by: Lyndee Stairs, Feb. 2012
It has to be said: You can have the best horse and be the best rider, but you will still need timing. You have to spend lots of time riding, maybe getting lessons. Watching and analyzing your videos can help too.
When I start a horse on the pattern (after he has all the basics of training) I will approach the pattern with two hands on the reins. This way I can balance my horse to and around the barrel. This means not too much bend and not too little. I can steady my horse by using the outside rein as well as the inside.
As I approach the first barrel, I will move in a straight line to about 10 feet to the side of the first barrel and about two horse lengths back from the line that goes straight between the first and second barrels. There, I will ask for a little nose and turn to the next pocket (spot) on the ground, at the side of the first barrel, about five feet to the side of it. Once there, I will ride to the spot about three feet behind the first barrel and ask for his nose to finish the turn. Always riding to the “point of finish.” This is the spot when you can leave to the next barrel in a straight line. I will leave the first barrel about one foot to the side of it. When I leave the first barrel I want to leave straight. The way you leave a barrel has everything to do with your approach to the next barrel and consequently your time.
From the beginning, correct approach and of course rate are a must. When training a young horse or schooling a more finished one, whatever speed I go to the first barrel, I will slow it down a notch when I get there. I do not speed up as I go around the barrel. Many times turning the barrel twice to reinforce the turn. About a horse length before the barrel, I will sit deep in my saddle and say whoa, then start to gather my horse (tighten both reins). It is very important to have this speed transition and enough pocket (space) so that your horse does not fade in or bow away. I want to keep my horse’s body straight to where I am going also, keeping my body square in the middle of my horse and even pressure on the reins. When I get to my pocket (spot) I will then take his nose and turn.
When your horse knows the pattern and is going a little faster, you can lope to the barrel and then break down to a trot around the barrel. Later you can run to the barrel and then coast around it. This is where timing comes in what you are doing is instilling in your horse that there is a place to slow down and turn, kind of like how you brake before a turn when driving a car.
The way to prevent a bad first barrel is to never have one in the first place. Don’t forget to use body language. Sit deep when you want to slow down and lean forward when you want to go fast. Be sure to keep your feet under you, not behind. Also, when I get behind a barrel and want to leave quickly, I look over at the next spot I want to run to--NOT at the barrel. Never drop your shoulder either, this is a bad habit that will throw your horse off balance and teach him to also drop his shoulder. You see, at the same time you are training your horse you can train yourself.
Barrel horses can all be different but the fundamentals are the same. If you have a horse with a lot of rate, you can continue pushing into the turn instead of slowing down as much. You can also use a little more room around the barrel to keep your horse moving freely.
When a horse has a lot of run and very little rate, you need to instill rate by always going down a notch in speed when you go around the barrel. Get the timing perfect and do lots of slow work.
Next thing to do is go to a lot of other arenas and do practice runs. Remember, at these you do not always have to go at warp speed. Let your horse coast and get his confidence up. Do not take the horse away from home and go faster then he is ready, you will make a mess of a barrel horse. Mistakes made away from home are harder to correct. Try to prevent problems before they happen, and if you are unsure, ask for help.
Next month I will cover some ideas to help solve some specific first barrel problems. Until then, just enjoy the process.
