Barrel Racing Video Plus More!

I had access to high speed yesterday, so I thought I would put some video online for you guys. Just as a little forewarning, I know I'm making mistakes, we're working on it ;-) If you guys want to point things out, please do so, I'd appreciate it! Sometimes other people can see things I miss.

First time EVER doing barrels (April)


Second time competeing at barrels (May)


As an extra, our next rodeo is June 28th, I'm working hard to get us ready for it! I'm also planning on going to an AQHA show on I believe August 30th! I'm showing my black filly that I just showed pics of in Youth 2 & Under Mare Halter and Larry in 18 & Under Barrels, Poles, and Stakes Race. So far this year, no one has showed any mares in youth, bummer.... But, at the least I could get a buckle out of it and the classes for this series are SUPER cheap (10.00 per class, all in all my show fees equal $75.00!). I'm excited and have like a whole two months to prepare!

Hey, Wheres Mom! I didn't hear her rooting you on!

LOL!!! She wasnt there for the April rodeo and for the May one, she was really too hard at work figuring out the video feature on the camera to make much noise lol. She had it down eventually though, as you heard in the last ones lol. Kay, do you think Im doing the same thing w/ the barrels as I was with the poles, going in way too close and then taking off too wide?

Hey nice job! Only thing i can see is that your going to close when you get to your barrels which is going to slow things down, take the barrels wider and get your horse to be very close on the way around it and to the next barrel, this will cut your time down a lot. My sister and i have like a 2 second time difference and she has the faster horse but she takes the back side of the barrel to wide and thats what causes the whole pattern to be slowed down. when I do barrels (of course my horse has been doing them for a lot longer than yours so it will take a while) he is probably about 4-6 feet from the barrel comming up to it and gets around the back side at about a foot at the MOST and heads to the next one, this too is the reason for buying shin guards, i almost scrape my leg every time he goes so close but it cuts a LOT of time good luck!! i wish i could stay here and go to some rodeos with ya!

You didn't line up a good spot to your pocket on the 1st barrel in the second video. A good start is crucial.
And yes, coming out way too wide.
The trick is to "practice perfect". Get the pockets perfect at a walk, then step up to a trot. Remember that when you add speed, you'll not be able to quite so close as in a walk or trot. Gradually add speed as you get your pattern down. Do some more bending exercises with him to supple him up. Helps get him around the barrels better. Can he do reverse arcs?
For a green barrel horse, he's not doing too bad. But I'd do tons of slow work before I ran the pattern on him again.

Good advice Reiningfan!

Step your cones up here as well. So you will set your pocket correctly. Since the two of you are still getting use to each other, when going into the barrel. Dont be set on which had in on the horn, You may need to switch in order to help him more, right turn, left hand on horn, and Right hand on rein, pull his head around just as his shoulder gets to the barrel to get him to flex around the barrel, Becareful his shoulder does not drop, you may have to lift it for him. Pull him hard, pulling you arm up and out. be careful on your approach to the barrel. this is where the cones will help you out, we used tires, I think cones are soo much nicer! Hee Hee Safer too! Long trot, long trot your pattern, set him up for each approach and leaving the barrel. Ah, the good ole Days. Hee Hee... Ah, I still have scars and pits in my shin bones! Hey, at least alot of shows us plastic barrels now. Hee Hee, then if you used gaurds you were a sissy, now they come in colors and decorated!

I bought cones from a dollar store. We use them so the kids & I can get our pockets right. I haven't run Vamp on the pattern in, well, it's been along time. Late summer, early fall last year I believe. I might slow lope around them, but I will also turn a barrel many times in a row if I don't like our turn, or if she's trying to come out of it too soon.
The other thing I do on the last barrel is, instead of coming out of it and running home, I complete the barrel and go to my left and go between the wall & 1st. Helps keep them from anticipating that turn and finish it nicely.

very good advice... changing it up on them helps slow or stop them from anticipating the pattern... Heck with my barrel mare some days we go slow and collected western, some days we go english, some days we jump, some days we trail ride lol. If she anticipates... it screws our whole pattern up....

One thing I will say is make sure your looking to where you wanna go... so when you're heading to your barrel, dont stare down your barrel.... act as if your going right past it, turn around the barrel (opening and lifting the shoulder, otherwise you wont come off the barrel with as much power as you should have) and as you're at the back of the barrel, be looking to your next one as thats where you want to do.

I've also noticed dropping my hip (I dont know how else to explain it.. but note hip, not leaning not twisting, just dropping the hip to whatever way you want to turn) helps my horse turn, as she wants to stay under me and knows thats where I want to go.

I'd really like to see you doing way more slow work... your turns are extremely wide... cones really do help!

Also with what reiningfan said.... Yes in the second video you didnt set up your first turn very well... You ran up close to the first barrel to start your turn... You need to be starting by running up the middle as if you're going all the way to the top barrel, then turning to the first barrel... what you're doing is setting yourself up for wide turns doing that.

Its a lot of practice and a lot of learning, but your runs are looking good so far! keep at it!

Thank you guys for all the great advice Trust me, when I'm at home, all we do is slow work. Actually, When I got the horse, he had three speeds: walk, trot, haul a$$.

I had seen pretty much everything you all mentioned, I'm not even going to get into that first barrel set up on the last video... You don't want to know, but to say the least, my mind was so not there. Our first barrel is usually our best, so that was VERY off for us. Not to make excuses or anything, I've been working on that

To be completely honest, I used to run barrels all the time as a kid in 4H, it's ALL I did as a kid. Until I got in high school and then I started showing because I got in an accident that involved going fast, decided it just wasn't my thing anymore because I found myself always holding back and my times just got worse and worse until it wasn't fun anymore.

I made some equipment changes this week, to the bit that is in the bareback pictures. He seems to be working AWESOME with it and it's helping me keep his shoulder up around the barrels. I do run him to a point at those little rodeos, but as you saw from the times, it's not like I'm just letting him go (except for home lol.) I need to do the best I can at those rodeos because I've already put in a lot of volunteer hours and money into the little series. I promise though, when we're at home, most of what I am doing is softening him up (which he desperately needs) and just getting him in tip top shape. We have been doing SO MUCH trotting, I think my boobs are going to fall off lol.

I got my cones out yesterday and worked on my pockets, when I took them away, I noticed a big difference in how we came off of each barrel and I feel like it's already smoother. So thanks guys, I appreciate it!

Kay, just as a little extra, I did what you talked about with the poles, and you wouldn't believe the difference! I think we'll do awesome from now on. I'm starting to ride bareback to get more of a feel for him so NO HORN from now on lol

SilverBuckleHorses wrote:

Thank you guys for all the great advice Trust me, when I'm at home, all we do is slow work. Actually, When I got the horse, he had three speeds: walk, trot, haul a$$.

I had seen pretty much everything you all mentioned, I'm not even going to get into that first barrel set up on the last video... You don't want to know, but to say the least, my mind was so not there. Our first barrel is usually our best, so that was VERY off for us. Not to make excuses or anything, I've been working on that

To be completely honest, I used to run barrels all the time as a kid in 4H, it's ALL I did as a kid. Until I got in high school and then I started showing because I got in an accident that involved going fast, decided it just wasn't my thing anymore because I found myself always holding back and my times just got worse and worse until it wasn't fun anymore.

I made some equipment changes this week, to the bit that is in the bareback pictures. He seems to be working AWESOME with it and it's helping me keep his shoulder up around the barrels. I do run him to a point at those little rodeos, but as you saw from the times, it's not like I'm just letting him go (except for home lol.) I need to do the best I can at those rodeos because I've already put in a lot of volunteer hours and money into the little series. I promise though, when we're at home, most of what I am doing is softening him up (which he desperately needs) and just getting him in tip top shape. We have been doing SO MUCH trotting, I think my boobs are going to fall off lol.

I got my cones out yesterday and worked on my pockets, when I took them away, I noticed a big difference in how we came off of each barrel and I feel like it's already smoother. So thanks guys, I appreciate it!

Kay, just as a little extra, I did what you talked about with the poles, and you wouldn't believe the difference! I think we'll do awesome from now on. I'm starting to ride bareback to get more of a feel for him so NO HORN from now on lol

thats awesome! good for you! LOL and as to the boobs comment... lol I have one piece of advise... TIGHT SPORTS BRA! LOL I have the same issues.. my little mare is a power house, and everything we do often causes a little too much bouncing pain for my liking haha.... Sports bra's that are tighter really seem to help

LOL, I wear em tight, trust me.... Usually, I wear two. I so envy women who are Bs and Cs... But no, God had to give me Ds... Oh what fun, lol.

I know what you mean. I use a good bra with a sports bra over sometimes. My friends will sometimes laugh at me when I hold my arm over my chest while trotting. They always tell me how jealous they are that I got a bigger chest than them. At those times, I definately wish mine was smaller.