Whether you plan to ride barrel racing events competitively or just have fun on your own home pattern, it is important to establish the right fundamentals, and build on those fundamentals in order to have a happy, healthy and sane barrel horse.  As with other aspects of training and working with horses, it is far easier to install good habits from the beginning than it is to try to correct bad habits and unlearn improper training.

One of the most important things for would be barrel racers to keep in mind is that the speed is the last piece of the puzzle.  Many beginning barrel racers feel they need to go out and constantly run the pattern at top speed, drilling the horse over and over again in hopes of a top time.  This technique is far more likely to resort in a bored horse than a winning time, and in fact this method of training can be very counterproductive.  Most of the top barrel horse riders ride their horses at speed only in competition, saving their fire and their energy for when it will be needed the most.

The proper training of a barrel racing prospect should begin before the first barrel is in sight, with good collection work, along with a variety of bending and suppling exercises.  A good barrel horse will need to be able to easily move and bend around the rider’s leg, while responding to subtle rein cues to correct small problems that could ruin an otherwise good ride.  This type of bending and suppling work is important to any horse, whether he competes in dressage, hunter classes, jumping, reining, cutting, western pleasure or any other equine activity.

After the horse has learned to give to rein and leg pressure, and after he is comfortable and at ease bending around your leg in both directions, the barrels can be added.  The barrel pattern should not be introduced until all of these fundamentals are in place.  Teaching the pattern itself before the horse has learned to collect and engage his hind end can result in a horse that leads with his front, dropping his shoulder into the turns instead of pushing with the rear.  Being on the forehand can cause problems like downed barrels, slower speeds, failure to change leads properly and even increased risk of falling.

Teaching the horse to collect before introducing pattern work is important, and how that pattern is introduced is important as well.  The pattern should always be started at a walk, At the beginning, all the horse will need to do is walk up to the barrel, bend around the rider’s leg and go on to the next barrel.  Many barrel racing trainers find it helpful to create a “pocket” around each barrel.  When you watch professional barrel racers, you will see them enter the barrel a bit wide, and their horse will literally bend around the barrel, losing little speed and maintaining the momentum needed for the trip to the next barrel.  Placing a cone or other marker on each side of the barrel will help the horse and rider to focus on this pocket.

Doing this exercise at a walk is a good way to focus attention and avoid distractions.  The rider should strive to be “in the pocket” around each of the barrels.  If you feel the horse fall out or drop his shoulder, correct the situation and try again.  When starting work, the pocket should be well away from the barrel.  As the horse and rider gain confidence at a walk, the pocket can slowly be reduced.

After the horse is bending well around each barrel at a walk, the same exercises can be repeated at a slow jog, then at a normal trot, an extended trot and finally at a normal lope.  Before starting work in each new gait, the pocket should be increased to its maximum size, then slowly reduced until the horse is attentive and bending and flexing properly.

Only after all the fundamentals have been established should the horse be pushed to move a little bit faster.  Getting everything together at the slower gaits will provide the barrel racing prospect with a chance to gain the confidence, balance and control he will need to do the pattern at speed.  The goal is not to see how fast your horse is; if you’ve chosen him for a barrel racing prospect you already know he is fast.  Rather the goal is to establish the finesse, grace and control that separates the finest barrel horses on the circuit from all the rest.