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without taking your hand off the rein. You'll also need a riding bat with a handle loop and a good pair of boots with a "cowboy heel" to keep your foot from sliding through the stirrup. You might also want to invest in a pair of shin pads to protect your legs from the barrels.

To protect your horse's legs, use either neoprene wrap or nylon splint boots. For hoof protection, purchase a pair of bell boots. These cover the hooves and provide extra shock absorbers. They come in a variety of patterns, including zebra, and you can even purchase lighted boots for nighttime rodeos!

The Training

Set your barrels up in an area of soft dirt. Not only does this mimic the surface of a typical rodeo arena, it also helps develop your horse's muscles. On the first day of training, walk your horse around the barrels a few times, then praise him. Stop training for the day and go on a short trail ride.

The next day, trot the horse around the barrels a few times. As he makes the turn, his head should be low and giving to the bit. To help accomplish this, use leg pressure instead of the bit to guide your mount through the turn. Another way to help your horse learn to position his head correctly is by using a German martingale during training sessions. After he's trotted around the barrels correctly a few times, stop training for the day and praise your animal.

Once your horse knows the pattern well, increase the speed to a lope, but warm him up first. At this point, if your horse is knocking over the barrels, make him walk around them. Lope up to each barrel, then make him slow to a walk. If, after this, he's still tipping the barrels or running over them, place a couple of old tires around each barrel. This will force the horse to be more conscious of the barrels.

It's important to understand that each horse gets around a barrel a little differently. Some run around the barrel, and others do a kind of "sit and slide." As long as he's got his head down and clearing the barrel effectively, either method is fine.

You also need to remember to sit as close to the withers as possible. Horses carry weight most efficiently there. That's why you see jockeys riding this way in horse races.

When your horse is consistently loping the barrels well, gradually increase your speed. If he begins to exhibit improper behavior, go back to the previous step.

When your horse can run the pattern at full speed on a regular basis, work on the "run for home." This is where you can really cut

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