Training for barrel racing is a very long, involved ordeal. The trick is to find a happy medium between practicing in the arena and riding the horse for non-competition. You cannot run the course pattern over and over or your horse will get "sour" or stressed out. He may even get to where he refuses to perform. The good barrel horse is fairly tall and long-legged, even tempered, and has a big heart for running. Often barrel horses have some thoroughbred blood in them for this purpose. The "home stretch," after the barrels have been navigated and the horse and rider are going toward the finish line, is where critical time can be cut off the score.

The first thing you will need is a flat area with three barrels. There are plastic barrels that are available and these are better for protecting both you and your horse from hard knocks. The pattern does not need to be regulations size, but simply a representation of the cloverleaf pattern for practice.

Routine is very important to you and your horse. Try to practice the same time each day and go about your routine in about the same way. The horse takes comfort and will trust you more if they know what to count on. It is very similar to teaching school, as you build a routine there, too. It keeps things calm and the horse will be more willing to try new things.

You will start training your horse to do the barrel cloverleaf pattern at a walk. Get him used to coming up on the barrel wide, and finishing close. It is difficult to show this without diagrams, but check out some magazines that have articles on the subject for pictures. Walk out the pattern for weeks just as part of your regular riding routine. Make it just a part of the day, not the main goal of the day.

Over weeks and time, you will want to begin loping the pattern. Accuracy is so much more important the first year than speed. You are out of the race entirely if you knock over a barrel so it is important to get the pattern down before you add speed. The ride "home" is where you get the speed factor. Let them run their heart out at that point. Make sure you keep the training period only about a tenth of your total riding time for each day, so the horse does not get bored. A bored horse is a unhappy horse. If your horse isn't happy, you won't be either.

Begin running the pattern to see what your horse will do and their particular tendencies. Don't do this more than two times a day, along with other riding tasks. Ride around the perimeter of the arena in a relaxed fashion, too, so the horse knows that he isn't always "on." The arena needs to be your horse's friend, not just a place they have to work. When you begin running the pattern in earnest, you need to wear shin protectors. I know this from experience as now I have calcifications in my shins and calves from hitting metal barrels at a run. Don't repeat my mistakes. Protect your bones and muscles. If you get into heavy competition, protect your horse's bones and tendons, too with boots.

Take your horse to a small rodeo at first, with smaller crowds and less pressure. Run the pattern without pressure, to see how you are doing, and your horse is doing. Adjust from there. You will get to know your horse's particular strengths and you can work with them. Remember to ride in the arena if possible to keep the whole matter just a routine to the horse, and to you.

Barrel racing is fun and challenging for both you and your horse. If you keep a balance between competition and joy, you will enjoy barrel racing for many reasons, not just for winning.

Source: my own experience and interviews with retired barrel racers: primary sources

Learn more about this author, Brenda G. Koscelny.
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