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Whats the best way to train my horse to barrel race?

  • I am a huge barrel racer, and my new horse doesn't know how to barrel race yet, and I wanted to know whats the best way to train my horse to barrel race? I don't want to mess ...show more

  • Answer:

    Well when your training a barrel horse you DO NOT RUN THEM....it takes about 6-8 months to train a barrel horse. And they need to know more than to just stop and turn. They also need to know.. -How to move off of your leg -Flex to both sides -Back up -Side Pass -Turn on their hind end So for the first month you just want to walk her... 1. Walk to the barrel, about 5 feet from the barrel STOP and BACK her up about 3 steps. Then make a pocket anywhere from 3-5 feet from the barrel. Then walk her to the second and about 5 feet STOP and BACK her up 3 steps. Do the same with the third. And then walk her straight home while petting her. Do that a few more times. Then just walk her through with out stopping every now and then but keep making the pocket. 2. Set up cones in random places around the arena then ask her to randomly turn them and make sure she is engaging her hind end and not swinging her butt out. And just do this at a walk and a slow trot. Then after you have had her walking for a good month then you can start TROTTING her around the barrels... 1. Ask her to trot to the barrels then stop at her 5 feet from the barrel and ask her to back up (same as walking her) then ask her to WALK around the barrel keeping the pocket, then when you have come out of the barrel TROT her to the second then ask her to stop about 5 feet from the barrel and back up, then ask her to walk. Do the same with the third. 2. After a few weeks then ask her to trot around the barrel after you stop and make her back up. But a slow controlled trot, then trot to the second and do the same. And also keep doing lots of walking through also, just alternate and do each about 3 times then call it good for the day. After doing lots of trotting and walking for about 3 months and she is responding well and isn't getting pushy you can ask her to lope to the first, stop about 5 feet from the barrel and back her up. Then ask her to WALK around the barrel for about a week. Then ask her to trot around them after you stop and back her up. And lots of walking and trotting as well. Once you do that for about 2-3 weeks then if YOU feel that she is READY you can ask her to stop then lope around them. As you want her to be controlled and understand what you want. And do that until you feel she can slowly start to lope the pattern with out stopping. And when you start loping her with out stopping then where you usually stop her check her lightly and she should be at the point where she will rate down and turn. Which is what you want. So then you can start taking her to barrel races and do TIME ONLY's. DO NOT enter the race and run her. Just start hauling her and riding her around and do Time onlys and just work her then slow lope her through. Thats the best way to get miles an hours under her belt. And once you have done loping for a month or more then you can start letting her go her OWN speed that she wants and dont push her. Let her go her own pace.....so you NEED to be PATIENT and not rush her. But the BIG thing about training a Barrel Horse is you want to take your time and do it SLOW and RIGHT. Because if you rush them your gonna get a stupid horse that is dingy and gate sour. And alternate, some days just walk her through the barrels, or don't even work the barrels just ride her or work on flexing and stopping, or moving off of your leg.

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If you want the best results, send him off to a trainer and then learn to ride him. If you don't have any experience training them then that is the recommended way to go. If you want to train him yourself, then I would suggest getting or looking at the Charmayne James DVD series. She breaks things down pretty simple. However before you start the horse on the pattern your horse should be well broke out and soft in the pattern. Much like what barrelracinglvr said. I like them sidepassing, w/t/c, collecting and extending, loping circles with shoulder up, auto lead changes, whoa and a good back. I like to rate when the shoulder is at the barrel, but I tend to have ratey horses. I walk them to it, ask them to stop at your rating point. Make sure their hip is in and shoulder up. I ask the horse to bend and flex around the barrel while keeping the shoulder up. It takes about 3 weeks of walking it consistently to have them starting to auto rate and pick their shoulder up and keep their hip in. Once you pass that I move it to a slow trot and stopping like we did walking and then walk around the barrel. I do not move on to the next step until they are auto rating and carrying themself. I build up to trotting and auto rating to a walk around the barrels. Then I start loping. I rarely ask for them to completely stop at the lope, instead I ask for them to walk around the barrels. Once they are auto rating and carrying themself around the barrel I will ask for them to lope and then trot around the barrels til they are balancing themselves around the barrels. When they are perfecting it and hitting the pocket everytime, that is when I will ask fo them to totally lope around the barrels. From there on I start exhibitioning and seasoning. I rarely ask them to go faster than a high lope at home. Instead I leave that for shows. We also spend a lot of time sitting in the alleyways during the drags as well and I'll set up at local playdays to make them help get other horses in the arena so we spend a lot of time walking around the alleyway.

Victoria

I trained my horse to barrel race. We have been champion in 4H for the past two years straight. What I did was I started flexing him while riding. Making him bend. I walked around a barrel everytime I got to a certain part of the ring where the barrel was. after 4 times around I jogged around the barrel. Then another 4 I cantered around. Don't worry about being close to the barrel right now. Then I did some rollbacks. Until he was cutting the turns fast and sharp. Then I went back to the circling the barrel. When I was finished. I made him side pass along the rail once. Flexed his head twice. Then I was done. I do this for two weeks. Then I started walking the pattern for a few days. Then jogged it for a few. The. Cantered for a few. Then galloped one or two days. Then once he got it all down we kept working at the training method. Good luck!

Sarah

What i did wit Rodeo was walked him threw the pattern for a few weeks and when he got use to it i troted him and so on and he will learn it took Rodeo about 3 months to get to were he would gallop the pattern now 3 yrs later you can lay the reins down and he will run the pattern witout help... Good luck

BarrelRacinChick

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