Training Barrel Horses

Lesson 3: Training the Perfect Barrel Horse

The Cloverleaf Pattern & Running the Barrels I

In this section we’ll discuss the pattern used for barrel racing and how to approach it with your horse.

In this sport, the horse and rider come into the area facing the front two (left and right) barrels; you are allowed to take either the right or left barrel first. Many barrel racers prefer to take one or the other depending on which lead their horse favors--for example, if your horse favors his right lead and works better on it, it may be beneficial for you to start the pattern on the left barrel (left lead) and complete the pattern on the last two barrels in his preferred right lead. Some horses work the same on either lead, so in this case it's purely a matter of personal preference.

This cloverleaf pattern is called that because the horse and rider make a complete turn around each of the barrels, resulting in a cloverleaf shape. See the diagram on the following website for more detail on how it actually looks: http://www.riding-for-sport-barrel-racin... This website is also listed under my list of Links.

There are things your horse should know before you even begin training for barrels. Your horse should be able to do flying lead changes, respond well to all cues you give him (legs, hands, voice, and seat), and definitely have a willingness to learn. Most horses I've known who at first would rather not learn barrels, have shown a lot of interest in it once I've started teaching it to them. It's really fun for most horses (and their riders)!

Your approach to each barrel and how your horse makes the turns is important. Most barrel horses can run fast enough between the barrels, but not every horse can make a nice, tight turn around the barrels themselves without knocking one over. (For beginners, if you knock over a barrel during competition, you are automatically penalized by adding 5 seconds to your time. This makes it pretty near impossible to win at any competition.)

The key to making these turns the way you want is, as already specified, your relationship with your horse and how well you’ve trained him with cues, etc.

Begin by walking your horse; don't even trot just yet. Walk him all the way to the first barrel, just to the point where he's going to have to make the actual turn around the barrel, and stop him. All this does is teach the horse that this is the point where he needs to check his speed. He'll get used to stopping there at a walk; then, slowing down at faster speeds. Have a good voice command for stopping, something simple like "Whoa." Having a good whoa on your horse is great for everything you choose to do with him. After stopping your horse at this turning point, let him sit for a moment to absorb it, and then continue walking around the barrel in the correct pattern. Be sure and set up his body the proper way as well, so that he learns everything at a slow speed first. It's so important to take things as slowly as your specific horse needs so that he's not confused, and so that he trusts you and your judgment for him.

When turning around the barrels, feel your legs along your horse's sides. When I say "feel" them, I mean be aware of them and how you're cueing your horse. This is why it's important for your horse to understand all of your cues before you begin. In barrel racing, you're almost constantly cueing your horse in one way or another.

As you're going around a barrel on the right lead, for example, you want your horse's nose to be turning hard to the right, with a nice curve in his neck, but his body needs to be in a good arch, or curve, as well. The way to achieve this, while keeping his rear end tight around the barrel as well as his nose, is to use your inside leg to cue his mid-section away from the barrel itself, and your outside leg further back (toward his flank) to cue his rear end toward the barrel. This completes the curve of his entire body.

Practice walking the cloverleaf like this, and then progress to a trot (still stopping your horse at the turning point for now). We'll discuss the faster speeds in the next section; for now, please continue practicing. But whatever you do, don't spend too much time on the barrels themselves. As soon as you know your horse is beginning to understand, and if he's done as you wanted him to do, leave the barrels and go to something else. It's really important to keep your horse versatile.

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