by: Lyndee Stairs, Dec. 2011
I used to ride cutting horses (what a thrill), then I realized that I did not like paying for someone else’s opinion. Since then, there has been a long series of good quality consistent horses in our barn. At the Stairs Ranch we have about a dozen barrel horses in training at all times. The excitement of starting a young horse on barrels is what keeps me doing this year after year. The competition is what keeps me coming back. I like the clock.
A consistent barrel horse is a well trained, really broke horse that will move all five body parts including his legs on cue. He will work off your legs, reins, body and voice commands and not fall apart under pressure.
There is no magic recipe to make a barrel horse. Just repeat the same correct things over and over at the right time from the beginning and the horse will learn. Don’t get in a hurry, but continue to advance your training a little at a time. Put increasingly more pressure on your horse by adding small increments of speed as he gets solid on the pattern. I also use a lot of praise. Be sure to back off the speed if your horse starts to get frustrated. Speed up, then slow down, then speed up again. It sounds simple but requires a lot of patience. Horses, like people, do not learn from the beginning going at a gallop — start slow. When my colts are loping a good solid pattern, then I pick up the speed.
The foundation is only the beginning. Seeing how a horse learns and matures into a seasoned barrel horse is exciting. There is no way to do this except by hauling and many hours in the saddle. He needs to go and see the banners flapping and hear the people screaming, etc. Seasoning is just getting a horse used to everything he may encounter on the road.
Getting a horse from the first stages of training to that of making good solid runs requires patience and consistency. A trainer must take his time to make a good finished product. Never be afraid to go back to basics if the horse seems to be having problems. I have found if a portion of the foundation of a horse’s training is missing, you will get into trouble later on when the speed hits.
The futurity season is here, but don’t forget, all of your training should be based on the long haul and making a solid barrel horse. We all want a horse that will continue running and winning after their futurity year.
So until next time, just enjoy the process.
{jcomments on}
