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A few months ago, I was looking to buy a good barrel racing horse, when I fell in love with an arabian gelding I found. I bought the arabian,and I am getting ready to train him to barrel race. He has alot of speed and makes nice sharp turns when asked, so I think he would make a really good barrel racer. There is only one problem, I have no clue how to train him sweatdrop . Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could get started?

Thank you so much for your help! mrgreen

The Good, Bad, and Ugly: What's Wrong With Your Barrel Turns?

An interesting thought has come to my attention since my last article. It’s something that a bunch of English riders probably wince at, just by watching the flying reins, and the swinging heads. Sure, it’s rodeo, but it’s still not right. You watch how a lot of barrel racers (especially the younger, more amateur ones who want to run their horses to the ground, and advance a level by the end of the season) run their horses: all legs, all rope, all gallop. Really pay attention, and you can tell who’s serious, who just wants a title, and who doesn’t care, simply by the turns.

I prefer to classify these people and their turns by simple communication: The good turns, the bad turns, and the wtf turns. It’s pretty self-explanatory.

The thing to focus on is the horse’s nose. Look at how it bends into the turn, how it leans, and what its legs are doing, and they all look pretty much the same. The only difference would be speed, angle, and stiffness. However, these can be indications of a malfunction of the horse, not the rider. Perhaps the horse felt like prancing or propping around the barrel.

However, if you watch a horse’s nose, you can distinctly tell, during the barrel run (and many other competitions), when the rider is the major problem. It’s quite simple, actually.

You have the bad turns. This is generally happening when people stick a long-shanked bit on their horses, pick up a nice, professional-looking set of leather reins, and sit back to enjoy the ride, one hand on the saddle strings, the other holding the reins, only to pull them around at the barrel. The problem with this, is that it’s uncomfortable and confusing to the horse. A long-shanked bit is uncomfortable in any sense, the shanks mainly there to put more pressure on the horse’s mouth than, say, a snaffle. The slack way the reins are being held pulls it across the horse’s neck, farther down than their training (and instinct) has taught them to respond. In turn, it also takes the shank of the bit, and pulls it outward. The result is the horse being unable, or unwilling, to lead its turn with its head, creating an awkward run. You’ll notice the nose is either turned out, or simply not following the turn.
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Then you have the good turns. You see a lot of the riders who make these turns either have a set connection with the horse (the reins aren’t as slack), or they have both hands on the reins. Both hands on the reins is generally a good sign in the first place, but there are many good neck-reiners out there. Another thing you’ll see is either a curb with a short shank, or a snaffle bit. Power to anyone who can run a horse in a barrel race in a hackamore or snaffle. The thing to look for is the horse’s head and neck turning and arching around the barrel, a nice swing of the haunches, and a powerful launch-off. If you can get these three things, you know you have a good rider running.
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(take extra note of the second picture. Very nice turn.

Last, and least, you have the ever-famous “wtf” turns. These turns just make no sense, and every time I see a rider (especially in the pro and semi-pro levels) performing these turns, I am floored at the performance of the horse. If I was them, I’d be pitching the rider off. I’m talking about the people who look like a rag doll flailing their arms and legs around through the whole turn. They lean forward at the turn, pull the reins out feet from the horse’s neck, and then kick and kick until their horse is up and running again. HOW they got to such a higher level, I will never know. You don’t even need to look at the horse’s nose to know that something is definitely wrong. The horse almost always looks like they're having to decide for themselves what to do, and almost always do not respond with the reins.
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I’ve always thought that a successful barrel racer is a graceful barrel racer. Give your horse a snaffle, keep both hands on the reins, and stop kicking/whipping/smacking the crap out of them as they run. They’ll run just as fast if you balance yourself, move your hands on rhythm, and click your tongue repetitively. Even knead along their neck if you have to, or give them a small slap on the shoulder as you run. In all, it should look like you are moving as one unit, with no visible commands. Not a running beast with a flailing rag doll.

It can be done English style!
another extremely wtf turn

okey, solving common "barrel problems".

First of all, your horse has to learn how to bend. If your horse can't bend, then that means your time is going to be longer. So, to teach your horse how to bend, here is an exericse. While your on your horse's back take the reins and turn your horse in a circle. Turn your horse untill he stops turning and pulls his head around and touches your shoe. Do this beofre every run and your horse will bend perfectly.
If your horse, while your turning the barrel, just wont pull his nose and next into the barrel, then here is how you can fix that. First what you can do is pull the reins out and then to your pants pocket. This will pull the horse's nose into the barrel, giving you better bend from the neck.... which then turns the body. blaugh If that doesn't work then instead of pulling kind of upwards to your pocket, pull the reins all the way out form the horses neck. This should again bend his nose and neck in. Here is an example of pulling straight out on the reins:

In a matter of seconds this horse will pull its head in and bend perfectly.

The next common problem is if your horse cuts you off before you reach the barrel. This can be a major problem (and a painful one) if your going at a fast speed. So if your horse gets a habit of cutting you off, or turning before you want it too, here is what you do. Your going to go "a step past" the barrel. This means before you enter the barrel, or turn around it, your going to go a little further past it. So let's say your heading to your first barrel. You get close enough to the barrel to turn around it. What your going to do is go at most a stride past the barrel then turn. What you don't want to do is go for the barrel and then go straight past it. You want to be at an angle that will take you right into the turn when you're ready to turn. This is when bending comes in handy. If you have your horse's nose turned hardly inwards ( facing the barrel) then he will be ready to turn when you ask him to.

The last major problem I can remember is when your in the process of turning and your horse is to close to the barrel, and hits it when your turning around it. What you do to prevent and fix this is you puut your foot in the side of the horse that is inward facing the barrel. what this does is makes the horse pull its rib cage away from the barrel and keeps you and your horse from hitting the barrel.

that is all I can remeber at the moment. If I think of something else, then I'll post again.

I dont O_o

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you will read through the article that I've posted, the exact picture she posted is under my "wtf" turn section. That is an incredibly BAD way to get your horse to go around a barrel. Terrible. It confuses them, because while you're pulling sideways on the head and neck like that (and at this point take notice of the SHANKS on that bit! They are fohecking huge!) it's going to take the shank of the bit and pull OUTWARDS AND UP on the horse's mouth, making them (like in the picture) turn their head either away from the barrel, or not turn at all. This is an incredibly confusing and uncomfortable way to turn your horse, or try to get them to turn. do NOT pull the rein away from the horse's neck. it should NOT be far away like that. As you're running, you should be able to give ques that do not involve throwing limbs far away from the body of the horse. This also unbalances them, and therefore delays your time. Also, you should never have to force the horse to turn its head. Naturally, around a sharp turn, they'll turn their heads. Pulling the rein out and to your belly pulls the head IN, DOWN, and AROUND, which happens to pinch on their breathing ability as their head is down and arched to the side. It ALSO hurts their mouth.

Also, I do not agree with the going farther past the barrel, as it also drastically tells on your run time. There's a vary simple solution to the horse kocking the barrel in... and trust me, that was an issue with Cheyenne. I thought she was just over-excited when she rammed into the barrels. But no. One time she refused, and kicked the thing down.

What you do in that scenario is to get another person to attatch a line to the breast collar of the horse, and then trot them around in a barrel pattern. As they go around the barrel, have the friend pull the line into the hindquarters, swinging them out. You want a horse that will swing their hindquarters out around barrel, because that way it's minimal front leg movement, and they can get going ASAP after finishing the turns. A turn like that is ideal, but you have to watch how you ride it out. Sit deep and lean into the turn, that way you're not jerking on the saddle at all, and you're giving the horse a que to get his hindquarters down and under him, giving you a powerful and quick pushoff. As he pushes off, move with the push off, pushing yourself up and forward, moving with the stride, then assume gallop possition.

indeed. There is MUCH better ways to get a horse to bend around a turn then FORCING his head around. Like I said, it SHOULD be a natural motion, and flex of your fingers while straight reining should simply enhance the effect.

And pulling the reins away fall under the "forcing" category. A horse shouldnt have to be FORCED to do anything. there's many other ways that you cn hone the skill, instead of shoving it upon them. In a shanked bit, as I've said, it'll give a left AND right turn signal if you pull the rein out. Therefore when you used it, you must have not had a shanked bit on, or not a long shank and a slightly insensitive horse.

Either way. It's too... huge... of a movement.

Thank you.

It's not so much common sense as personal experience - I've trained/ridden my fair share of barrel horses, up to a level QUALIFYING for professional competition. Not to brag XDDD If you ride enough of them, and switch equipment enough times, you know what works and what doesn't... there ARE things that work, but the horse is in extreme discomfort. I don't care if a snaffle will cost me 0.10 second... I'll probably have the most responsive horse on the feild, and that in itself wins a race.

as for your horse assuming things... it's good to have a horse that looks to you for direction. Even if it is a small flick of the reins, he should look to you.

For example, me and Cheyenne always took the right hand barrel first, because our left lead was the strongest. However, one ameture rodeo we went to had a stupid rule stating that you had to take the left hand barrel first... running out into the ring, I flipped her reins to the left, and she shot for the barrel when originally she was looking for the right.

In situations like that, you want the horse to listen to little, little ques.

hmmm... I started when I was 12, so that would be four years and a bit, or so.

As for the going around the barrels... yeah, I don't want to be forcing my horse in close, let her run around close without me sending all these signals. I just need her to know where to go, and to listen when I so much as twitch my reins.

Yeah, horse performance goes such a long way in barrel racing. If your horse is fighting you in muddy conditions, it has a 60% chance of going down during the run. And going down costs lots of time, therefore, you lose XP well... I cant really say that, cheye's gone down on me once and we placed 3rd.