Training Barrel Horses

Lesson 3: Training the Perfect Barrel Horse

Longeing and Flying Lead Changes

Longeing is one of the greatest tools available for us with which to train and tone our barrel horses. It seems simple and maybe even unnecessary on the surface, but believe me, it works wonders, especially if your horse hasn’t been listening to what you ask of him. Try it, even if it’s just for a few minutes, and post a discussion about how it went and any questions that may have arisen from your experience!

Longeing a horse is the process where you stand while you have your horse lope or trot, or even walk, around you in a circle. It can be used simply for exercise or for a training and fine-tuning tool. The most important aspect of longeing your horse is that it teaches him to pay attention to YOU. This is especially helpful with a horse that enjoys not taking anything seriously. Even the setup of longeing focuses the horse's attention on you--for a time, you're the center of his world, so to speak. With many horses, it teaches the horse to calm down and simply pay attention and try to do what you want him to do. It can really help to develop a good relationship between you and your horse, and to help you work together when you're up on his back instead of on the ground, as well.

It is possible to longe your horse with a somewhat long lead rope; however, a longe line allows more room for you and your horse to experiment with. A nylon longe line works fine, although there are more expensive versions out there. Mine is just plain nylon, and I like to tie knots in it at the distances where my horse and I feel the most comfortable. Also, using a longe line is safer for your hands, since often with a regular cotton lead rope you can get rope burns.

Another tool I like to use when starting a horse on longeing is a longe whip. Of course the whip is not used to whip the horse, but simply for a long tool that you can use to cue your horse. Often the horse may try to stop, or to turn around, or come towards you, or to run away with your longe line, or several other things that the whip is helpful to prevent.

First, it's good to start your horse on a somewhat short length of line. Basically, I'm assuming that you and your horse already have some ground discipline and he respects your space. Let some of the line out and step back, urging your horse to move around you in one direction or the other. At first the horse may be somewhat confused, assuming he's never been longed before. Have patience--as in teaching a horse anything--and use the whip to cue him. You can use the hand holding the longe line to urge him forward as well. Lead him around you in whichever direction you're wanting him to go by simply dramatizing it with your hand, moving it in the correct direction and allowing him to see where you want him to go.

Before long the horse should be getting the idea and walking, if somewhat haltingly, around you. Be sure to let the horse know this is what you want him to do. Talk to him and let him know by your tone of voice that he's doing the right thing. Allow him to walk around you in several complete circles before asking for more speed.

As I said, I'm assuming that you have ground discipline with your horse already, at least to the point where you can communicate with him and without him running over the top of you. As far as communication, let him know you want him to go faster when you feel he's getting the general idea, and only then. If you try to rush him too much, it will only hurt the process and delay his learning what you want even more.

As your horse continues to trot and/or lope around you, you should notice and feel his concentration centering more and more on you and/or calming down and focusing on what you want him to do. One important thing to remember is to be sure and longe your horse in both directions--don't allow him to move in just one direction. I like to be sure the horse knows this basic concept because it applies to so many things in training, on his back or on the ground.

When you feel your horse is getting the idea, or after he gets the desired amount of workout, stop him by simply raising your hand holding the longe line up in the air. Be sure and talk to him and communicate to him what you want from him. When the horse stops, and probably turns to look at you and your raised hand, urge him towards you. When you stop your horse after longeing, you want him to stop, turn toward you, and walk straight up to you and stop there. After you get your horse to come to you, be sure and reward him for doing as you want him to do.

Now onto flying lead changes. This is an absolutely essential ability for a barrel horse to have—this ability shaves seconds off your barrel racing time. Just as important, a horse that can do flying lead changes on a cue is so much more versatile than one that can’t—he’ll be able to make any event or exercise easy (or at least, easier than it normally would be). And contrary to popular belief, teaching your horse flying lead changes isn’t that difficult.

A lead is simply whatever foot with which a horse is leading his lope or run. For example, a horse is in his right lead when both his right front and right rear legs are "leading" his left, basically coming first, before both of his left legs.

Changing leads is important for a horse to know for a large variety of sports, exercises, and situations. It's essential for barrel racing and other equine sports, but also for improving the horse's athletic ability, speed, and agility. Another plus is that teaching him to change leads strengthens the bond between you and your horse, like anything positive that you teach him.

Begin at your training area. If you don't have access to an arena with good footing, find a good flat area with no holes, obstructions, or other dangerous objects. I like to start by riding my horse at a walk and/or trot around the area to get him used to the place and the footing. After a couple of minutes of that, begin walking your horse in a large circle in either direction. You want him to understand where you're going to be going, how you're going to be moving. After about two or three complete circles, start trotting him. I like to be traveling at a fast trot by this time, giving him a chance to realize what you're doing at a fast pace, but still not loping.

After a few times around at a fast trot, start loping. If your horse is ringy or likes to run, don't worry about slowing him down to a slow lope--which is what you want. The circle configuration will teach your horse more patience and gradually slow him down on its own, which makes loping circles a fantastic training exercise in itself.

Usually after a few complete circles, the horse begins to calm down and understand that you're simply loping slowly in a circle. The key thing to notice at this point is which lead your horse is in. Make sure that if you're loping in a circle to the right, your horse is in his right lead, and vice versa. If you're not sure how to tell while you're on his back, there are a few ways.

We'll use the right lead again for an example. If you're loping in a circle to the right, look down at your right foot. If your horse is in the correct lead, his right, your own right foot should be further forward than your own left foot. Another way to tell which lead he's in is to look down at his inside--in this case, his right--foot. You should be able to see it reaching out first, and further ahead, of his opposite foot.

Also, if the horse is in his wrong lead, you should be able to feel it. By "feel it," I mean that you should be able to tell with your hips. This usually takes a little practice and experience, but if you start noticing these kinds of things right away in your training, it will make the journey that much easier and faster. If your horse is in his right lead, your hips should be tilted somewhat so that your right hip is basically lower than your left. This is something that is important in teaching your horse to change leads--besides cueing him with your legs, hands, and voice, teach your horse to also notice your hip movements in lead changing. This puts a responsibility on you as the rider to remember these details so that you don't confuse your horse, and, for example, put more weight into your right hip than your left when you want him to be in his right lead.

Another important thing to be aware of is your horse and how he's breathing after a while of exercising. Be sure that if your horse isn't in the best of shape, and even if he is, that you give him a breather periodically. Since a horse's lungs are of the utmost importance to his health, be aware of how he's breathing at all times. Also, one of the most important keys to training horses, especially young horses, is not to wear out your horse while teaching him something. Similar to people, the more tired they are, the less they feel like learning and the less they retain; also, it will make them less than enthusiastic the next time they see you coming toward them with a bridle. A good, healthy workout is what we're wanting.

If your horse is in the wrong lead, here's how to get him to change back to his correct lead. If you are loping him in a circle to the right, and he's in his left lead, try to keep your hips tilted to the left, putting that weight onto your left side. Basically, you want your weight to be on whatever side he's leading with--this is one of the ways, when you're changing leads, that he knows which lead you're asking him to be in. Lift his head slightly to the left, to turn him away from the right turn just a little, and then abruptly--without jerking your horse's head--pull him back to the right, back into the right directional circle. Be sure and remember to cue your horse with your legs--he should "move away from pressure." So when lifting his head to the left, cue him with your right leg and/or foot. When turning him back to the right, cue him with your left leg/foot. This process sometimes takes a little practice, sometimes it doesn't. So if the first time it doesn't work, don't get frustrated. Even if your horse seems a little confused at first, have patience and keep trying. Eventually you'll get it and so will your horse, and because you had to go through that learning process together, it will strengthen that bond between you. Unless you're concerned about your horse's breathing or something else more immediately important, try not to stop your horse until he's done what you've asked him to do. After you've loped him in the correct lead for a while and you feel he's understanding the point, stop him and reward him. Give him a rest.

After he's rested, begin loping the large circle in the opposite direction. Usually, horses have a preferred lead, so once in a while it's not quite as easy as it sounds to simply change directions. Just have patience, again, and remember the tips I gave before. Then repeat the process, rewarding him when he's done as you wanted.

By this time both you and your horse should feel more confident and ready to do a figure 8. This is my favorite pattern to use when teaching a horse to change leads, or just practicing.

Start trotting your horse in the figure 8 pattern so that he understands, again, where you're going to be traveling. After a few times of the complete figure 8, begin trotting him just in one of the circles, not completing the figure 8 by going on to the other circle. Start loping him and be sure to have him in the correct lead before asking for the flying lead change required in the figure 8.

As you and your horse approach the mid-point in the figure 8, where you'll ask him for the flying lead change, be aware of your hands, your hips, and your legs. Lift his head with your hands, shift your weight in your seat and hips, and cue him with your legs, and your horse should complete the lead change. If not, again, don't get frustrated or stop. Keep moving in the new circle until your horse is in the correct lead, and repeat the process. Remember to reward your horse after he's done as you asked him to do. Even when there's room for improvement, you should always be sure and let him know that you appreciate his effort. It keeps his attitude a lot better and, again, strengthens the relationship between you and your horse.

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