The First 51 Barrel Racing Exercises to Develop a Champion Chapter Seven Perfect Patterns

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1 The First 51 Barrel Racing Exercises to Develop a Champion Patterns have the potential to be a very valuable tool in the development of any horse, and in the How to Benefit section I shared a few tips for how we can best use them to our advantage. Horses are wired to be very perceptive to what happens, before what happens, happens. This is why it s so important to set our horses up to build positive patterns because they so quickly and easily make associations. There are many benefits that can come from teaching our horses patterns outside of the barrel pattern. To start, we can use patterns to meet our horse s individual needs for security as well as mental stimulation. The repetitive nature of patterns is comforting to horses in general, and especially valuable to more insecure horses, who thrive on consistency. A more naturally confident horse will benefit from repetition as well, but is likely to lose motivation, or lose motivation sooner, with too much repetition. Second is that patterns offer the opportunity to even further develop our horse s ability to stay mentally engaged as an active participant in the conversations we have with them, making our communication truly a two way street. Patterns are great for teaching and testing responsibility for gait and direction. A happy, confident horse is one that is empowered with responsibility versus being micromanaged. It becomes the horse s job to stay precisely on track with only mental focus and subtle body language from the rider necessary to direct them on a pattern. A horse can learn a new pattern in a matter of days, but only if foundational elements in are in place, including an open mind, which are both our responsibility to develop. Third, patterns are a way to expand our horse s education. Teaching a horse multiple patterns enhances his ability to handle anything new or different with ease. The more our horse knows, the more we can do under a variety of circumstances, and the less often we ll run into limitations. If we only learn a few notes on the piano, we ll be limited in the music we can create. But if we expand our understanding by learning all the keys, we open the doors to much greater possibilities for creating beautiful music. The larger our horse s mental Rolodex is, the easier it becomes to add to it or make adjustments to the existing files. Patterns other than the barrel pattern give us opportunities to focus on developing our own skills without potentially losing the good things we have going for our horses on the barrels. Different patterns can also help us physically condition our horses without so much of the exact same repetition around and around the cloverleaf. When performing the exercises in this book, our goal won t always be for the horse to memorize the pattern we re performing (sometimes quite the opposite), however the more we repeat an exercise and use patterns to teach our horse s something new, the more our horse will gain the mental and physical coordination to perform it even better and faster, building both their competence and confidence in the process. In addition, perhaps one of the greatest opportunities patterns provide is the chance to fix problems with much less risk of creating a negative association with the barrel pattern itself. It s true that patterns are a very powerful tool in the development of any horse, but only if they are used properly. Unfortunately it s possible to develop a well-trained horse that once he recognizes a pattern, performs wonderfully, but will tend to show a delay in responsiveness when asked to make an adjustment. It s up to us to ensure that our horses remain willing to be guided away from a pattern in a split second if necessary which is certainly a delicate balance to achieve. The following chapter will help you to create and strengthen this balance and advance your barrel horse s development and performance as a result. 1

2 Exercise 31 Weave & Leave Description It s no surprise that many barrel racers also love pole bending. After all, few other events allow us to sprint as fast as possible in a straight line for a distance of well over 120 feet and make ten flying lead changes in such quick succession. But pole bending, or weaving in general, whether or not your goal is going 9-0 in competition, or whether you re rounding poles, or a different type of obstacle in any arrangement, is in a class by itself for both the challenges it presents and the equally as great benefits available to us. Purpose Although I ll be including some tips and strategies for creating success on the pole bending pattern, the main focus of this exercise will be taking advantage of the benefits that a weave pattern offers in general. Depending on how we go about it, weaving through obstacles can provide very little benefit or it can provide great value. If we have only one way communication with our horse by doing all the guiding without actually instilling responsibility, a weave pattern may provide some physical exercise but little in the way of promoting mental engagement. If we want to be successful running barrels, it s important that we develop our horses to be partners, not puppets. It s in our best interest and theirs to inspire them to use their brains. However, our horse won t use his brain, or use it well, unless it s exercised correctly and regularly. If we go about it right, by making the right thing easy and the wrong thing not so easy, our horses are likely to make good choices that are right in alignment with what we had in mind. How-to In preceding chapters, I ve put quite a bit of emphasis on body control and bend, and this exercise will be no different, especially in the beginning stages of teaching the weave. However, as we discussed in the Balance is Power exercise, in order to be very athletic, our horses must have their weight balanced over their feet, which requires them to be straight, or very close to it. We often over-exaggerate bend through the turns in slow work because as we add speed, horses tend to develop habits of shaping their body in the opposite direction of the turn, which I refer to as inside out. Although it s important to develop plenty of flexibility through a horse s body, both laterally and vertically as part of their foundation, and although I ask for lateral bend when first teaching the weave pattern and in slow work, excessive bend is not something I expect or require on the pole pattern, especially at speed. Straighter is faster! Tipping poles is not uncommon in pole bending, but correcting or preventing this problem requires that our horse learn the pattern by heart and use his mind to maneuver through the poles. Although we want to educate our horses to respond without resistance if a correction is needed, problems will occur much less often when a horse has their own on board, automatic rating and turning system. In other words responsibility for completing the pattern correctly without needing to be told where & how to take each step. To be competitive, we certainly need to create excellent habits as jockeys as well, but developing our horses in this way means they are more likely to fill in for us in those inevitable moments of pilot error. If you have aspirations for competitive pole bending, be sure to set up your poles spaced exactly 21 feet apart. Measuring them out precisely is important because the pole pattern, unlike the barrel pattern is one that never changes. Over time horses actually develop a familiar rhythm and become accustomed to covering a certain distance between and around the poles. Any small change in the pattern can cause them to lose that rhythm, and potentially create confusion. Before teaching a weave, I want to already have 2

3 established excellent control of my horse s body with my legs especially. I expect that when I position my body to suggest my horse circle an object, that doing so requires little to no rein contact and very little inside leg for my horse to maintain a circle. At this point, I want my horse developed to follow my mental focus (where I m looking) and tune into my body language, such as the angle of my shoulders and weight in my stirrups. If a horse is not yet able to circle well and take responsibility for maintaining the gait and direction, he may not be prepared to learn the weave pattern. In the beginning stages, it s a good idea to start weaving obstacles that are especially easy for your horse to see. I prefer to use a subtle amount of inside leg to yield the ribs away as I round each obstacle, then switch that leg and my body shape just before I get to the center of the space between each obstacle. This allows my horse just a split second of time to prepare for the transition in his body shape that must occur, and also makes the weave pattern one that is excellent for improving rider timing and precision. Do as much as necessary but as little as possible. As you go, you can always be testing your horse and putting him on his honor to see how little it takes from your reins and legs. Make corrections as needed, but get in, and get out when you do. Keep repeating the weave pattern until your horse starts to show little signs that he s mentally engaged and taking some responsibility for the pattern. Make it your goal to walk, then trot a weave with your rein hand held on your horse s withers to test how well he knows the pattern. When you notice any little bit of volunteering from your horse to stay on track by following your focus and body language, it s reason for celebration! Reward the slightest effort so that it s obvious to your horse what you want and he ll be more likely to repeat those positive habits. When you expect too much, without significant or clear enough reward, your horse is more likely to get confused and even quit trying to do the right thing. After a good rest, resume the same exact pattern until you notice another positive change, then rest again. If it doesn t go so well, ask yourself: Is my horse maintaining gait and direction? Yielding his body? Responding to my body language? Address these things individually if necessary and don t hesitate to make your corrections and rewards more obvious to enhance learning. For pole bending, designate focal points one between each pole exactly at the center point and then another point where you pass the side of each pole two to three feet to the side. Being precise and consistent about foot placement builds confidence. If your horse ever gets strong and pushes past or into a pole, remember they will have already pushed through the boundaries of your focus, legs and reins first, so it s important to reiterate respect and responsiveness whenever necessary. When your horse is educated, committed to the pattern, and connected to you successful, fast weave patterns are a sure thing! 3

4 Exercise 32 Stop the Clock Description Although we do want our horses to take responsibility and be confident, sometimes too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. This is the case when a horse becomes so locked on a pattern that he no longer responds appropriately to the rider. A horse must be equally, if not just a shade more locked onto the rider, and ready and willing to follow a feel so that even if that feel directs him off pattern, he ll go there in a heartbeat. In other words, we want a horse that anticipates without making assumptions. Ensuring our horse s education is highly developed means that we will always be able to make small adjustments very quickly and effectively on the pattern when necessary. The following exercise provides a great opportunity to establish and test this balance. Purpose Although the intention for this exercise is to teach your horse to maintain responsibility for performing it correctly and with quality, it also offers opportunity for customization and variation. In the paragraphs that follow, I ll explain why it s so beneficial, as well as how you can make adjustments to receive the most value based on you and your horse s individual needs and tendencies. Just as with the barrel pattern, the goal is to establish so much responsibility that the horse will perform the pattern with only subtle body language from the rider, while still remaining willing to receive guidance. Stop the Clock is also extremely valuable for building strength and coordination. The repetitive close range circles involved in this exercise can especially help a horse more effectively utilize his hind end and inside hind leg. By this stage in the game, we should already have the characteristics of quality movement and perfect circles well established (covered in previous chapters) so that our horse is using his body in a way that is balanced and efficient. Again, this exercise is not meant to necessarily create that, but to improve, refine and build upon the quality movement, responsibility and mental engagement that already exists. How-to Consider using six barrels by setting them up on an approximately 60 foot diameter circle as they appear in the diagram on the following page, or however large your arena will allow for. To begin with, trot your horse around to the inside of the barrels with positioning that simulates what you would ask for on the actual barrel pattern. For me, this means approximately four feet away from the barrel at the start of the turn, five feet behind the barrel, and three feet away from the barrel as we exit. Really focus on quality movement and precise footfall. After all, we can t expect our horses to focus on the task at hand if we re not mentally present as well. With so much repetition in this exercise, it s critical that you and your horse both stay mentally and physically engaged. Feel free to execute the exercise once by circling each barrel, then start again going the other direction. As your horse starts to learn the pattern, move up to a lope, being conscious of the quality of that lope be sure it s big and forward while keeping the correct form and space around the barrels. To increase the challenge, lope around the outside rather than the inside. This is more physically exerting, so it s wise to give your horse a break when he needs it and lope another set when your horse is not extremely tired. This exercise will really enhance what you already have going well, as well as bring to light whatever aspects may need improvement. If your horse struggles with having too much go, or tends to mentally 4

5 check out or get flat through his body, feel free to bring the barrels in closer together. The circles to the outside are a great tool, especially for a horse who needs to mentally come down. Again, for a more anticipatory, ratey horse, spreading the barrels out as much as possible will help free him up or lengthen him. If your horse is stiff and could use some help with bend through the body, performing circles to the outside will especially provide a good lateral stretch and improve flexibility. As for your own position, hands should be slightly elevated with the inside more so, and the outside supporting. Use a little inside leg to suggest that your horse bend around it, and move your outside leg to lay at the back cinch to subtly support the hip if necessary. At this point, we don t want to be using our body to firmly hold our horse in position. If we ve educated our horses properly, moving with quality is something they should be taking responsibility for and we should only need to bring in more guidance for subtle correction rather than to hold or keep their position correct. For a finished barrel horse that tends to tense up or dive into the turns, stay especially relaxed with elevated posture in your own body. If your horse doesn t seem to be moving with quality, don t hesitate to do whatever is necessary to create it, but also keep in mind that this exercise is physically challenging. If your horse is not well conditioned and gets fatigued easily, you re likely to see a significant improvement as your horse continues performing it and becomes more fit. As your horse advances, test your progress by allowing even more slack in the rein or go to one rein while using primarily your focus and body position to guide your horse, while using your legs only for subtle support. The reins will be the last thing you use to make a correction with the goal to only engage them in the occasion that you need to block any excess forward motion. If you sense the quality of your horse s movement go downhill, challenge yourself to use your legs to influence and shape your horse. If he doesn t respond well to your legs, then you know this area of your horse s foundation could use more attention. When we ve done our part to make staying on the pattern, moving with quality, and following a feel the desirable thing to do, a horse will stay on track while maintaining gait, direction and shape with minimal assistance, yet have a willingness to be assisted if the need arises, which makes our job as jockeys so much easier. To achieve the end result you have in mind, picture it in your mind, and feel it in your body to remind you of exactly how you need to educate and ride your horse to accomplish your goal. 5

6 Description Exercise 33 X-mas Tree The greatest benefit in teaching patterns is that we can simulate the barrel pattern without actually using the barrel pattern. This enables us to correct problems without using the exact same pattern so repetitively, which helps establish and maintain positive associations with the cloverleaf pattern. The X- mas Tree offers these opportunities especially, and can also be modified depending on any issues you may experience in competition. If you experience any issues on the actual barrel pattern, they are sure to show up here! This exercise can be performed with cones or bicycle tires, but if you re specifically interested in receiving the benefits from performing this exercise on the actual barrel pattern, then barrels are your best bet. Purpose Because of the straight lines involved and the slightly upward angle, the X-mas Tree is a perfect exercise for introducing more speed. Of course, the best time to really hustle your horse is when he s already performed this pattern for four to seven days and you re confident he knows it, unless your goal is to interrupt your horse from making assumptions, which will be addressed further both in the next two exercises and in Problem Solving chapter. The X-mas Tree also requires a lot in the way of timing and positioning on the part of the jockey, and can be surprisingly humbling if you haven t performed it before. How-to As the diagram shows, this exercise involves setting up six to eight barrels in a Christmas tree shape that is narrow at one end and wider on the other like a funnel or tornado. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits is the straight lines in between the barrels. This creates a perfect opportunity to start teaching a horse to run, yet requires him to think and act fast, or even faster, just as is required on the barrel pattern. How far apart you place the barrels will depend on whether your horse is long or short (learn even more about this concept in Exercise 42). This exercise can be great to use in preparation for transitioning to running outdoors in more wide open spaces. With barrels brought closer together, it s a perfect way to help get a horse prepared for smaller patterns. If your horse could especially use some help with increasing his responsibility, rating and generally being quick, precise and ready for action, feel free to make the tree narrower with the transition from the top to the bottom of the tree more extreme. For a horse who is just learning the barrels, it s best to make the pattern wider with a more gradual transition. You can even turn the tree upside down by starting on the top end, which may be a great option for a horse who tends to lose focus at the start of a run. As you can see, it s not so much the exercise, but how we use it, and specifically how we ask our horses to think and move that has the biggest impact. One more advantage this exercise offers is the angle we approach each turn, which like in the Straight Loops exercise naturally tips the front end of the horse away from the barrel, helping the horse to develop good habits by encouraging hip engagement and discouraging a dropped shoulder. Although this is slightly different than the run between the first and second barrel, I believe that the upward angle actually helps our horses develop positive movement patterns and postural habits to stay elevated and lifted in the front end in general, no matter what angle we approach the barrel at down the road. 6

7 As you execute this exercise, any time your horse doesn t seem to turn with quality, feel free to circle a barrel two to three more times, or until you feel a positive change before moving on to the next one. If you keep circling and are not seeing an improvement, it s a sign that one of the characteristics of the perfect circle or quality movement is not in place. Go back and pin point the problem then address it before moving on. If your horse tends to lock on to patterns too much, anticipates the turns or ever becomes unresponsive, feel free to mix things up by asking for a varying degree of speed between the barrels. Just because a pattern has barrels and is often done at speed, doesn t mean your horse should assume that all patterns with barrels are all done at speed. Keep your horse connected to you and use the life and energy in your body to communicate how you want him to move by relaxing and slowing down your energy when you want a slower pace. This will benefit you greatly in the alley especially. The alley is a place where the horse should not assume when it s time to go, but stay connected and willing to wait for and accept your guidance. If your horse is new to this exercise, is young or just unconfident, be sure to allow him time to become familiar with the pattern before mixing it up and potentially creating confusion, stress and insecurity. For a confident horse who tends to take over and get pushy, keeping it lively and interesting will require him to focus, connect, and stop making assumptions. It s important that when performing these patterns that you offer the same focus and require the same level of precision as you would on the actual barrel pattern. How we do some things is how we do other things. This is not the time and place (nor is any time and place) to get careless. You know what they say about perfect practice right!? Just like when running the pattern, pay close attention to your timing and body language do you know exactly at what point you want to sit deeper in the saddle to cue your horse to prepare for the turn? Also be careful that you stay seated as you guide your horse out of the turn by helping him generate power in his hindquarters with your hindquarters in other words, raise your energy but don t get up, out and over the saddle too soon, or pull your horse around the turn. Teach him to power through the turn with just a subtle guiding hand. Most of all remember that this is a challenging exercise, and it will reveal you and your horse s weak areas. Rather than get discouraged, get excited for your new found awareness! 7

8 Description Exercise 34 Double Pattern The barrel pattern has a very distinct beginning and end. For our horses, this becomes even more significant when it s the only pattern they know that involves barrels. Because of the high speed and high pressure involved, it doesn t take long for horses to pick up on clues that signal to them that a run is coming up. For a sensitive or insecure horse especially, this can lead to anxiety. Pre-run nerves and tension can even negatively affect even those horses who are more naturally laid back and calm. Counteracting the side effects of a timed speed event lies in the hands of the riders and trainers the choices we make in our horses development plays a huge part in how well they handle the pressure. It s not uncommon for horses to experience extreme anxiety at the gate and also have trouble stopping at the completion of a run. Of course, there is much that must be done to educate and develop our horses to prevent or fix problems in these areas, but by teaching our horses the Double Pattern, which has no distinct start point and end point, we can lessen their tendency to make assumptions at the beginning and end of a run, making it less of a hot spot and encouraging them to stay more tuned into us without jumping to conclusions. It s essentially a way to help dissolve anxiety as well as encourage more connection. Purpose The objective with the Double Pattern is to maneuver the barrels as you would normally and then instead of a straight run home, head to the first barrel again and go through the pattern again. The benefit to utilizing this pattern is that it s almost an exact replica of the actual barrel pattern yet the risk of creating confusion with the actual barrel pattern is low. When you ask your horse to run back to the first barrel, you may need to offer a correction if there is resistance or a delay which signifies that the horse has made an assumption, is not tuned into your body language or is not following a feel. In cases where a seasoned barrel horse has gotten to know their job a little too well, and is blocking out his rider, some variety on the pattern is just what is needed to redirect and refocus the horse s attention. This exercise is valuable for a horse that is making any kind of assumption at any point in a run. Of course, your horse is likely to know the difference between a competitive barrel run and the double pattern; however just teaching this away from competition gives your horse more than one way to navigate the barrels, which gives you an opportunity to fix problems, bring their attention back to you and help your horse realize that the barrel pattern is not an automatic trigger for anxiety. How-to The first variation of the double pattern involves setting up two barrel patterns back to back. You can use six barrels, forming two triangles with their base approximately 20 feet apart, or even just add one more barrel opposite of the third barrel to create a diamond shape. Start the pattern by circling and gradually easing your way to the first barrel at a trot, lope, or high lope. Cruise through the pattern just as you would normally, but after completing the third barrel, maintain speed and head off again to your first barrel, which will take you on a pattern to the other direction. As you do, think about how you can use this opportunity to become even more aware of your own timing and body position. 8

9 The key with this exercise is to make your starting and stopping point less exaggerated, or as non-existent as possible. As mentioned, rather than make a distinct acceleration, simply lope a circle and head to the first barrel, so that you come into it in good position. When you feel your horse has done well or becomes a bit fatigued, rather than just stopping, over finish a turn, lope off in a large arc and eventually and gradually melt down to a stop. To even further lessen the anxiety and disconnection at the start and stopping point of a run, rather than positioning your horse in the alley, then throwing the reins away and leaving in a sudden burst, make your transition upward as smooth and gradual as possible. When you do, you support your horse be keeping him in your hands as you prepare to leave, which helps him be in better position at the first barrel. Holding your horse back then throwing slack in the reins and kicking him is enough to give any horse prerun anxiety, as are very sudden, rough, abrupt stops. There s no doubt that the starts and stops must happen quickly, but they can still be relatively smooth when done correctly even within a very short window of time. This eases the physical and mental wear and tear on a horse. Remember a horse will begin to dread and anticipate anything that happens too quickly, sharply or harshly. Even though barrel racing is a timed speed event, we have a lot to gain by incorporating better timing and more feel, fluidity, and finesse into our riding. This pattern provides a valuable opportunity to correct any existing problems you may experience in a run. Again this is because our horse s make just enough of a disconnect between it and the actual pattern (especially once they know it), but it s similar enough for them to quickly make just enough of a connection between the two. To even further discourage a horse s undesirable tendency to make assumptions, also consider loping the barrels all to the left or all to the right. Ask yourself: Is my horse tuned into my body language, or is there a delay or resistance when asked to start the pattern again? Does my horse get anxious just loping a pattern that is so similar to the actual barrel pattern, or will he match the relaxed energy in my body? Can my horse maintain even, forward movement and good body position with minimal guidance and support? 9

10 Exercise 35 Tight Ends Description When implemented correctly, patterns can be our number one tool for developing high caliber barrel horses. They have the power to build our horse s responsibility and confidence, but they also have the potential to be our worst enemy. Horses learn what we teach them, which isn t always necessarily what we want them to learn. It s ideal for our horses to take responsibility for staying precisely on path, and do so with the greatest amount of speed possible. However, if our horse has been misguided and picked up some undesirable habits, then we may need to take measures to help loosen up this undesirable attachment. If a horse is an overachiever he may anticipate and overwork, and in the process not finish his turns due to mentally locking onto the next turn too soon, resulting in a wide exit. The exercise that follows is great for a horse that doesn t finish the turns well. Regardless of what the reason is whether the horse simply isn t taking responsibility, is making assumptions and getting ahead of himself, or whether other factors are involved, Tight Ends has the power to sharpen up the exit from the turns in any horse. It s a great way to reestablish connection, keep a horse s aggressive nature balanced out, and ensure you re taking the straightest, fastest path between the barrels. Purpose The goal for this exercise is unique from the others in this chapter in that we re not so much using it to teach a pattern, but to help loosen up the association to an already existing, undesirable pattern. This is just what the horse who tends to get ahead of himself needs variety and change to keep him guessing. In this exercise we ll be loping around the actual barrel pattern, with a few cones added to make things interesting. I completely believe that one of our horse s greatest needs is for consistency, and that can be provided by never going off the tracks on the barrel pattern unless absolutely necessary. Consistency is such a huge part of building confidence, so my suggestion is that you reserve exercises that involve working different patterns on the pattern for either problem solving or loosening up a horse that is too locked on. If it s not broke, don t fix it. You don t want to add confusion where there is already confidence and clarity. Many problems that happen on the pattern also happen away from the pattern, and can therefore be fixed away from the pattern. At the same time, there is also a time and place when the most effective way to make a correction may be to interrupt a well-established habit in the split second as it occurs at speed, in order to replace it with something new. Permanently resolving a problem may require a combination of both approaches. How-to The following exercise is one that can be done at any gait, but is most effective at a lope. It s not that we don t want our horses to know the barrel pattern really well, but as I ve mentioned, sometimes our horse s aggression on the pattern shows up in the form of over-anticipation. Anticipation isn t entirely a bad thing, but assumption making is (there s a difference!), and becomes a problem when a horse starts making his own choices with poor timing, positioning, or in a way that is in disregard to what the rider has asked. This exercise not only discourages assumption making but it s another great way for building strength and coordination. When a horse is physically fit enough to make repetitive small circles around a barrel with relative ease, it sets them up to be adequately prepared for powerful, efficient turns in a run. 10

11 Set up the barrel pattern as usual and place one cone approximately 20 feet straight north of the first and second barrel, with an optional cone at the third barrel (see diagram). Use your own judgment as to whether you should start at the trot or lope, which may depend on the severity of your horse s habits. It s important to consider before you get started that this exercise can be overdone. Again, we don t necessarily want this to become a pattern that is set in stone, but use it to release our horse s grip on their undesirable habits, in order to reestablish responsibility, discipline, respect and patience. Considering that you won t be using a huge amount of repetition, you may decide that starting out at a lope would provide the best opportunity for correction. Also, don t feel as though it s necessary to use a cone at each barrel if you only have a problem at the second barrel for example. When you get to the first barrel, start by making circles around it approx. 15 feet in diameter. Depending on how aggressive or pushy your horse is or tends to be on the pattern, lope two to five circles or as many as it takes for a perfect circle. Without stopping, move on to circle around the first cone, again two to five times depending on the severity of your horse s attachment and the quality they deliver, then do the same at the second barrel as needed. Although the image above shows a cone after the third barrel, use your judgment as to whether circling here is necessary. If you use cones at the first and second, then circle the third barrel repetitively, you will have already made more circles to one direction than the other. By doing this, then completing the exercise by loping off to the side of the arena, it would certainly help sharpen up the finish of the turn. If on the other hand you do have a problem with your horse blowing off the third barrel, by all means set up an additional cone on the side of barrel three for additional circles. In some cases the cause for coming off the turn wide is that the rider has cut off or rushed the turn often recognizable in a rider that sits too early, turns their head and looks to the next barrel prematurely or pulls the horse s nose around the barrel before his body is ready to come through, causing the horse s energy to pull him out and away from the turn. If you suspect this may be the cause of your wide turns, focus on slowing down in the turn. Use your seat to pump and encourage strong, forward movement instead of reacting too quickly with your upper body. Don t forget that your horse s body is more than just what you see. If you have a habit of overriding your horse s front end, visualize riding your horse s entire body and/or hind end instead. 11

12 I Hope You ve Enjoyed This FREE Sample Chapter From The First 51 Barrel Racing Exercises to Develop a Champion! For the Complete Book with 46 MORE Exercises - PLUS Your INSTANT GIFTS with Purchase, visit 12