My Mission
“To help barrel racers WIN in the arena and out with resources for developing educated, confident, high-achieving equine athletes.”
“To help barrel racers WIN in the arena and out with resources for developing educated, confident, high-achieving equine athletes.”
Work Ethic – How to Develop & Maintain It in Horses, Part II
/0 Comments/in Develop a Barrel Racing Champion /by Heather SmithListen to this article in audio form! It’s #8 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Play.
Last month we started to discuss the importance of establishing and maintaining strong work ethic in our horses. We went into depth on five ways to make this possible –
1. Stay on Your Feet
2. Challenge Yourself
3. Mix Things Up
4. Don’t Skimp on the Compliments, and
5. Try a New Discipline
This month we’ll continue with five more ways to develop and maintain strong work ethics in our equine friends.
6. Keep Harsh Criticism to a Minimum – Horses don’t try to purposely hit barrels and like humans, they aren’t perfect. So you had a bad run? Does that make it acceptable to be excessively firm on your horse’s face or take him out for a “behind the barn” session? Would you never dream of responding in such a way when your horse doesn’t perform?
The reality is, that it happens and it seriously affects our horse’s work ethic. There’s no quicker way to destroy your horse’s “want to” and even burn them out completely than to respond to what you thought was a poor performance with rough treatment, abuse or repetitive and excessive hard work. In addition, when worked to the point of exhaustion, your horse is more likely to injure himself and much less likely to retain what you’re trying to get through.
Read more
Work Ethic – How to Develop & Maintain It in Horses, Part I
/0 Comments/in Develop a Barrel Racing Champion /by Heather SmithListen to this article in audio form! It’s #8 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Play.
The important role work ethic plays in our ability to accomplish goals and achieve success in life is hard to downplay. We may not have the ability to instill these values in our co-workers but fortunately we do directly influence our horse’s level of work ethic.
By establishing and maintaining a good work ethic in our horses, they are more likely to enjoy their jobs and try their best for us. In addition, we increase the odds for their long term mental soundness. These factors are likely to create more satisfaction and enjoyment for ourselves in return. As performance horse owners, we would be wise to consider this ability as not just as an opportunity, but as a responsibility.
Recently I headed down the driveway for what was my young gelding’s first real ride outside the confines of the arena. I had properly prepared him for such an outing but I was surprised how briskly he walked out. Never going faster than I asked, my youngster was alert with ears forward, not showing the slightest amount of fear or uncertainty. The high level of confidence he carried himself with made him feel as though he was ready to take on the world! I am not certain that my colt’s behavior was due to his “belief in the moral benefit and importance of work,” but I appreciated his willing attitude none the less.
Read more
Bareback Balance for Barrel Racers
/4 Comments/in Be a Better Competitor /by Heather SmithWe’ve all heard the age old advice – to become a better rider, ride bareback!
However, you may write off that advice thinking that riding bareback is for kids or that you’re a perfectly capable rider – or are you?
Part of reaching your potential as a barrel racer means being committed to never ending self-improvement. To truly grow in our horsemanship we must be willing to look (deep) within – FIRST.
So what constitutes a good rider in barrel racing anyway? We might figure that if we can get through the pattern without falling off that we’re good enough, or that if we can lope circles, trot along the rail or even sprint full speed without major day-lighting in the saddle that we are accomplished riders.
When someone at the barrel race says “She can really ride!” they may mean that person seems to have an ample dose of balance, timing, fluidity & feel that is necessary to be ONE with a horse during a run. Any cues are made smoothly, which creates response rather than reaction from the horse. They are fluid in their body, appearing to move ‘with’ vs. ‘on’ their horse and rarely over exaggerate movements resulting in costly time off the clock.
A not so advanced rider might cue their horse too soon or too late (out of time), they might tense up and brace in the stirrups (lack of fluidity), lean one way or another (out of balance) or roughly jerk or pull their horse through a turn (lack of feel), trying to make up for the mistakes created by the previously mentioned missing ingredients – timing, fluidity and balance!
Read more
Barefoot Trim for Barrel Racing?
/13 Comments/in Barrel Horse Health /by Guest ContributorListen to this article in audio form! It’s #7 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Play.
by Kim Kizzier, LMT, CMT
It seems like everything is going ‘natural’ these days. We are constantly looking for natural solutions, practices, and products that can help us and our horses to stay healthy, happy and environmentally responsible. With the natural horsemanship trends, it only makes sense that natural hoof care would go hand-in-hand.
The ‘Natural Barefoot Trim’ and the theories surrounding it offer fairly new concepts to what we’ve learned as ‘normal’ over the past 1,000 years, yet it appears to be taking the horse world by storm. This trim, including the idea of pulling shoes and going barefoot is frequently looked upon as alternative and is often not yet fully understood within traditional horse and hoof care professions. Most veterinarians and farriers will admit that horses are healthier if they can be barefoot. The arguing word seems to be “if.”
Barefoot proponents believe every horse should go barefoot and that with proper trimming, conditioning and support, every horse will develop healthier feet and bodies and perform better barefoot. Others believe shoes are a necessary evil and point to genetic predisposition to bad feet, hoof pathology, or intense training programs that require more support.
Read more
How to Kiss Bad Barrel Racing Habits Goodbye!
/22 Comments/in Be a Better Competitor, Overcome Barrel Racing Challenges /by Heather SmithListen to this article in audio form! It’s #9 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Play.
Judging by the title you might guess that this article will cover steps to overcoming bad habits – quite the contrary!
This article WILL cover a step by step process that will allow you to embrace new habits in your riding; habits that will better serve you in an actual run.
There’s quite a difference between the two (overcoming bad vs. embracing new), but more on that later…
When it comes to the mental game, there is plenty of talk about the importance if quieting the mind. It IS ideal for us to hand the reins over to our subconscious and let go of “thinking” our way through a run.
To do this, however, we must rely on our bodies to operate in a way that allows our horse to perform to their fullest potential.
But what if our body doesn’t hold up its end of the deal?
Over time we find ourselves riding in a way that may have worked for us as a kid or may have worked for a horse we had in the past. When it’s time for a change – feelings of frustration are common.
Because barrel racing is a high speed event, there is only time to react, making it very difficult (if not impossible) to think about changes we must make in our riding during a run.
As barrel racers, we can be hard on ourselves when our riding doesn’t measure up to the way we want to ride in a run, and how we know our horses must be ridden to perform at their peak.
Studies show that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. Sounds simple enough. That is, until you apply it to barrel racing!
The reality is that most of us don’t have a string of finished horses to make several runs on every day for 21 days straight. And we wouldn’t want to jeopardize our horse’s physical and mental health to better ourselves. But if something doesn’t change, the wheels continue to spin.
The good news is that you don’t have to keep banging your head against the trailer! IF you are determined to accomplish your goals, it IS possible to create new habits, and do so without sacrificing your horse (or your sanity).
Read more
Start Your Summer Barrel Racing Season Right
/6 Comments/in Be a Better Competitor /by Heather SmithI’ve never believed in doing things half way. Whether it’s barrel racing, business or relationships, when I commit to something, I give my all.
I figure if I’m going to invest my time and energy in something, that something must be important.
Otherwise, why do it at all?
It’s interesting that such a large percentage of people walk through life just hoping to make it through with as little effort as possible. Sometimes these people actually achieve some success in the barrel racing arena. However, their success is sporadic at best.
So how can you gain a definite edge?
How can you set yourself up to achieve barrel racing success and stay competitive?
One word – PREPARATION
This may seem obvious, or even simple, but it’s easier said than done!
Now is the time to analyze where you’re going, and if you are really prepared to go there.
Have you set yourself up to succeed and come out on top of any situation that comes your way, no matter how unexpected?
Read more
Ride Your Barrel Horse Better with the Power Seat
/0 Comments/in Be a Better Competitor /by Guest Contributorby Certified Centered Riding Instructor, Cathy Mahon
I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember the days when in order to get all of the items on your grocery list, you had to go to at least three, if not four different stores. There was the butcher shop, where you bought your meat, a bakery for your bread and donuts, a produce stand where you would buy your fruits and vegetables and if you needed anything for your medicine cabinet, you had to go to the “drugstore.” It was time consuming, inconvenient and frustrating if you’d forget something and have to make another trip across town.
Well, now there’s a simple solution for shopping – the superstore or supermarket! And just as remarkable, is a simple straightforward way to find your POWER SEAT when you ride. By engaging the supportive, powerful CORE muscles (no, I mean the REAL core muscles) of the psoas and iliopsoas, located deep inside the body, you’ll be able to sit deep in the saddle, wrap your legs snugly around your horse’s barrel and keep your feet exactly where they need to be: grounded with equal weight in the stirrups.
You will breathe softly and maintain your balance, and your joints will flex and absorb the motion of your horse. You’ll notice your horse immediately rate underneath you when you deepen your contact with a simple exhale allowing your weight to drop back and down. You can move through the barrel pattern with simple upper body rotation, avoiding the tendency to lean into the turns. You’ll be stable no matter what you do.
Read more
A Barrel Racer’s Guide to Understanding and Creating Impulsion
/0 Comments/in Develop a Barrel Racing Champion /by Heather SmithListen to this article in audio form! It’s #4 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Play.
IMPULSION.
Next to collection, it could very possibly be one of the most misunderstood and often missing, but critical pieces to any performance endeavor with horses.
I went in-depth to cover the subject of collection in another post (see link below), but make no mistake, these two go hand in hand. Although they are equally important when it comes to developing a winning barrel horse, impulsion is at the top of the priority list.
One definition I came across states that impulsion is the “the powerful thrust from the hindquarters that propels the horse forward. Impulsion is the surge that occurs when the horse’s hindquarters push off the ground.”
Another describes impulsion as the “pushing power (thrust) of a horse, which comes from his desire to move powerfully forward with energy.”
However, there is one similarity and one difference in the above definitions that I would like to call attention to.
Read more