My New Barrel Horse!

I was presented with the awesome opportunity to buy a professional rope horse a few days ago and I wanted to use him as a gaming horse too, he is amazing and I love him. We ran a so-so pattern at his very first barrel race, we got a 25.695, which isn't HORRIBLE, but it's not great either, we actually overshot the last barrel by over 30 feet LOL. Luckily, it was good enough to put me in the placings and get some points for the buckle series. He's done reining and everything, ropes both ends good enough to have won over $40k, and I think he is going to win me a lot of money in barrels. Our pattern really wasn't THAT bad, we had just been able to practice for about an hour the day before, and about ten minutes on the pattern for the class. I made some changes to his riding style and put him in a mechanical hackamore, which he acted like a totally different horse in and was just super responsive to me with. Now I have two fast ponies. Larry has an awesome slide to him and is just a blast to ride. Here are a couple of pictures, sorry the barrel picture is blurry, it was taken from a ways away.


This is us on the 2nd Barrel


This is Larey, aka Dundee Cee, a 1993 AQHA Buckskin Gelding

What is the time for barrels these days. I dont watch them at AQHA shows anymore. I use to run like around 16-17s Barrels , 20-21 in poles sometimes sneaking in the upper 19's. He loved the flying lead changes, You two will click, it will just take time. You didnt fall off, didnt blow every barrel, so it was a good first time out. I use to long trot my barrel horse, 7 miles a day, Not Running the pattern for days. Boy Was I in shape then, Maybe I need to start a Barrel horse again. All that long trotting was a killer, But sure kept me in shape, between standing in my stur-ups and posting. Hum, That would be good for Kirts horse..

So with all your horses, who goes to the shows and who stays home.

Well, if you're just going out to an average barrel race down here, meaning no pros, on a standard pattern I usually see high 19-20 times for barrels. One thing that AZ really lacks are good pole horses, that I why I like to get my horse really good on those, because everyone who's horse does barrels also *does* poles, lol. Most of them really don't and the jackpots are really easy money for that around here if you're good. It's hard to really tell what everyone is running on barrels because most of the rodeo stuff, the pattern has to be scaled down to size.

I know we'll start to do better, the nice thing is that he has made it really easy for me to like riding him I'm all smiles the whole time. Him being a rope horse, he's used to going fast in a straight line, then left. LOL. Those turns, he was like HUH? We must have a really similar working style, because I'm exactly the same way with my barrel horses. I usually work on the pattern every three-four days with serious work outs in between. I love riding them out our back fence to the acreage behind our house, you'd be surprised the kind of practice you actually get going around all those trees and such, makes them nice and responsive. You should totally start another barrel horse, lol, and we'll talk every day about the ups and downs and busted chins I know by the end of the summer, if I'm not a wuss and actually ride before like 9PM, I'll be in shape by fall again... My whole body hurts because all the riding I was doing before was show practice with Remmy, and well, I'm sorry but it's just not near as demanding on your whole body as what ya have to do to get one of these horses going right.

With all of my seven, which is a big downsize from last year around this time, here's who does what.

Sigtea, aka Lady: My barrel horse I got awhile back but has had feet problems because of an infection in both front coffin bones. We believe her last five-six abcesses are now hardening over. When she's sound again, I will start the long process of getting her back in tip top shape, getting those legs strong again. Because she is already a good barrel horse, it shouldn't take much pattern wise to get her back to being jackpot ready. Her and Larry will be my gaming team, they are actually best buddies and are super happy to be back together.

Dundee Cee, aka Larry: New barrel horse who I am doing pattern work and strength training with now. Goal is to get him good enough to do jackpots and possibly start doing some NBHA stuff with Lady and him too.

Steel Rockin, aka Remmy: He is my dad's horse that has been sitting around doing nothing at all. I had nothing to ride so I started doing some basic stuff with him, he picked everything up really fast and learned to do a flying lead change in just a couple of days. I was showing him and had plans on doing more, but with my new projects, work, and school, I think he is going to have to be put on the back burner for my dad, which I am ok with. Kind of needed the room in the trailer for my halter kids anyways though. I'll still be using him, just not every day like before.

Scotch Dirty To Me, aka Scotch: Just started really saddling him up and ground driving him. He's in good shape to show for halter and hopefully this fall I will show him under saddle. He hasn't gone anywhere with me lately cause he got to be a horse all winter and spring, but he got body clipped thank God, and now I will start showing him again soon.

Cowgirl Splach, aka Cowgirl: This is my 2 yo filly who I need to start saddling and ground driving, my future reiner if she doesn't get sold, for now until this fall, she'll be doing halter at open shows.

Friday's Teatime, aka Bella: This is my yearling black filly, I'm fitting her up for halter. Want to show AQHA with her and get some points. She will 100% be my future barrel horse if she doesn't get sold.

Ladys Fancy Steel, aka Nardy: We made the decision to 100% sell her. I don't have the time for a four year old. My dad's going to take her out for a long ride and I'm going to put another 30 days on her, then she goes bye bye. I'll be sad to see her go, but I have a super full plate. She has show experience and cow experience, and I'll probably work her a little around the roping chutes and with a rope just to familiarize her with it before she gets sold. She's super cowy and would make a heck of a heel horse for someone.

Thats my SEVEN though, lol. Thanks for the support, it's always kind of needed in the beginning, but I'm proud of him for doing such a good job handling his new life.

Barrel racing has gotten real popular around here over the last few years. To see what the times are in this area, go to www.wmcabra.com.
My Angel's full-brother won a little the 12th.....His name is She Prefers Buck. Awful name for a boy!!!!!!

Girl you have your hands full! I think taking 2 to a show is a handful! I use to love the speed events. Flags, Barrels, and Poles! It was always a money making project for me. Had a ball and always coved my expenses and had money for the next week end. Good times. Then I had to go and get serious . Have Fun

PS Our local 4-H club, I help with, we had a clinic last summer, Speed events, before the kids went to the State 4-H comp. We worked on not dropping shoulders before going into the barrel, setting up for it, not getting behind when coming out, you know the odds and inns. Well a couple of the girls just came from a Rideo Comp, Showing there newly won belt buckles. I really made over them, they were such sweet girls. 11 and 13. I told there Mom when they get to state, its a whole differant world. You up against AQHA Kids, and its tuff. She informed me That the rideo circuit was tuffer and they expected to come home with the belt buckles. I thought OK, They got up there and there was over 100 (Some classes 180) in the class. They came home placing the highest 3rd, Which I thought was Great. But they wont go back this year. Mom wants to win! 3rd wasnt good enough. But then, they only placed in two events out of 8 between them. I told her that there had been 4-Hers going there for years and never made it in the top 10.. Sending the wrong message! Huh?

Girl you are soo lucky i am STILL looking for a barrel horse to work with!

Ozzy and I are getting in the mid 17-18 times now, its great, he is more of a pole horse too if you can believe that! He's just great but i can't afford to buy him, but i sure will use him while i can!!

If you see a barrel prospect for cheap you should let me know! It just needs to be trained to ride, doesn't really have to be started on barrels at all.

Good lucky with all your horseys!

The last barrel racing I watched on TV for AQHA they were running in the 12-13 sec range. I could not believe it.. EEK.. These were the pro's. Practice Practice Practice... They have a fun day at one of the fairgrounds around here. Every kind of person, horse and age group shows up and has a blast. Very fun to watch..

Bluejay, the AQHA barrels you were watching were almost positively what they call a short pattern, they scale the barrel pattern to arena size. The 12-13 time is a very good short pattern time.

Triple J Quarter Horses wrote:

. But they wont go back this year. Mom wants to win! 3rd wasnt good enough. But then, they only placed in two events out of 8 between them. I told her that there had been 4-Hers going there for years and never made it in the top 10.. Sending the wrong message! Huh?

I'd be ecstatic and so would Rachel. Stupid woman!!!