounds like a really exciting ride. I love to ride a good cow horse like that. Plus gaited.... 8-) That's the kind of Paso my dad would dig. He thinks the show pasos are working too hard, he hates to watch them. Says he feels sorry for them :lol:

[Pinto Paso]

You're right he is a hoot to ride..

I almost forgot about his nephew... we may have two in our little project Lori.... This colt has a very natural low style that I used to look for in my cutting horses (he is just smaller)... he has a great work ethic just like his uncle but not quite as much play drive - this is OK in a competion type horse..
Here he is setting for a stop
http://pintopaso.photosite.com/~photos/tn/6406095_1024.ts1164342244000.jpg

coming down into gait from a canter
http://pintopaso.photosite.com/~photos/tn/6402442_1024.ts1164327869000.jpg

[appyday]

Wow what great runs..I was very impressed...

[Pasogirlz]

Is that the horse in your avatar? *keep me straight here. ;-)

[Pinto Paso]

yes it is - I just started him this past winter - always Paso training first, then outside disciplines...

[Pinto Paso]

and now with all of my tack from Appyday - they are all working even better :smile:

[PasoJoy]

What a great horse!! You must be so proud of him!! :D :D
That is SO much fun!! I took a paso I used to own and entered him in a 'gymkana' and we got a 'blue' ribbon for the poles, and keyhole, and second place for the flag..it was BLAST!!! I never did anything like that with him before....he was a natural at it...my sister freaked when we did a 'turn on the haunches' in that keyhole... :D I have to say if any of you ever have a chance to do this, go for it!!!! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

[Pinto Paso]

Thanks Joy, yes he is quite the horse. One that had the mind and brio for work! I agree, everyone should try it atleast once :D

[ErinC]

OK
how do you know what horses will be good for it?
I would love to train my 3 yr old to do stuff like this some day.
he is built like a tank, and breed for endurance/largo. etc.
he goes in for training this spring.
I know in the pasture he can MOVE.
not sure what he has under saddle yet.

o' and just for you pinto paso - he is a pinto ;-)

[Pinto Paso]

Well that always helps Eric 8-) especially that if it is the sabino in your avatar :!:

I go through a whole process for choosing my performance (not as in PFHA performance classes) I may have to borrow Terry W's term "contest" horses. BUT, I dont consider one until they have been started and worked "Paso".

As far a choosing a young Paso it is like with choosing one for show - I look to the parents and lineage, for lines and horses in the pedigree that have proven themselves. Since not many have been doing this with Paso Finos up close in the pedigrees it is slightly more difficult than choosing from other breeds. After raising our own for many years now we know which of our lines are best suited, as for outside horses - I fall back on my Paint and QH years and what I looked for in my reining and cutting horses back then.

All horses can do this - some better, some more willingly... It sounds like your horse has a background that could lend itself to competition like this.

[ErinC]

Its Erin C--( but that’s OK You are not the first one to think that it was Eric )
Well his lines are , he has Coral 3 times
Take a look.
http://www.pasoregistry.com/db/Tree.asp?ID=112161

What are the lines you look at most for it?

Yes that is him in my avatar.
I will PM you some of his pic’s ( don’t want to bore the crowd – they have seen them a 100 times )

[Pinto Paso]

No my bad - I know it's ERIN but my fingers are too far from my brain this morning.. I must have lost the signal in the long travel
(so sorry) :cry:

[ErinC]

Its OK...
I just wanted to make sure you knew I was a girl!
:D

[Pinto Paso]

Well he sure has the background "alternative" styles... I love the PR lines in his background and we all know that many people are very successful with the Coral lines in distance riding etc. He looks athletic, so now when he is going under saddle you will find out what his mind is like and go from there.

[dana]

Awesome, just simply Awesome!

(i'd say more, if i could only pick my chin up off the floor)

[pasohappy]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v685/cactus12/scan0001.jpg here is Poco Sombre de Oro, at at cutting clinic in the Okanagan Valley. He did fantastic, I am lucky where we are as every spring about 100 head of cattle with there new babies are brought the ranch, to eat the new spring grass and I get ride among them. I hope to go to the cutting clinic again this year. Paso Fino can do it all!!

[Pinto Paso]

awesome Lynn, I love the intensity of your geldings look. There is no doubt that he is participating and not just along for the ride... Yes the Paso Fino is a true working horse...

[greyhorsewoman]

I know I've posted some of these before, so forgive me for repetition. Here is a pic of my husband's gelding ... Hierro, doing teampenning. He has gotten quite the reputation with our local teampenners.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/greyhorsewoman/Teampenning/TPKeithHeirroandcow.jpg

Here is the link to several at our photobucket:

http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/greyhorsewoman/Teampenning/

This horse is such a natural at this. We hope to get some new pics this spring, hopefully, also some video.

[Pinto Paso]

Great shot!! This is what makes our breed so incredible - more and more owners and breeders are starting to appreciate the breed for so many more activitise.. Now if we could just get our association behind us..

[pasohappy]

Wow he looks quick on his feet, don't you find that the Paso's can turn so fast and are so agile. I am not sure about the Paso competeing against a quarter horse in cutting, but would be nice to have a class of paso fino cutters.
what do all of you think. I think the paso would break down sooner cause of so much use of the hind quarters in cutting, there is a lot of power there in those quarter horses hind ends.
Iwould love to Team Pen, that would be a blast.

[greyhorsewoman]

Yes, pasohappy, I agree. Hierro is so quick ... sometimes by the time they 'pen' my husband has lost both stirrups and is just gripping. (He also rides an old McClellan saddle .. no hanging on to no horn!)

One of the common questions he gets asked is 'how do you stay on?' Of course, he has had some experience, Hierro has left him in the dirt a time or two with those turn on a dime spins!

[TrueStepPaso]

So cool! I LOVE LOVE LOVE gymkhana events!

[Terry Wallace]

I think the right kind of Paso would be FINE for cutting... I'm talking about a Paso with a GOOD motor on him, and not a slight, ski-sloped, rafter hipped hiney......

Pasos WERE used to cut cattle back in the day ya know! I have video of a Paso grabbing what looks to be Brahma cattle by the neck and moving the cow around.... the footage is on the very end of the "Whats My Gait" video...

[motorgypsy]

I can't wait to get back to speed events in Florida. They are so much fun.

If you have a "tigger horse" - ones that just loves to go - you can take them in cold to speed events and they will do fine. The first barrel race I ever did I did during a show and had never ridden at a full gallop in my life. Chinook was perfect and her gallop is as flat as a rail so very easy to ride. The time to worry is when they stop after the ride because they tend to bounce a bit.

Brandy is a lot harder to ride in speed events because with her flexy pasterns she "bounds" with these giant leaps and it's very scary.

You also take your stirrups up a bit, wear your protective gear and use a barrel saddle with cage stirrups that has a roughout surface, full seat breeches and have a grab strap also. Then just ride away and have fun.

I used to ride two horses in ten events each once a week a couple of years ago. It was a real rush!!

But you really don't have to go through a lot of training unless you are out to really win. Our guys won anyway with no advance training. We do put smbII's on them for the run, the arena is a good surface and we never push them harder than they are capable of going. Yes we had tons of riding time on them before but not in speed events. They are just naturals for this kind of stuff.

It's really not rocket science unless you are going for the big time. It's just fun!

Here she is getting read to do one of her "turns on a dime"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/CRW_7661.jpg