barrel racing

[Ehley]

hey there..i am thinking about training my arab for barrel racing..but i am wondering how i should start her training for racing barrels and i anyoe could give me some advice
thanxs

Hayley

[leviskipperette]

ok im not an expert but ill give it my best shot...

well the first thing to do is make sure your horse doesnt have a problem with barrels. my arab mare took a week to get used to one of the monsters. just work around it, trot circles and let her sniff it.

once shes used to one set out a few more and allow her to settle down with them. work around them, walk the pattern and do circles around random barrels until she doesnt have problem with them. once you start practicing the pattern, start slow, at a walk, and dont drill it into her head, or shell get bored and sour about it.

then try it at a slow jog, take the pattern to the right and to the left, and from different positions in your riding area. when she comes up to a barrel teach her to slow down and rate, by shifting her down one gear (trot-walk, lope-trot, gallop-lope) until she comes around the back of the barrel, then go back to your original gait. make sure she can handle the turns well, if she starts to go wide or comes in too close, nows the time to fix it before she makes it a habit.

if she handles the jogging well increase speed a bit, to a fast trot or a slow lope. remember to slow down around each barrel. when you start loping her around barrels is when youll find out which lead is her dominant one, if you already havent. most horses take turns best to the left, thats why the first turn is to the right so they can use the last two turns to make up the time they lost. but which way you go depends on the horse.

when shes good with that go on to a gallop, and do the same things. make sure she isnt getting out of hand and just running like mad though. when you go all out in runs youll have to slow down around barrels or you wont make a good turn or you could wipe out. if youve been practicing slowing your horse around barrels she may already know and might slow down on her own. keep your runs neat, its easier to improve a slow neat run than a fast messy one.

some people find it easier to start a run by jumping into a gallop from a stand still, i personally think they are fun to do. but when i did them to start a run my horse got really prancy, and everytime she went by the starting point shed think that she had to jump out, so we stopped. its up to the horse and rider how you start though, which ever is best for you.

another thing, make sure when you start your horse, to go run the pattern, that she isnt jumping around like a maniac. ive seen a lot of barrel horses that are just wound tight and cant stand for one second. allow her to relax before you do a run, just let her stand and breathe, then make your approach, whether its jumping out or jog-canter-gallop.

sorry i wrote you a book! lol, hope it was some help. good luck with your horse. barrel racing is a lot of fun.

-meg

[lollielala]

I agree with leviskipperette... as a barrel racer (though hardly professional), there are alot of ground rules to teaching your horse how to run barrels. My horse Lucky was started on barrels when he was 3, but was never finished. For the past 6 months, I've been perfecting him around the turns. I'd say work on just walking around the barrels for a couple of weeks, letting your horse get used to them. Alot of problems with barrel horses is that they don't rate the barrel, and just run past it. I've seen several horses who come in wide around the first barrel, which ends up ruining the run because they go out wide, and with their nose in the air, not seeing the barrel. So like leviskipperette said, make sure she can handle the turns well, if she starts to go wide or comes in too close, nows the time to fix it before she makes it a habit I trust her advice, we talk alot and she has helped me in many ways, so you can bet she's giving you the best advice she can. Good luck on training your mare and keep us posted on how you're doing with her! :D

[quarterhorsemom]

Its in the legs. Yours and his. He has to know when to change leads etc. YOu have to know when to move him in and when to move him out.
he has to know when to turn. he has to know where he going. Always look to the next barrel as soon as you are first into your barrel turn. Stay aligned! so many riders think they have to lay over etc but you will usually throw off his groove. Stay in your line (tall tree) when coming off barrel three tuck your head and keep your eyes forward. Dont lay on his neck or pull your hiney out of the saddle like so many do . Keep it natural. be one with your horse.
Dont keep practicing with him. He needs to see barrels as adventure instead of oh God here we go again. In other words dont work him every day! YOu want him to see the excitement in the barrels. Mine dont see a barrel until we show up to run at a rodeo etc.
You may want to take him to a play day or 4-h show and watch other riders and ask alot of questions. make it as if you are a reporter and ask the questions a reporter would. watch the horses styles and the riders moves.
I have two barrel horses and a hunter pony who is learning the gaming side of the barn.

[horsecrazychick]

Anyone here know any good exercises for barrel racing when the arena you ride in isn't big enough to actually set up barrels?(or even gallop)

[entreat]

Trees! I used trees out on hacks... we have a nice flat bit with some nice spaced trees & poles. There's about 7 of them in total, and I used to weave in and out of them at random, sometimes in trot, and sometimes canter (when we were really brave). Way more fun than in an arena!

[Cowgirl12]

Working with barrels is the most vital to training, however, things like learning to move your horse's hinquarters and forehand can help LOTS. Doing things like rollbacks are also helpful and doing circle work, which is where you bend your horses head without allowing his feet to move and then giving him your inside leg to make him move into the circle and not letting him out of it until he totally gives to the rein pressure, this teaches the horse to turn when you want him to at the split second you eant him to and not to lean on the rein through the turn. also you should learn to control your horses shoulder so he\she wont develop problems with dropping his shoulder and turning over a barrel. traffic cones help too to teach your horse the position he should be in throughout the turn.

[buffy_vampire]

Anyone here know any good exercises for barrel racing when the arena you ride in isn't big enough to actually set up barrels?(or even gallop)


I dont work my horse on barrels but once a week other times i work with his hind end doing sliding stops and just turning.. to work on his hind end i would back him up a few steps but dont let him take one step foward turn him to the right side and turn him all the way around then he gets used to turning the barrel on his hind end! Someone told me this recently and it really helps! :D Turn trees and any other thing you can find just not a barrel! like ppl said they get tired of doing barrels and it will make them bored and not willing to do it! :)