Last updated on October 8, 2024

6 Practical Tips to Help Resolve Your Horse’s Gate Issues

If you’ve ever been at a horse competition- be it a rodeo, barrel race, jackpot, or show- and had your horse have gate issues, then you know the stress, frustration, and money it can cost you. For the purpose of simplifying things for this article- gate issues can mean fighting you or showing anxiety (to any degree) about going down the alleyway, into the gate, or sitting quietly inside the box. And as any seasoned competitor knows, having a calm, focused, and intentional start can be imperative to having an explosive start and a great run. But if your horse is nervous or throwing a fit at the gate, it can cost you a run.

While there can be a myriad of reasons why your horse may be “refusing” to go in or out of the gate or is very anxious in the box, here are some helpful, tried-and-true tips.

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6 Ways to Help Reduce Gate Issues

1. Have your horse looked at by a trusted performance vet

Many a “never done this before” horse has started freaking out about the gate or the box, simply because they were in pain. Because horses cannot talk, they have to communicate in some way, and sometimes their behavior is the only way that they can get a point across.

2. Consider doing more slow work or scoring

As a competitor, it’s hard to make yourself slow down, but sometimes (okay…oftentimes) that is exactly what your horse needs most. Many of these performance horses are bred “hotter” with a lot of racehorse breeding in the mix. This hot nature means that not doing enough slow work or foundation work can only exacerbate the problem.
Many, many wise horse trainers will tell their students to score at least twice as much as they run or walk the pattern 3-4 times for every run-through.

3. Take time away from the arena or your event

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Horses need to be well… horses. Time riding through a pasture or trotting or loping down the bar ditch can do wonders for your horse’s mind in and out of the arena.
Many horse trainers and competitors don’t spend much time in their actual arena at home if they have access to pasture or fields.
Read 4 Ways to Keep Training Interesting and 4 Ways to Know When It’s Time to Quit Training to get some expert advice on how to keep your horse competition ready without constantly drilling.

4. Use In the Zone Calming Paste to ease the gate issues

One of the main complaints of anyone who uses calming drugs from their veterinarian (or even other calming supplements) is that they “take the fire out of one” and make their horse less competitive.
However, one of the BEST things about ITZ is that it is specifically formulated for performance horses. It does NOT take the fire or the run out of a speed event horse. It calms a horse, makes them more focused, and helps them feel more relaxed to actually compete their best!
Read how ITZ helped the racehorse Smash!

5. There is no substitute for training

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Perhaps, when you take an objective view- or take your horse to a trusted trainer- you will find that your horse’s performance anxiety or refusal at the gate or box is actually a “hole” in their training. Maybe you, as the rider, are asking them to do something that they are not properly trained to do, or you’re asking them in a way they are not familiar with. There is no shame in going back to the drawing board and back to the basics in your horse’s training- no matter how finished they are.

6. Work on your own nerves

MANY times a horse’s “gate issues” are actually a rider’s nerve issues transferring to the horse. Yes, we know that competition can be exhilarating and fun, but it’s easy for the human body to translate that into nervousness instead of joy. There are many exercises that riders can do to help themselves calm down- and, therefore, their horses. Try deep breathing, box breathing, and even visualizing a picture-perfect run and a positive outcome.
Read this blog about how Ali Armstrong keeps mentally prepared for barrel races.

Your Horse’s Gate Issues Are Trying to Tell You Something

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It can be frustrating, and sometimes dangerous, to have your horse act nervous or refuse to get in the gate or box during a competition. It’s important to remember, though, that a horse’s behavior always has a reason behind it. Their reluctance to get into the alley or box might be something as simple as nerves or as serious as a health issue. If you and your performance horse are struggling with gate issues, you can have your vet check them for hidden health problems, reevaluate their training, and try out some ITZ calming paste. It’s also helpful to sometimes do more groundwork instead of intense drills, or just take some time away from the arena and let them simply be a horse.

Contact your local authorized dealer (or head to the website) to order In The Zone calming paste to help calm your horse’s nerves at the gate. Don’t have a dealer close to you? Call Mark Kaylor at 509-301-1798 to become your area’s Animal Element dealer!