Here is my 6 year old Grade medicine hat paint gelding. Joey. He is a started low 2D barrel & pole horse his first season out. running 19sec open. no push!! no aid spurs, leg, reins or clucks & kisses. he goes his own speed!
l work him 4-6 days a week. l have no pen or indoor l have feilds and trails. He does mainly circles, collecting his shoulders, bending and flexing, backing and learning to roll back. hes very dead broke. with needed finihshing tid bits. l do use ground poles to work his flexion and sometimes l pop him over half barrels in his louning. He doesnt wear shoes eaither. l bought him with front ones and took them right off. never lame or soar
His lounging normaly lasts a half hour, full attention on me and im in the saddle for another hour possibly longer and cooling out with flexing and bending ect. backing. l manily trot him, barely cantering and hardly walking his circles, he lopes perfectly in a circle but l like workouts in trot mode.
Could he be faster? l dont wanna push him.
Hes only been in the open ring 4 times, each a better time. and has won money.
What else can l do to work him? like with barrels.
l use alot of rein action, both hands while training (he neck reins) and sometimes l ask for him to move to the left and hes still off to the right, while adding leg?
Just little quarks l cannot get passed.
Over all what do you think of him?
Could he look godo in the english ring? if so, how can l get there from a high headed spirited horse in the saddle? and he does break at the poll nicly nd backs to the moon!

His pictures.
http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q368/Awstang/Horses/StandJoe.jpg
http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q368/Awstang/Horses/Joey1.jpg
http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q368/Awstang/Horses/JOe2.jpg

If you cannot answer all of them thats fine anything is great! and please be honest and serious. l want truthful for a reason please dont think your being rude or mean! :) thank you

Add on if you'd like. im just trying to find way to go places with my horses in life. and any new idea to try and get into please imform me!

wow he;s beautiful! l dont know anything about western but if he goes in a nice frame l think you could do well in hunters flat classes ( l dont know anything about his jumping ability thats why l say flat classes). Handy Hunter classes usually involve 'fun' challenges like backing up a certain # of steps, hand gallop, different lengths of trot, mounting from the ground etc. l do eventing but thought those classes were fun.

l think he is BEAUTIFUL and l would barrel race (i am a barrel racer)but l would put him on little diet, he is just a little bit fat.

l used to show extensively, & l also did a lot of gymkhana. l had one serious barrel horse. But he was not only a barrel horse. He was an all around western performance horse that l also used for barrel racing. l put him through extensive dressage training with an olympic grand prix trainer/judge. That training went in before l ever ran a barrel with him. He was never asked to perform the athletic moves required for barrels until his entire body was fully conditioned, strengthened, & suppled as should be the case in training any athlete. l strongly advise people who want to perform in these kinds of sports to get some basic dressage training & do the conditioning before entering these contests. My guy was never run around a barrel for practice. He was taught the pattern so that when he entered the arena & saw the barrels, he knew where he was going. Beyond that, he was allowed to use his athletic ability with very little guidance from me. He absolutely loved doing it, & could roll back around the barrels without the awkward & sometimes joint damaging movements incurred by horses being forced around the barrels & not conditioned as athletes. He lived a long & productive life without the usual crippling u see in so many ex-barrel racers. l would take up dressage, & make ur guy into an all around athlete. Then decide what u & he love to do together. You have a beautiful horse to work with.

He is gorgeous! If u took him into the english ring, he'd do great in showing cos of his colour, but wether he can change style its up to both of you. The training is quite different, & it depends on what u want to do with him. Since he is so agile, he might like to try gymkhana or dressage. can not really help u with the other stuff since l ride english :) Spirited is not a bad thing, since english can be pretty demanding on their minds with some of the actions in dressage & also have to work a lot on the bit & from behind, so u get a round shape, which l have not seen in western.

such as
http://woodlandhunt.org/pictures/dressage.jpg

I'd try Gymkhanas or even hunter classes if u want to try english. good luck!! :)

sounds like he is comng along just fine. and he is stunning. beautiful conformation and colour is fab! so white!

i think he would look great english, but at the same time he has a great western look about hm

You have a beautiful boy & he would be well suited to western. Because he backs & has natural ability it would be good to see u both doing western reining or pleasure. Barrel racing is great & l commend everyone who does it as it takes real talent but if u want him shown more & out there then the reining or pleasure would be great for it. Yes he could be faster but u really need to condition him very well for it just so he is physically ready & l think something like reining or pleasure will help u with his attention & keeping him cool because he has to concentrate more. He is still a young horse at six & a great age to start in the western. He has the looks too that helps. l suggest that u both take lessons if u want to move into western areas because he really sounds like he has natural ability for this & u will both enjoy it.

He is beautiful! l have a medicine hat paint too.. he looks similar to your Joey, accept his whole face is reddish brown with a strip. His name is Flash and l love hime to peices.!

I'd keep him in western. He probably could be faster but like you said do not push him. Unless he is willing to go faster then go right ahead. Do the different barrel patters. Speed and Clover.
When leg aiding make sure its you use pressure from your right leg to move over to the left. The goal is to move away from the pressure.

Hope l helped some

He is really pretty! l love his markings! l think he would look really good in the English ring!