# Barrel racing prospect...



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Here is from another thread on barrel racing I responded to: 
"First, there is a great book by Charmayne James. If you can pay to ship it, you can borrow mine if you want. She explains starting the barrel horse in a great simplistic way with plenty of diagrams and stuff. Read it if you can. 

Before you run the barrels, your horse should be able to shorten and lengthen her stride, pick up her shoulder, back, stop, and move her hind end and fore end independantly. All of this you're going to need when you start barrel racing and I would ignore the barrels completely until you have all this down (Which sounds like you may).

I do not ride the pattern as much as randie said. I think it gets horses sour on the pattern and I want them to be alert, not bored. I always have the pattern set up though. I will use the barrels to bend around or move in or away from. My barrel horse can do pleasure in a barrel arena. You dont want your horse to start charging away from you the second she sees barrels. You also don't want her to balk when she see's them either. 

Most of my work on my barrel horse is getting him soft and supple, I will run the barrel pattern three or four times three times a week on my finished horse. Change this depending on your horses attention span. 

Before I start, let me say that I dont use pockets. My horse gets sloppy and drops his shoulder and I think you get a cleaner run without pockets. (I also have a stocky 15hh horse. Bigger horses seem to use pockets more). So if I don't mention them, thats why. 

An important part is repitition. Everytime you ride the barrel pattern, ride it the same way. At the walk, be where you would be at the run. 
I start out at the walk obviously. Getting up and out of the saddle, I give the horse her head like I would at a run. You look silly, but it works. Once I get to where I would want her to rate (start slowing down and getting under herself to turn) I sit down and say WHOA. (When you are running, you are going to sit down into the saddle to rate. It all ties in). 

Your horse should be standing still and quiet with her attention on you. If she's not, do some lateral flexing and get her attention on you. If she is too close or too far from the barrel, move her. Once she is where you want her to be (standing still for 3-5 seconds) continue walking around the barrel. Look where you want to be. When you are turning, you should be looking to turn. Dont look at the ground, but look where you want your horse to be in the next stride. Eyes up, but body directing. I usually support my horses shoulder with the inside rein, making sure she doesn't drop it. Ride the entire barrel! Don't stop riding and try to run off when youre 3/4 the way through. Your horse should be round. Her butt shouldnt be swinging out to the side. 
Do this exercise on all three barrels. 

Once your horse starts to become light and starting to tuck her hind end during the turn, I change it up. Sometimes I tell her to stop, but othertimes I dont. This gets the horse listening to me, and gets them to learn to really get down underthemselves. Some people will start to rate, let the horse go two strides past where they want to be, then back to the correct spot. It doesn't work for me, but it does for some people. 

Once it is perfect at the walk, you can move up in gaits. But like I said, I dont like to drill my horses. I want them fresh and listening to me and I dont want to be loping the same pattern for 20 minutes. Most of my pattern work is done at a controlled lope or a forward trot. I will RUN the pattern maybe once a session or once a week depending on the horse and his mood. 

I also do a lot of hill work, trails, dressage, and lunging over trot poles and small jumps. I feel it gets them using their hind end, and keeps their mind fresh."


I use boots when I am barrel racing. I use SMBs. I like to use a snaffle and only use a hackamore on a horse that i am riding with minimal one-handed contact. But some that I have seen used are: 

http://www.smithbrothers.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_X3%2D013193_A_Reinsman%AE+Little+S+Hackamore_E_

Bob Avila Floral Hackamore - Smith Brothers

Not a hack but: Quick Bits - Specializing in Loose Jaw Bits for over 50 years


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

thanks. shes a small horse, and ive done LOTS of ground work, she flexes and everything else she needs to do, her main problem is, since i start from the right side like most people, she is on the right lead at first. but i am haveing a REALLY hard time trying to get her to change leads for the second and last barrel. now my leg is like black with bruises from hitting the barrel. it hurts really bad, but im not going to stop from just a little pain, so i want to keep going. 

she dosnt seem to get board with it, accually, she absoulty loves it. she used to run from me when i went to ketch her, but now she comes to me, ready to run the barrels. 

she is going to do good once i figure out what im doing wrong, how do you make her change leads to her left? 
thanks


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Are you trying to do flying lead changes? If so, can you do them normally (when not running a barrel pattern)
She's really young, so personally, I wouldn't be trying to work her too hard on the barrels. Most four year olds can't do flying lead changes so it's not too huge of a deal.


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

not really a flying lead change, i mean, it will be once we start to gallop... she just needs to drop her left sholder so she can pocket the last two barrels without killing my leg... is there any excersise to teach her to do that.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

You don't want them to drop her shoulder while turning the barrel. 

As far as the leads, I would just work on them without worrying about barrels. 
One exercise to get her more round and controlling her shoulder is to start out doing a 10m circle in the centre of the arena. Once she is going nicely, ask her to move out with your leg making the circle bigger. This can give you more control when you ask her to move out away from the barrel. 

Them dropping their shoulder is going to hurt your times and cause you to knock more barrels.


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

ok, i wasnt sure, i got that information from someone who THOUGHT they knew what they were thinking about... evdently they didnt... lol. ill try that tomrow.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Good luck!


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## randiekay215 (Feb 6, 2009)

Cowboys girl said:


> thanks. shes a small horse, and ive done LOTS of ground work, she flexes and everything else she needs to do, her main problem is, since i start from the right side like most people, she is on the right lead at first. but i am haveing a REALLY hard time trying to get her to change leads for the second and last barrel. now my leg is like black with bruises from hitting the barrel. it hurts really bad, but im not going to stop from just a little pain, so i want to keep going.
> 
> she dosnt seem to get board with it, accually, she absoulty loves it. she used to run from me when i went to ketch her, but now she comes to me, ready to run the barrels.
> 
> ...


 



Have you tried seeing how she does starting from the left instead? I know I tried going right, left, left and I was really struggling with Bandit's lead changes that way, so I tried going left, right, right and he does soooo much better!! Horses are just like people, either right "handed" or left "handed".... I really wanted to start from the right, but Bandit had different plans. Its just a suggestion. I know it fixed my problem!


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

randiekay215 said:


> Have you tried seeing how she does starting from the left instead? I know I tried going right, left, left and I was really struggling with Bandit's lead changes that way, so I tried going left, right, right and he does soooo much better!! Horses are just like people, either right "handed" or left "handed".... I really wanted to start from the right, but Bandit had different plans. Its just a suggestion. I know it fixed my problem!


 
thats a good idea, but she already has figured out which way to go, i might go ahead and try it... she also is really young and already nos da pattern, so i dont want to screw her up...


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## BuckOff41570 (Nov 15, 2008)

What I like to do starts in the slow work. For the lead change I get the horse use to setting himself up for it while trotting.I ask him to turn the first barrel nice a round, then ask for a counter arc coming out of it. The counter arc will teach your horse to finish the barrel as well as get him thinking about switching that lead. You really want them to wanna switch right after the first rather than just before the second. Doing that will only encourage the horse to drop into the barrel. 

Once the trot work is good and the horse is really thinking pick up that outside shoulder after the first, I work up to a lope. If the horse doesnt try to switch despite the counter arc work, I'd break the horse down for a simple lead change while still maintaining the proper body position (Don't let the horse just fall into his lead) No trotting more than a stride or two. Eventually the horse will get it down without a problem.


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## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

You have to remember, teaching a horse to barrel race has nothing to do with galloping them around the barrels everyday.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

mayfieldk said:


> You have to remember, teaching a horse to barrel race has nothing to do with galloping them around the barrels everyday.


*Very* true


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

mayfieldk said:


> You have to remember, teaching a horse to barrel race has nothing to do with galloping them around the barrels everyday.


thats not what ive been doing. ive walked the barrels untill i couldnt stand it any longer before even trying to trot. ive done ground work and still do, i dont just practice barrels on her, i take her on a trail ride some too, so she dosnt just hate it.


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## onetoomany (Dec 10, 2008)

Cowboys girl said:


> thats not what ive been doing. ive walked the barrels untill i couldnt stand it any longer before even trying to trot. ive done ground work and still do, i dont just practice barrels on her, i take her on a trail ride some too, so she dosnt just hate it.


Sorry not to sound rude but you can walk all darn day and still be doing the pattern incorrectly. Practice makes permanent- not perfect. Also if she is only four, go back to basics and get a solid foundation with lateral work. This is the foundation work for teaching flying lead changes it will also help if you need to pick up a dropping shoulder. If you are having issues it is time to slow down and backtrack. Nobody is saying you are making her sour on barrels and you are doing the right thing by taking her on trail rides and doing ground work etc. It's just that if she is dropping her shoulder and you can't get a lead change out of her, maybe it is time for more slow work. Good luck.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

Barrels are something that takes a lot of time as well a patients. Your horse is still pretty young, and from how it sounds you are not trying to become a futurity champ or anything, so I would not have a real need to rush things (not saying you are, just trying to give some helpful thoughts). The way I look at it, if you slow it down, don't focus as much on the pattern, you will have a lot stronger horse as an end result which is usually a goal of most good barrel racers. You would rather have that, then a horse that is fast now and knows the pattern, but becomes nutty later on. 

Spastic pointed out about Charmayne James book on barrel racing, which I also recommend. She gives a lot of great training advice for both horse and rider, plus reading is a great way to pick up new pointers. You will find that a lot of the very best trainers know that barrel racing is not all about the pattern. Switching it up and even cross-training with other disciplines is a great way to achieve a well rounded horse and an even stronger barrel horse. Your horse is young and has a long full life ahead of itself, I'm sure you two will be wonderful.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

Whoops, meant to say patience.


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

onetoomany said:


> Sorry not to sound rude but you can walk all darn day and still be doing the pattern incorrectly. Practice makes permanent- not perfect. Also if she is only four, go back to basics and get a solid foundation with lateral work. This is the foundation work for teaching flying lead changes it will also help if you need to pick up a dropping shoulder. If you are having issues it is time to slow down and backtrack. Nobody is saying you are making her sour on barrels and you are doing the right thing by taking her on trail rides and doing ground work etc. It's just that if she is dropping her shoulder and you can't get a lead change out of her, maybe it is time for more slow work. Good luck.


 
i no ur not trying 2 sound rude, but neither am i. walking wrong will be permanent, i know, but she will change leads when shes walking... she may be young, but u have NO idea how smart this horse is... shes like a horsey prodagey!! lol. there is nothing to slow down, like, i no. stop barrels for a while, but thats not going to do any good. i cant do ANYTHING slower, so i dont want people to tell me to. srry if im being 2 rude, but thats jst my attutied. thankx.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

What do you mean she changes leads when she is walking..?


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## onetoomany (Dec 10, 2008)

Cowboys girl said:


> i no ur not trying 2 sound rude, but neither am i. walking wrong will be permanent, i know, but she will change leads when shes walking... she may be young, but u have NO idea how smart this horse is... shes like a horsey prodagey!! lol. there is nothing to slow down, like, i no. stop barrels for a while, but thats not going to do any good. i cant do ANYTHING slower, so i dont want people to tell me to. srry if im being 2 rude, but thats jst my attutied. thankx.


... horses don't have leads when walking... so please clarify. If you are having problem with her lead changes that means going back to lateral work to work on getting her to push her hips over off leg pressue. Lead changes should start in the hind and move to the fore. Doing lateral work means slowing down. I don't understand what you mean by saying you can't slow down. You can always slow down unless your horse is out of control, which is a whole 'nother issue. If you mean you are bored with doing slow work... tough luck that's horses and life. If you don't want to listen to people's advice, then don't post a question asking for advice as you have pretty much shot everyone else's advice down. Since you obviously know so much better, why don't you tell ME what YOU think you need to do.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

Cowboys girl said:


> i no ur not trying 2 sound rude, but neither am i. walking wrong will be permanent, i know, but she will change leads when shes walking... she may be young, but u have NO idea how smart this horse is... shes like a horsey prodagey!! lol. there is nothing to slow down, like, i no. stop barrels for a while, but thats not going to do any good. i cant do ANYTHING slower, so i dont want people to tell me to. srry if im being 2 rude, but thats jst my attutied. thankx.


One, I agree that your horse cannot change leads at a walk. Secondly, I am just curious as to what you mean by cannot do anything slower? Are you referring to the fact that you cannot go slower than a walk? Or you don't want to move her down from a faster gait? 

Taking her off the pattern can actually do a lot of good. You do not want to drill the pattern into her brain at such a young age. Like I said before, taking it slow is not a bad thing at all. Mixing it up can actually benefit your horse a lot in the long run. I am sure that you have a very intelligent horse, but sometimes intelligence has nothing to do with it, at the end of the day she is still young. Mentally she may not be prepared for everything that is coming at her, slowing it down a step may really help her in the long run. I am not trying to tell you how to train or sound rude, but at the same time you did ask for advice.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I think she was saying that she is already taking it slow, she can't physically do it any slower than a walk...


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

wild_spot said:


> I think she was saying that she is already taking it slow, she can't physically do it any slower than a walk...


thank u sooo much! thats exactly what i mean! and if yall think that i havnt got tips from so many people who have barrel raced all their life... i posted this for tips, not accusions.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

No one is trying to accuse you of anything, you asked for advice and that is what you got. I simply asked about you going slower because you did not clarify very well.


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## Cowboys girl (Mar 13, 2009)

well, im srry if u didnt mean it that way but thats how it sounded. u asked it kinda like an accusion.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I have been barrel racing my entire competitive career. I am giving you tips, not accusations just like I think other people are doing. It is not personal.
Us barrel racers just put an emphasis on slow because it is so easy to scew up your horse if you push it past it's limit (speed, amount of work, number of repetitions, whatever). 
If you are only walking the barrels, get off the barrels. You are still training for barrels even though you're not doing the pattern.

I still dont understand what you meant by walking leads..


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## bilyeuamber (Mar 2, 2009)

I have trained barrel horses for years now and the most important thing is to be consistant. I would highly suggest doing some balance exercises so that you dont need the horn when you begin running the pattern. That way you can have both hands on the reins at all times for complete control of your horse. I wouldnt suggest using a hackamore in barrel racing. They are actually quite harsh on a horses jaw. Everyone thinks that they are easier on a horse because there isnt a bit in their mouth, but it is actually the opposite. The shanks are so long on a hackamore that when you pull back, it puts tons of pressure under their chins. About 4 times as much pressure as a regular bit would. But, if thats what the horse works with and wont work with anything else, its up to you. All of the barrel horses that I have trained, including my own work great with a bit as simple as a tom thumb. I hope this helps you and gives you something to work with, good luck!


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I just have to say... While I do beleive in the taking it slow school of thinking, I never knew that when I started gaming my arab. I just got in there and did those races, as fast as I could, everytime. Sure, as I started, my turns were massive, it took me ages to stop... But everytime he got a little better, and after doing it for a year or two, he is now our zone gaming championship 5yrs running. Of course, his personality contributes to that, but he can now pack little kids around a barrel course at a lopey canter, or run winning times with me, all with a cool head and awesome form. He (or I!) didn't know how to move his shoulder, lengthen, etc. We learnt as we went along what worked and what didn't. While I wouldn't do it that way again, I do beleive that getting out there and running the pattern at comps is the best way to get your horse going. It doesn't replace the training and pattern work at home, but it is still important.


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