Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Training”
Here is a great drill that Sue Smith (NFR Qualifier and Futurity Trainer) shared on her Spur UP – Sue Smith Facebook page. The purpose of the drill is to get control of the horses shoulders. Sometimes a horse will “float” or drift in a turn where their shoulders are not following the inside rein pressure. Sue teaches “separation” where …
Professional barrel racer and trainer Dena Kirkpatrick demonstrates how to get a great stop on a barrel horse. She will start at a walk first, she will sit, say whoa, make contact and have them take step back. Dena emphasizes that you stop your horse in a straight line and to get out of their mouth (release) the moment they step …
World Champion Barrel Racer and Olympic Gold Medalist Kappy Allen put together this video clinic. The video demonstrates proper hand position and how it contributes to a happy, relaxed and focused horse with bend through the body. All these key factors result in a smooth run and FAST TIMES. Kappy says “relaxed and fluid means consistent and fast”. The key …
Here is a great barrel racing tips video from champion barrel racer Kay Blandford and Barrel Racing Buzz videos. Kay offers so much insight and advice in this video you could watch it many times over and still pick up new tidbits. She has a diagram of her barrel racing drill that she uses with four tires in a square …
Fallon Taylor offers several great free barrel racing videos with tips on YouTube. Here is one of her helpful videos that talks about how to deal with a barrel horse that has a tendency to shoulder the barrels. In the video she focuses on the second barrel. The second barrel is the hardest turn because we have to make a …
Sometimes when things go wrong with our horses we are quick to point the finger. “My horse keeps running on the wrong side of the barrel, My horse keeps hitting the barrel or My horse won’t do this, my horse won’t do that”. Horse aren’t that smart, they don’t just run into things for no reason and they don’t think …
When you ride, ride with purpose. While you head out to catch your horse, while you are tacking up, think about your plan for the ride. In order to accomplish goals, you need a plan and parts of that plan are being executed with every ride. You don’t want to miss an opportunity to get closer to your goals by …
Here is a great barrel racing drill or exercise to remind your horse to stay locked on a turn and not to leave it too soon. What you will do is circle the barrel twice (and sometimes more if necessary to get it right) before moving on to the next barrel. Remember to properly prepare your barrel racing horse for …
Many barrel racers often struggle with knowing when to ask their barrel horses in training for an increase in speed. Joyce Loomis-Kernek is a very experienced barrel racer and coach to many. Her website offers many articles and tips to help you become a better barrel racer. You can check out the tips archive here. One article I particularly enjoyed …
In this video Kristen Weaver-Brown talks about what she looks for in a horse before she goes to the pattern. She states she finds that many of the horses she gets in for training don’t have the basics required to start barrel racing. We get many questions here at Free Barrel Racing Tips and on our Barrel Racing Tips page …
