Arabians and barrel racing

[Ehley]

hey hey I have a 6 yr old 14.3hh arab I am thinking about training her in barrel racing but I dont really know hoe well arabians barel rave does any one have any suggestions or info that could help me
thanxs

Hayley

[leviskipperette]

i did a little barrel racing with my 9 year old arab mare about a year ago. she seemed to enjoy it, we never competed though because she got too excited, and i didnt want to turn her into one of those crazy barrel horses! not that all of them are bad but ive seen some really wound up ones. eek!

-meg

[Jessey]

My arab X tb loves barrels - it just scares the c**p out of me because hes soooo quick, I dont even have to steer - he just knows the pattern and is off!
J

[aphagirlie05]

I won 47 ribbons and was third place high point champion on my barrel circuit with a 16hh arabian gelding. They're extremely smart, and have the stamina and the get up n go to make them excel in barrel racing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise! :D I say go for it! Your gelding will probably do great!

[Cowgirl12]

Breed has nothing to do with how well the horse will preform in a certain discipline, its the horse and its personality, strengths, weaknesses, and fitness that counts.

[PridesAngel03]

If you want to make sure that it doesn't become one of those "crazy" barrel horses, you should make sure that it lopes slow (like for a western pleasure class) and trails nicely and quietly first. Then train it for barrels, changing the style of bit you use. The horse will eventually learn the difference as to what you plan on having it do for you that day simply by what you've taught it. My 21 yr. old arabian knew not to trot with her western bit, which was a problem in a ride a buck class years ago when I neglected to bring any other bits with me that day. The plan was for her to just ride the western classes, but the girl riding her decided she wanted to go in the ride a buck class. Well, all was fine until they just couldn't get this girl to lose her "buck" (a U.S. dollar bill), so they figured they'd call for a posting trot. Well Piggy was in her "western bit" and knew she was to "jog" not "trot" so Amy had to "fake it" and post a jog. That is NOT as easy as it may sound. :o Well she won the class and all the money that came with it. :) But the judges just laughed at her and then realized who she was riding and yelled out to the crowd "That's gotta be Blondy's horse!" All in all it was a fun day.

Piggy knew that whatever saddle and whatever bit I put in her mouth, what "job" was expected of her that day. She's 21 now, and she thinks she "retired" and doesn't have to do exactly as expected anymore. She's rather funny.

Some "Cowboys" where I used to board (actually just moved back to that place) were impressed at "that's an ARABIAN!?!?!" 's speed. We'd joke that you could run the cloverleaf and file your nails on the home stretch and still win, she was so fast. Those "cowboys" never new arabs had that kind of speed.

Piggy would zip zoom full speed around that arena and then come back down to the prettiest western pleasure lope you ever saw. She never became a "crazy" barrel horse because she learned the basics first and was a trail and pleasure horse first and then learned the difference.

With the right rider, they're awesome!

Best of Luck to you.

:)

[marjiva]

I am so glad I found this forum. I recently purchased a 14.3 gelding that was a prior race horse. He seems to love to spin and is very fast. I was wondering how he would do on Barrels. Is there any special treatment they need that a quarter horse doesnt? I know they are not built the same, but I love barrel racing and for some reason this horse seems he would be great at it. The tbs in his field have trouble keeping up with him. He is not a crazy racehorse but is actually quite mild mannered when he needs to be but can do some serious hauling if he needs to .

[PridesAngel03]

Howdy Marjiva!

No they're not built the same as QHs, but are just as sturdy. Don't let the refined looks of the Arab fool you, they can handle much more than your typical QHs and TBs. You don't need any special treatment for your arab. Start by doing circles, lots of circles, without the barrels. When you can get to the point of loping and galloping and make a sudden turn back, then introduce the barrels. Don't start with the barrels as you can easily sour your horse on them, because Arabs learn quickly and get bored easily. They're always looking for something new to do. The fun will come when you take your horse to a barrel show and he knows it's "play time" and says "YAY! I get to run and play today!" Make it fun, not a job or chore. If your horse loves to run, then he'll learn that when he sees the barrels it's time to go! But if you work him on barrels all the time, he just won't care. Making it fun for him will make him competitive and make him want to best his time each time rather than worrying over how well he did against the others.

Best Wishes to you!

Blondy ;)

[Bacharel]

Im training my Arabian to do barrels for the up-coming season too! Im me on my AIM screen name PinknSassyB-Im interested in talking to people who are in the same situation as me!