Training Barrel Horses

Lesson 1: Choosing the Perfect Barrel Horse

When looking for a great barrel horse, where do you start? How do you know what to look for, what warning signs to avoid? This lesson will provide you with those answers and more.

Conformation and Breeding

First let’s look at what exactly conformation is. Conformation describes the physical qualities of a horse that can reveal a great deal about that horse’s health and ability to withstand physical exertion. With a trained eye, you’ll be able to look over a horse carefully and tell whether or not he has good conformation and will be a good fit for what you want to do with him. To put it more plainly, a horse with good conformation is one who looks as though all of his parts belong together.

When you hear someone say they don’t want to buy a horse because he’s a swayback, for instance (meaning the horse’s back dips down severely in the middle, rather than the gentle curve of a normal back), you may think this is purely an aesthetic thought. But the swayback in this case does contribute to the horse’s overall conformation—not as much, granted, as the horse’s legs, but it does contribute. The idea behind this is that if one part of the horse is ill-fitted to the rest of him, it will either make athletic exertion more difficult and/or make him much more prone to injury.

There are exceptions in the case of these small aspects of conformation like a horse’s back, or his head. There are horses who may be swayback or have a small head with a large body who are great athletes, but these are the exception. So if you’re buying a horse specifically for barrels, I wouldn’t recommend ignoring any aspect of his conformation. But one part of conformation that should never be overlooked is the horse’s legs, feet, and to an extent, his neck.

When you look at a horse you’re considering for barrel racing, step back from the horse and take a good, long look at him and his legs especially. Looking at him from the side, how do his legs and feet look? Are they straight and strong? Move around and look at him from all angles, especially from the front and the back of the horse. Make sure his legs are straight, that he’s not pigeon-toed (where his toes are pointing in), splay-footed (where his toes are pointing out), or one hoof is naturally at a different angle than the others. Things like this will eventually cause some sort of problem or injury in the horse’s athletic competition.

After looking at him from all angles, pick up his feet and feel his ankles, legs, and hooves in your hands. Do his hooves feel hard or soft? Is there any excessive heat in his legs or ankles? If you’re not sure if he actually feels hot or if it’s just his natural body heat, run your hands over the horse elsewhere and compare the temperature to your touch. Heat in a horse’s body like this means infection, or at least that something is not right and could shortly lead to infection. This is something to remember forever when dealing with horses. It will definitely come in handy.

Now, something I want to really stress is this: If you look at a horse that has had repeated leg injuries, then please, don’t buy him and use him for barrels. I’ve seen several people who buy a horse like this (a horse that may even have an injury at the time they buy him), expecting him to be all better now, and this type of horse—in my experience—has never gotten better, at least when faced with highly exerting physical work like barrels. A horse’s legs are, to a large extent, his life, and if he has had repeated injuries, it’s doubtful that he’ll be able to withstand a sport like this.

The types of leg injuries I’m talking about are not the accidental, everyday bumps and bruises; what I mean are injuries that are caused from strain, usually from the inside of the horse (in other words, he strains ligaments or tendons, or pulls muscles, etc.). On the other side of the coin, though, a horse that has a nasty habit of constantly getting bumped, bruised, and cut on his legs may not be a good barrel horse, either; as stated above, a horse’s legs are his life. Keep this in mind when picking out your horse.

If you’re not sure about the horse’s past injuries, look for scars or tenderness. Also watch the horse at his natural state, in the pasture or stall, and watch how he moves and if he seems careful and graceful, or clumsy and unaware. Something else to keep in mind at this stage, however, is the horse’s age. If he seems clumsy and unaware but he’s only two and a half years old, it could very well just be because he’s still so young. Of course, getting the details from the current owner is important; if you feel that you’re not sure that person is being up front with you, it may be better to avoid that situation altogether.

Now, a note on breeding. A lot of people place a great deal of importance on breeding; some won’t even look at a horse without the right blood. Personally, I’m more in between—I have seen some great, athletic, intelligent horses that had no real breeding, but I’ve also seen the same in horses with it. A note to keep in mind: Some of the most successful barrel horses have been bought on the cheap—they weren’t one of those expensive, “well-bred” horses.

Something to keep in mind is that if you buy a horse with great bloodlines, you’ll (usually) get two things for certain: 1) an excellent, athletic body on the horse; and 2) an easy re-sale if you ever decide to sell the horse. Often, bloodlines can also mean greater intelligence or a good, solid personality; but it’s not guaranteed. Basically, in my personal opinion, good breeding can be a helping hand, but it’s not a guarantee by a long shot. My recommendation to you is to go with the horse you feel will fit you the best and will be a great barrel horse, and I’ll leave it at that.

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