I have a four year old that I started and put into training about three months ago to try him out as a rope horse. When I gave the horse to the trainer he was in a medium shank snaffle, no tie down yet and had been following cattle. I had roped a few off of him but just in the pen. No stopping or turning. It's three months later and this horse is already in a ported chain and is rearing the the box. I feel like they're rushing him hence the rearing in the box and the need for the 'bigger' bit. My question is: Are my feelings correct? Should this horse already be in a ported chain?

Re: rearing in the box - If the horse is acting up in the box now, it will only get worse in time - the trainer should allow the horse time to settle and realize the box is a good place to be. Is this a new issue? where the horse is figuring out what's going on and getting wound up about it? And just a bump in his training? Talk to the trainer, see if he's doing something to change that habit - see how many he scores - if he'll put the horse up without even roping any - if he's quiet in the box. Find out if it's just a short issue that he's working to resolve.

Re: bits. I had a nice head horse that I could use a short shanked broken mouth bit to rope...my husband's heel horse loved a medium shanked Billy Allen mouthpiece and was light and responsive even roping in that. I don't think a well trained rope horse *HAS* to go in a harsher bit, if he's broke and responsive. My husband has a ported chain bit - and has used it before but he's not heavy handed. Watch the hands riding as ANY bit can be harsh - he may be using that bit for more subtle cues. 

It's hard to give advice via the Internet - but I'd go watch the trainer - how is he working with the horse? Talk to the trainer, ask questions, and in the end, go with your gut... and what that's telling you on his abilities. 

Yeah, I agree with you on the gut thing...I'm not too impressed with the trainer so far. He says he "scores a bunch" but what that means I don't know. Unfortunetly I have a day job now and can't watch him but when I get off early and catch up. He's got nothing but good things to say about the horse but I've been in this business a long time so that means very little to me :) He's been "turning the corner" for a few weeks now...I think what made my ears perk up is that he says he can finish him in 90. That's impossible.

Anyway, the horse will walk in the box quiet, turn around and back up nice but if he has to wait more than a couple of seconds, he rears. The scary part is when he rears, he turns and ends up either straddling the box rails or the cattle chute. When he is quiet, he leaves nice, flat. low...and FAST. Being a Peppy San grandson, he's a watchy horse anyway, tends to weave when he's excited, always has since he was little so I'm thinking he may just be a little young in the head for this job yet. So, I'm taking him out of training and am just going to score on him A LOT for the next few months, keep working on his reining training (this horse drags his ass like a wormy dog haha!) and take him on loooong trail rides. I may end up dumping the roping thing with him as a primary job for a while.

I agree with you about the bit as well...My grey rope horse carries a ported chain and loves it but I've got light hands, he's a finished guy, scores like a wooden indian but gets a little pushy sometimes. I understand that, he knows a lot more than I do.

Never having trained a Rope Horse before, this is all new to me I've always started the youngsters and done the Reining but the basics in patience are still there, so it's nice to know that my gut feelings are validated, Thanks for the advice Roper! I appreciate it.

The rearing up and getting into the rails of the chute would definitley concern me and IMO, the trainer should be addressing THAT issue first - as it's a safety issue for both horse AND rider.

We had a PSB grandson too, and boy, was he a handful. Part of it was the training that had been done prior to us getting him - he'd learned to buck - and was getting better and better. I do think horses like that - while they need a job - they can't be manhandled into something - they tend to fight back. I agree with your line of thought - score a bunch. Heck, work his butt in the arena and let him rest in the box. Let him realize that it's his happy place. He's probably a pretty smart pony and has figured out backing in the box means turning the speed on - and let's GO NOW. Then gets pissy when he has to wait for it. 

LOL! I have been working my little paint boy who's 4 too - this fall my hubby will hopefully start tracking some in the arena - once I have a pretty solid handle on him. He's nearly there. We don't have a dirt arena, but when I go show, and ask for a stop, he drops his butt too - so it's making me want to haul to a good pen and really work on those stops as I think he has it in him to really drag it too! My last horse was a pro at stopping on his front end - talk about teeth jarring! He was an awesome head horse - but also kicked butt in english and jumping. 

I think a lot of the training principles apply across the board - and if something's not "feeling right" - it probably isn't. And horses are pretty forgiving creatures - though it may take some time to help them out of bad training, it's rarely impossible.