07/31/2026
💪🐴🛢❤️
Tina's Training Tips
Anticipation
So many people lose valuable time on the pattern or worse hit barrels by NOT separating their rate and turn cues.
A common bad habit I see daily is when a rider sits for rate one stride from the barrel they look down the horse's neck at the barrel or inside tracks and drop their hand down to withers or lift up too high.
This causes a horse to turn at their shoulder slowing to soon, or cuts off pocket going in which causes extra steps around barrel or stepping off leaving it or worse hitting it.
I discussed it in this week's podcast and you can see in the correct 1D run photo below how important looking between your horse's ears past the barrel into the hole, sitting up for push horse longer or if sit for a free runner to still keep hand in middle of the neck horn high, as shoulders and hips stay square, legs are still on to keep forward motion and you have separated rate and turn cues.
Rate happens before the barrel turn happens when your leg gets to or past the barrel, not their shoulder.
Rate 1 happens the stride before the barrel, rate 2 happens at the barrel, spot 1/entrance when your leg gets there. That will give you 2 strides around each barrel and only 2 strides of rate. By keeping a 3 to 5 ft (depending on size, style & stride) pocket or spot going into and behind the barrel, spots 1 and 2 a horse will collect, have lateral bend, and maintain 4wd forward motion. They will then be able to finish tight and powerful with their pivot foot under them, driving from the hindend and pulling from the front end.
It will be one smooth motion, not taking extra steps or losing valuable time on the clock.
Some horses might need 2 hands to rate 1, one stride from barrel or to the barrel, others you can ride 1 handed to the barrel, keeping your hand low & forward saying keep going forward until you reach spot 1 the entrance of the turn with your leg or their hindquarters. The key is keeping the hand low and forward to not lose forward motion and ride the hindquarters into the turns.
I would say that is the #1 mistake I see with novice riders or novice horses is turning the barrel at the horse's shoulder caused by rider's cues in competition or how you train and tune your barrel horse.
When tuning a barrel horse that has this bad habit I teach 4 drills to fix this.
1. Straighter longer
2. In and outs
3. Circles and true turns
4. All lefts / all rights
There are diagrams and videos to go with each in my online coaching program.
But, more importantly is to proper pattern from the beginning so no bad habits start. This involves a horse that has a great foundation and has great communication of cues. Get the horse broke in the face laterally and vertically, to do transitions off your seat from extended to collected speeds at walk, trot, lope and run, a horse that moves shoulders, ribs and hindquarters off light leg cues, has a great loose rein whoa, can back straight & circles well, pick up leads, side pass, rollback, correct big and small circles, etc. A solid foundation will help you succeed and make teaching the pattern much easier, correct and confident.
But on the pattern you must be specific with your arc and spots 1,2,3, you must teach them to work off your seat, legs with light hands at all speeds.
There is a lot of education with speed from a lope to a run, it takes time and seasoning too.
The key when you walk and trot/jog barrels is the transition from before the barrel to the room you give going into and behind the barrel with their front and back hooves on same tracks, that allows them to snap out and drive out strong.
You never want them to drop a shoulder, swing their hindquarters, float a shoulder, counter arc into barrel, rush in or around, be strung out, stiff, choppy, sticky, or any other bad habits to start. Proper flexion and fluidity is key from the start.
I highly recommend sending a horse to a trainer or taking lessons and clinics often if you are teaching a horse for the first time.
It is easier, goes faster and smoother to teach it correctly than to go back and fix bad habits in horses and riders from just not knowing any better.
Ride with Heart ❤️
Tlcbarrels.com
