Things That Go Wrong and How to Fix Them! 

            One part of being a winner is being able to learn from ourselves. As a winning barrel racer, you must be able to step back and take stock of what is happening when things are not working for you. Evaluating your runs takes practice, but it is so important. A careful analysis of each run can help keep you winning. Don’t dwell on your mistakes, but when things do go wrong in competition, you need to find out why  and how to prevent the same thing from happening again. Even if you are winning, being really aware of what happens out there can help you correct little inconsistencies that could develop into BIG problems later. We are going to discuss some of the most common barrel racing problems, one at a time, but we’ll take a look at one of the overall biggest mistakes first. That biggest mistake is simple. THE RIDER DOESN’T RIDE THE HORSE AT THE BARREL RACE LIKE HE OR SHE DOES AT HOME. There are a lot of reasons for this. Sometimes, we fight our heads. We get nervous and start paying attention to everyone else and not to our own business. That’s a mistake. Remember that the horse you have to run in the barrel race is the one you left home with; you’re not going to change him into a better horse in those last thirty minutes before you run. But YOU CAN change him. You can change him into a nervous, confused animal that will make mistakes.  Be consistent. Ride the way you ride at home. And make sure you are riding right at home, too. Remember, perfect practice is what it takes. To make sure you are riding right at home, we’ll look at some of the more common faults of the rider and the horse.
        
  First, the rider….

            RIDER FAULTS

1.      Not rating the horse. Sometimes we get so carried away with going fast that we don’t rate the horse. The horse has got to be in position and ‘gathered up’ to make a quick, tight turn.

In other words, you can lose a lot more time by coming into a barrel too fast and not preparing for the turn than you can by rating the horse and helping him get his body into position to turn. What happens is that when you fail to rate him, you don’t give him room to make a quick, tight turn, so he gets past the barrel too far.

2.      Not allowing enough pocket. Not only does the horse have to have his body in position to turn properly; he also must have enough space between himself and the barrel to make the turn. That turning room has to come from somewhere. If you come in to the barrel too close, you’ll have to take some extra room behind or leaving the barrel. That takes up extra time, too.

3.     Leaning in a turn. Your position in the saddle has a tremendous effect on your horse’s run. If you are leaning too much, not only does he have to handle his own weight; he has to compensate and balance yours, too. Sit in the middle of the horse with your weight centered so you make his job easier.

4.      Wrong body position. Failure to sit down in the saddle for the turn and getting left behind leaving a barrel. If you don’t sit down for the turn, your horse may fail to rate because your body position is telling him that he should still be running! Likewise, when you don’t get back up in the saddle leaving the barrel, you let him get sluggish about getting away fast. On a strong-running horse, you’ll be forced back by the momentum of the horse as he leaves. Unfortunately, when this happens, many riders pull back on the reins, throwing the horse off stride.

5.      Holding off with the outside rein in a turn.

Usually this happens after a rider has allowed the horse to get in too close to the barrel. The rider pulls the horse’s head away to avoid hitting the barrel, but accomplishes just the opposite because the horse drops his shoulder right into the barrel. On top of that, with his head pulled up and away from the barrel, he can’t see it.

6.   Incorrect hands are another big problem, and this category runs from getting “iron-fisted” and heavy handed to never making a move on the horse. Part of this is getting to know your horse. Know how much cue or pull he needs to respond without interfering with the speed of his run.

7.      Incorrect equipment. Reins that are so long that the rider has to pull back to his ears to make contact with the horse’s mouth, stirrups that are incorrectly adjusted, a bit that is hanging too low in the horse’s mouth, a buckle that is pinching the horse. All these things can interfere with the horse’s making the best run he can make.

Always, always, check equipment for wear. Safety should be a major  concern. Replace any worn equipment.

8.  Losing the rhythm of the horse is another problem. Sometimes horses and
     riders just aren’t “in synch” with each other. A rider may be going at one speed
     and a horse at another.

9.  Inconsistent cues can cause a horse not to know when or how to turn the
     barrel. Use the same cue every time. Be consistent so your cues speak clearly
     to the horse.

          10.  Don’t slow down before you reach the finish line. Make sure you have crossed
                 the line. Slowing down too soon is a common error and costs precious seconds.  

THE HORSE

1. Running past the first barrel. This is one of the most common problems for  barrel racers, and it is caused by a number of things.

a. If a horse runs too straight to the first barrel, this can cause him to have to run past it to make the turn. To correct this, drive him to the pocket. Don’t just let him run to the barrel, make him leave himself turning room. Some horses begin their turn too soon, the horse begins the turn, is too close, and has to take extra steps past the barrel to get the job done; again, drive the horse to the pocket or turning point, then let him turn when he has enough room to actually make the turn.

b. If a horse runs too hard to the first barrel and is not collected for the turn, he will run past it. You want to go as fast as you can and still have your horse under control and paying attention to your cues. Rate him down for the turn.

c. Being on the wrong lead at the barrel can make a horse take an extra stride past it to change his leads. If that is a problem, go back to slow work and reinforce getting on the correct lead.

d. Sometimes riders just don’t have enough control of their horses to check him and make him turn the barrel. If that is the case, you might tighten the tie-down for more control or go for more control in the head gear. 

2. Running off a the first barrel.

a. Sometimes a horse has just had too much pressure put on him. He rebels by refusing to turn or ducking off. When this is a problem, go back to basics. Take some time on slow, easy work. Ride the horse into the arena and WALK through the barrels. Ride him into the arena then get off and pet him. Do whatever it takes to reinforce to him that the barrel pattern is not bad for him.

b. Sometimes a horse ducks off at the first barrel because things just went wrong. He was going to fast to make the turn and panicked, or he didn’t rate the barrel or he just got confused.  Try to figure out exactly what caused the problem and respond to it.  

3. Running too wide to the first barrel is easily corrected. Look at your spot and ride him straight to that point.

 




4. Bad approach to the second barrel is often caused by a bad first barrel. The horse comes out of that first turn wide, then is way to the left of where he should be as he approaches the second. Be sure to look up to the second barrel as soon as you get around the first one. No matter where you are, focus on your spot at the second barrel and drive your horse STRAIGHT to it.

 5. Slicing the second barrel is a common problem. The horse is running straight at the arena fence in most arenas. This, and the crowd or just anticipation of the turn can cause him to ‘set up’, losing his momentum. Often the horse sets up too early, moves out a little too far away from the barrel, then shoulders back in.

            Riding the slicing horse two-handed usually helps because you can keep him straighter (picking up on the outside rein and holding him with an outside foot so the hindquarters can’t swing out). Use your inside rein to hold his shoulder up and use your outside rein to keep his body straight so he can’t move out, then cut across at the barrel.  Remember, you can’t hold the horse off the barrel by pulling his head away from it, that just causes the horse to drop his inside shoulder that much more. Remember how the horse’s eyes work (see KEEP HIS EYES OPEN). If you pull his head up and away, you interfere with his even being able to see the barrel! If the horse is setting up too early, practice trotting right on by the barrel. Make him wait on your cue to make the turn.

 6. Horses also duck off or refuse the second barrel. They get there and, right before the turn, try to head back to the timer line. Like on the first barrel, sometimes this is caused by a horse that has just had too much pressure or has gotten confused. It can also be caused by working in a small pen too long, by the rider leaning, or by changing leads too late. Sometimes the rider forgets to look up from the first barrel and control the horse’s position during the run across the arena.

            If your horse is ducking off, line him up as soon as you leave the first barrel and go wider to the second. Make sure your headgear has sufficient control. You might try leaving the reins in your right hand until you get to the side of the barrel. Be sure not to lean. Another thing to do in practice is to lope him on past the barrel all the way to the fence, then turn right. This seems to help take their minds off going left.

 7. The most common mistake on the third barrel is letting the horse leave the barrel too wide.  If your horse has this habit, leave the third barrel, then exaggerate moving him over with your outside rein and outside leg. Always emphasize finishing the turn.  

            8. Another common mistake is going too wide to the third barrel. This can be
            caused by releasing the horse’s head too soon before he lines up for the third
            barrel, or not enough rate and control. For a horse that does this, tighten up on that
            outside rein and ride him to your point at the third barrel. Use your outside foot to
            apply pressure to help hold him straight. Remember to look for your spot as soon
            as you complete the second barrel. 

            9. Some horses square off or run past the third barrel. Again, the problem here is
            not rating the barrel enough, or coming in too close. Emphasize the BEND  
            for this horse. Work him on circles and use a draw bit or snaffle to help him
            master his turn.  

            10. Even after the turn is made, don’t forget to look up toward the finish line.
            Make sure your horse runs straight out to complete the pattern.

When you look at a list of all these things that can go wrong, it can be pretty depressing. But don’t let it be. Just be aware of these mistakes so you can work to keep your own run picture perfect! Remember, we all keep on learning as long as we run barrels. I want you to be the best you can be. Remember, you are a winner! Tiny little fears can often make a big difference in your performance. At the least, they are distracting, and for some people, they become such obstacles that they begin to come true, just like the person imagined that they could.

                     Winning Combinations
 

Circuit City Coupons