First off, do you have the right horse for the right rider? Does your experience match his? Does his style match yours? Now I do not necessarily mean the most expensive horse either. We all have a budget. I would however, recommend that you take someone with a lot of experience with you when you go looking for that RIGHT horse. An inexperienced rider should have a very experienced and somewhat older horse. A calm and quiet rider can handle a hotter or free running horse. An aggressive rider needs a horse that can take a lot of pushing and has a lot of rate. I have found you can learn as much from a horse as you can from a person. But, if you periodically get some professional help with your horse, you can make sure that you are learning good habits and not perfecting bad ones.
Working one at home is the foundation for your fast runs in competition. The goal is to keep your horse working at his best and liking barrel racing. Your slow work at home and your warm up at the race are like winding your clock and having it ready to fire and make the best run possible. This lays your ground work. If you need a lot of rate because your horse is a free runner or the ground is hard or slick, then do a lot of stopping in your warm up and reinforce the rate. If you need more flex, then do a lot of bending. If you need him to straighten up and keep his rear behind him more, then work squares, straight lines and boxes. Bend your horses head from shoulder to shoulder and back him up, are also ways to have your horse ready to make that good run. Backing your horse is a good way to strengthen his hind end and to get him to use it more and keep it under him. I like to start mine backing with only a couple of steps working up to being able to back the length of the arena. Be sure to not try to do this all in one day.
It is good to long trot your horse while posting. This lengthens his stride and strengthens your legs. When practicing, trot and post to the barrels then sit down about two strides from the barrel and stop posting. This will teach your horse to rate and collect for the turn when he is making a barrel run and you take a deep seat in your saddle preparing for the turn.
Working perfect circles is always good. I work these at all speeds. Be sure to only bend your horse enough to see his eye. If you over bend, you will lose the hindquarters.
When you are working your horse at the slow gallop, be sure he starts in the correct lead. Then after you turn the first barrel, let him break to a trot and pick up the other lead for the second barrel.
As I just mentioned, I work straight lines and boxes. I think as barrel racers we forget to travel straight. So, ride straight, straight, straight to your corner, then turn. Do this at various speeds.
When you have the right horse and he is perfect at the slow work away from the pattern, it is time for the barrels. Can you and your horse walk a perfect pattern. Be sure to ride him straight from one barrel point of finish to the next barrel pocket. Don’t let him turn before you get the barrel behind your leg. Be sure to get up in your saddle between the barrels and sit deep before the turns. This will simulate where to rate and collect. If you can’t walk a perfect pattern, you can’t run one. When you go fast it is hard to make that perfect run. This is why I do so much slow work.
Once you have mastered the walk, then the trot, then it is time to lope. You can stop your horse at the rate or collection point two strides before the barrel or even with the barrel. Be sure to sit where you have stopped. This will help your horse to relax. You can stop and sit anywhere on the barrel pattern that you think your horse may get excited or in a hurry. Rushing a horse that does not understand is a good way to scare one. So slow down and relax at times even on an old campaigner.
Don’t anticipate problems. If you are thinking about hitting a barrel, you are going to do things with your hands and body to cause it to happen. Another thing, if you have the time to reach down for a barrel or to pick your leg up in the turn, you have time to move your horse away and into the correct position.
On the matter of hand placement: If you lift your hands high all you have control of is the horses face. You have lost control of the shoulders, ribs and hips. Keep your hands low, just over the pommel of your saddle. This way you can get your horse to move his body and flex. Never work or run your horse any faster than you have control. Always building on his and your confidence to get faster.
Now, when it comes to pressure. Most of the time we are worrying about the spectators, the people watching us. Well, we can’t control them, so why bother worrying about them. Your true friends and family will love you know matter how your run goes.
Do whatever it takes to calm down. I have found that brushing and massaging my horse and oiling and wiping down my saddle helps me to calm down. Even picking feet has a calming effect to it. Have a routine to get ready and warm up. Do your stops and straight lines, flexing and circles. Think about your perfect run. Visualize your perfect run. Think about the spots you are riding to and how you are going to get around the barrel. All of these things should help you to focus on your perfect run.
Remember, the competition arena is not the place to try out new equipment. It is not the time to change bits. Do this at home or in practice.
Know your job. Go in, position your horse, give him room to turn and let him work. When you come into the arena you don’t have the time to think about all of the things you are going to do. You have to react. And if the run does not go as expected, remember there is always another one. Go back to the practice pen and enjoy the process of making a barrel horse.
Hope you are all having a wonderful New Year. I am recuperating from shoulder surgery and should be back in the saddle by next month. Lance has been having to work double time and I know he is ready for me to get back to riding.