I used to take english lessons. Then I went to a rodeo and saw barrel racing. I FELL IN LOVE with it. I am now taking western lessons. Can anyone that has ever been barrel racing, tell me what it feels like and some pointers on how to do it so you have good form and everything?
:] thanks!
Answers:
A barrel rider(or any rider for that matter) is only as good as his horse. Since you are a beginner I would find a seasoned barrel horse that can teach you the ropes. I would look for one that is sound and healthy with several more miles left on him/her. Also, look for one that isn't afraid to correct you- by this I mean if your pulling the wrong way and the horse know's that you are- he'll go ahead and do things the right way, instead of listening to your "wrong" cue.
Running barrels is a high so the most important thing you can do is just breathe and keep yourself centered. If you don't, your equine will feel this and tense up...also it's not much fun falling off your galloping equine- staying tense and stiff will make that fall that much harder.
well it can be a little scary but it is easier to fall off when doing barrels.in western whitch I do, just shorten the reins and pull them to your pocket and be will have no choice but to go around the barrel.
I barrel race professionaly. E-mail me and we'll talk.
unlike many things with this the fastest time wins. Learn to work with your horse and point him towards the barrel to let him easily get around it without bumping it. Keep control as well as speed in the program. Take the shortest route possible and GO! :-D
i have done barrel racing only in my lessons and i have been riding for a while now. and it is so much fun i think. i think some pointers is that you should stay in a gallop all the way til you get to the last one once you get around it you should go into a full canter or as fast as you can go, so you will get done faster. and don't get too close to the barrels and not to far. because if you are too close there is a better chance of knocking down the barrel and that will add time to your last score. just to let you know i never tried English but i heard it is better that you learn English first than western because western is more loose in the riding and in English you have to be stiffer.
I really did the same thing, English and barrel.
I dont really compete but I do it at local fairs.
My tip for you is be fearless and dont be afraid to kick scream and get that horse moving lol.
Its not to hard, but I had a bit of previous work with barrels so If I were you I would try and get together with a trainer.
It is sooo much fun. It gives like the craziest rush ever.
It like makes hunt seat sooo boring to me.
I would just mess around do some clover leafs at the canter and then try moving a bit quicker, but to get serious i would get a trainer.
Good Luck and give it a try its soo much fun!
To me it feel awsome the wind rushing past me and running fast it's great. When go to the first barrel and you getting ready to turn make sure ur horse is paying attention to you yell hey to make sure. Make sure you have a pocket when you get to the barrel so you don't get too close 2 the barrel and knock it over and as your just leaving the barrel push ur horse to go faster remember every second count. It's kinda the same thing for the rest. Oh and remeber to look where your going it's ok when ur starting 2 look at ur hands but you need to look where your going next. And also remember to grab the horn when u turn like pick up the inside rein and drop the outside.
There is a lot to learn while training and running a barrel pattern...one easy tips to remember is "do not look down at the barrel, look in the direction you are going". If you look down your shoulder drops into the barrel and so will your horse's, therefore giving you a greater chance of knocking down the barrel.
ITS A RUSH running full blast on a trained horse just lean and move with your horse and make big pockets and have boots on your horse
I mainly do english riding, but I love barrell racing with my appy, he is great, canters on the spot until the gun goes and then pretty much takes off without me having to do a thing.
It would help if your horse is good at cornering, strong joints and mucsles, competive spirt (not all horses have, worked with race horses and some just couldn't be bothered), also it is very helpful if your horse can do flying changes (changing leading leg of canter) as it makes it easier.
Good luck its heaps of fun.
Well, there is no way to tell you how to do it. Ride a lot without stirrups if you have not been riding much or still need more balance. You have to be a good rider, well balanced, in order to barrel race so be true to yourself. What level are you at, if its lacking anywhere, build it. As for the "basics in our training horses" well its no different for the rider either, get the basics mastered before you try a sport like this. If you already have, well then, you are well on your way:)
There are different levels of the sport, running high end barrel horses takes some muscle, mental focus and a lot of back bone too. Horses stumble and slip, when it happens at fast speeds you don't know how you'll come out of it. You have to be willing to take the risk to ride 1D or rodeo type barrel horses. I have had my share of stumbles, the worst of which ended up in my horse doing a complete summersalt over the top of me. (why you find me answering in here lately) I ran last night and well, the injury from the past flares up after each run and sets me back a few steps. Anyway, people say that barrel racers are a different breed, maybe we are. lol
What it feels like? Lets see, the noise of the crowd yelling and chearing for each rider ahead of you as you prepair gets your adrenaline going, its a definate high. Blazing through the alley way, trying to stay mentally focused but those first few strides are awesome, your on stage now and those chears are all for you but you don't get much time to take that in, 'cause the work has already begun.
As you approach the barrel you need to get your horse in position, get to that pocket, sit down deep, drive your inside leg into the horses barrel, brace your entire upper body with your outside arm, get a good hold of that horn and keep your elbow in tight, by now you are in full turn but before you have time to think about it you need to change your language, you need to get forward, drive, push that horse up and out of that turn, the hindquarter thrusts your body up into the air, you don't think about not being in your saddle, you just drive and wait for that next stride to set you back in, you are too busy hussling and getting in that perfect line for the next clean turn to even think about it, its only a couple of strides and you need to adjust yourself, prepair to switch those reins and get yourself back down deep into that saddle and ready to turn the opposite way and before you know it, its there and you go through the process again. After you make the 3rd turn, your home, with the crowd screaming and your feet kicking all that is left is that time line, when you hear a loud burst from the crowd and the announcer blasting over the speaker... that's it, what the work was for and you know, today was a good day and thank the lord for the oppportunity to be running back through that alley, intact and ready for the next the event.
Anyway, I hope that is the "feel" you were looking for and I hope my words can somehow "come to life", I'm by NO means a writer, lol.
Back to the other stuff, find a trainer, a proven one, that does not need to be a world champ but someone who has been around the sport, has a nice list of accomplishments and consistantly turns out good horses. This person will be well respected in your local barrel community. Get out and talk to people, you'll find the right place to end up.
This person can evaluate you and find you the right type of horse, definately a finished/seasoned horse, but you may need to start out on a 3D/4D horse and get solid with that for a couple of years or maybe you could jump into a more high powered horse, definately let someone else help you make that judgement. You don't want to spend a fortune and be in over your head!
Good luck to you, maybe we'll see you some where down the road:)
I used to do barrel racing and my first experience was scary. The sharp turns made it feel like I was going to fall off even though the saddle was on right so I would have to hold onto the horn which wore it out after awhile. Now it feels wonderful after awhile you get used to it and you learn to hold on with your legs.
I am able to stay at a full gallop unless I am turing the barrels. I was taught to go in kind of like a figure 8 style around the barrels.
my daughter has been racing barrels since she was 7 she is now 19 at first she was scared because she thought she would fall off but then i bought her a barrel horse that was 15 years old and went at any speed she wanted. i would suggest doing this when first starting out if your not used to running barrels you dont want a horse that will spook when it starts going around them plus if the horse knows the pattern it will make it easier for you to learn to run them
and hold on you will probably never want to run english again
ok everyone thinks barrel are easy. well unless you have a good horse it isn't . true it probably is the easiest sport in rodeo but it is all so the toughest! you need to get the barrel racing book by charmean James. It's amazing ive read it a ton its good for concentrain,, pattering you horse, and how to keep you head in tight competion.
first of all
do not let hat fall off (+5 seconds)
do not knock over barrels (+5 seconds)
stay in the middle of the saddle
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