perplexed

[myway18]

Not sure what is going on.  Have a 4 yr old pacer training on a half mile track, non- winner of two.  In a jog cart can a 59 mile with no problem.  On race night will go one trip and looks like a million dollars warming up.  BUT once he gets to the gait he gets "lost".   Will run, get back on stride, run again, his legs are going all over the place.  Would never know it was the same horse you had warmed up earlier or trained in the week. Had two vets exam him and neither had any major issue. Also had him scanned.

Your thoughts?

[Old and Slow]

If he can go in 59 to a jog cart he seems to have some ability.  Is he good gaited? Does he hit a knee?

Does he jog and train by himself or with other horses?

It may just be he gets too wound up behind the gate.  You might try ear cones to keep him calmer. http://www.bigdweb.com/Ear-Hoods/products/390/

If it's an issue with the gate, if you have access to a leader hook him to that for 5 miles a day (around 17 MPH) and he'll get used to following the gate. Then sit behind him behind the gate and have the leader like the start of a race. They generally get it pretty quickly.

How many lifetime starts?  It takes some horses a while before the light bulb goes on and they figure it all out.

Good luck with him.

[Alabam]

There is a chance you have him hooked back too far in the race bike; thus messing up his balance. If the driver leans way back there could be too much uplift for the horse to handle. Try training him in a race bike and sit the same as your driver does.  Or hook the horse out futher in a heaver bike and ask the driver to sit up in the seat rather than lay back so much.   Good luck with him.

[Old and Slow]

Good points, Alabam

[Gilligan]

jog cart to the race bike seems to be where the problem is at