Training Barrel Horses

Lesson 4: Competing with the Perfect Barrel Horse

Other Tips for Competition

When you’re getting ready for competition, and there are other riders ahead of you, I don’t recommend watching their runs. While you’re waiting for your turn, ride your horse around and warm him up. Maybe do little exercises to keep him limber—spin him, sidepass, just practice bending his body. If you watch the competitors before you, it’s possible you won’t even be affected by it—but, especially if you’re a beginner, I wouldn’t recommend it. Whether those runs are good or bad, it can affect your mental preparation and state of mind. If you see another horse slip going around one of the barrels, chances are you’ll clam up when your horse gets there. Contrarily, if you see a fantastic run, you might become intimidated or feel that you have to make that run just the way this person did.

As your horse and you become seasoned at barrels, don’t forget the exercises mentioned in this course and the techniques you used when he was green. No matter how great your horse is, chances are he’s going to eventually need some re-training or some conditioning. Things like longeing and loping spirals are incredible exercises that will help your horse stay conditioned and connected to his rider no matter how old he is or how long he’s been in competition.

We’ve talked about this briefly, but I want to stress its importance: Never overwork your horse. I don’t just mean physically, but also mentally. If you’re working him and he does what it is you want him to do, don’t keep asking him to do it over and over unless it’s apparent that your horse is just having a blast doing it. For instance, if you make the perfect barrel run and your horse is excited, having a great time, sure! Do it again. After all, the old adage “practice makes perfect” seems to be true in everything.

But, on the other hand, if you’ve been trying to get your horse to sidepass for the past two hours and he finally does it correctly, stop. Pet him or feed him (after cooling him off, of course), or just get off of him and unsaddle him—do something to thank him and let him know you’re pleased with him.

Another aspect of training and winning with your horse that I feel warrants a deeper mention is doing other things with your horse. One of the main reasons you see so many uncontrollable barrel horses is because a lot of people don’t take the time to do anything else with the horse. All he ever does is run barrels—and I mean run! So when someone gets on his back, he’s been trained to take off and make a run.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a horse getting excited when you’re about to run barrels—in fact, it’s necessary. If your horse isn’t excited, he’s not going to enjoy the run and probably isn’t going to run his best, either. However, a horse can be excited and controllable at the same time. Don’t let the situation become one where he’s more in control than you are. If you get to the point where you feel he’s telling you where you’re going, how to make the run, then he needs some exercises, re-conditioning, and some versatility training.

On the other hand, this is a partnership relationship and there also is nothing wrong with your horse putting his stamp on what you do. But what I’m recommending against is allowing him to actually force his way past you—because usually this means the horse is no longer listening to you. It’s a lot easier for him to lose respect for you if this happens.

Remember, and maintain, the fun in barrel racing! Enjoy it, and your horse will enjoy it too, for many years to come.

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