by Rynaldo Stoltz

Created on: June 22, 2009   Last Updated: July 02, 2009

How to train for barrel racing.

As we all know, barrel racing is one of the most popular and exciting sports in the western arena. It's a timed rodeo event, where the fastest time matters most. Here a horse and its rider will attempt to complete a clover shaped pattern around a selection of 50 gallon barrels without knocking them over. Barrel racing was started when woman wanted a challenging event to compete in. Today, barrel racing is enjoyed by men and woman, and in order to compete in barrel racing, you and your horse have to be physically and mentally steady. To train for barrel racing takes time and effort. You will need to lay down some foundations before taking your horse to compete in one of these events. Let me tell you how to train for barrel racing.

Firstly you need to warm up your horse before attempting the barrel patern. The horse should be warm enough but not breathing hard. You can walk your horse around the pattern a few times. This will make the horse realize where exactly you want him to go. Make sure you walk your horse before trotting. This will loosen his muscles.

Now you can start with some trotting. Take your horse out every day, for a week or two and trot around the barrels. Make sure your horse is not close enough to touch the barrels. This will get easier as your horse starts to learn the pattern.

Another good training idea is to take your horse on a trail ride at least once a day. This will make the horse realize that barrel racing is not the only thing he has to do.

Practice neck reining. Ride your horse along a straight line in the arena, and after 10 strides, try to move your horse 4 feet to the left and return to the middle of the arena. Now try this again, and move your horse 4 feet to the right before returning to the middle of the arena. This method is critical when it comes to training for barrel racing, and it improves the communication between the horse and the rider.

You can also do some figure eights. Practice this while walking your horse in a figure eight pattern before starting with a gentle trot. Use the entire arena to do this. As you get closer to the middle of the arena, the figures will progressively get smaller. Once you have the hang of this, try different speeds. This will surely increase the horse and its rider's skill.

Once your horse can trot the full pattern without making any mistakes, lope around it. Loping is the speed you want your horse to go on the course.

You are now ready for competition.

Learn more about this author, Rynaldo Stoltz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.