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Six Steps to Build a Financial Foundation that Supports Your Barrel Racing Habit

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Six Steps to Build a Financial Foundation that Supports Your Barrel Racing Habit

Listen to this post in audio form! It’s #159 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher or Google Play.

One of the first memories I have relating to finances was thinking I would never be able to go to college because “we didn’t have the money.”

But that was a lie. Well, part of it…

It’s true that my family didn’t seem to have enough funds to meet even our most basic needs at times when I was growing up. It was the way of thinking I inherited as a youngster (and later changed) that was drastically inaccurate.

I DID go to college and get a degree in Veterinary Technology, albeit on my own dime. Whether I continued to assume that my life was doomed – OR that I could or couldn’t influence my future, was up to me.

Today there are a lot of adults still not living their barrel racing dreams because they have no hope – believing that being a professional barrel racer is only for people with “a lot of money.” Today, let’s blow that false belief outta the water too, shall we?

I won’t argue that making a run for the NFR for example, does indeed require hefty financial backing (see below for actual examples). But if barrel racing professionally is your goal, it’s time to get real and get busy creating the strong financial foundation to support it. Read more

Why and How to Detox Your Barrel Horse for a Fresh, FAST Start in the New Year

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Why and How to Detox Your Barrel Horse for a Fresh, FAST Start in the New Year

Listen to this article in audio form! It’s #172 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

When it comes to improving the health and performance of an equine athlete, considering whether we should implement a detox program is more a matter of HOW and WHEN vs. IF.

Today more than ever, performance horses especially are assaulted with a barrage of toxins from their environment, feed and medications, and it’s no coincidence that Veterinarians are seeing an increase in many disease conditions. Allergies, arthritis, metabolic disorders and even cancer are becoming more common and occurring earlier in age than in years past.

Back in the day, horse care and feeding programs were pretty simple. Old timers might even say that “ol’ Sorrely didn’t need all that stuff.” There could actually be some wisdom and truth in that statement! While the competition today is also tougher than ever – what performance horses didn’t need back then, and don’t need now are toxins that come along with the many tempting well-marketed options for supporting them. As we’ve evolved and our choices have grown, symptoms of the “body burden” our equine partners experience has risen as well.

When a horse’s system is already overwhelmed with toxins, it’s especially important that we know how to read the signs and take appropriate action to avoid a game of “chasing symptoms” which often includes adding even more toxic substances, further exacerbating the problem. Read more

Form, BIT and Function – How to Choose and Use the Right Headgear for Your Barrel Horse

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Form, BIT and Function – How to Choose and Use the Right Headgear for Your Barrel Horse

Listen to this article in audio form! It’s #98 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn or Spotify.

As I was getting warmed up to post this week’s video, I was glad to come across some timeless barrel racing wisdom from Ed Wright.

Recently I witnessed and was especially impressed by one of his students as she won the All American Finals in Waco, TX, and again it confirmed that while competition continues to get tougher as breeding programs, tools and techniques are always evolving – certain principles never change.

One such principle is that bits are secondary to education.

And yet, while education is a critical priority – just because we’ve instilled knowledge in our horse’s mind doesn’t necessarily mean there still aren’t blocks in the way physically and emotionally.

Even if we can influence and yield our horse’s body parts relatively quick and effectively doesn’t mean they feel good about it, that they want to do it, and that they aren’t dealing with physical restrictions that make it difficult for them.

This is why I also love learning about and sharing the importance of horse health, anatomy, therapeutic bodywork and biomechanics, as well as what we as trainers, riders and jockeys can do to actually build desire and try in our horses. Read more

The Art and Science of Barrel Horse Training – Effective Techniques, Simplified and Defined

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The Art and Science of Barrel Horse Training – Effective Techniques, Simplified and Defined

Listen to this article in audio form! It’s #174 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
Find the latest episodes and subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

Would you like to be a better barrel horse trainer?

Would you believe many of the same techniques used with horses are also used with dogs, and most other animals?

Of course a few differences and exceptions apply based on the species and individuals we’re working with, but barrel horse training doesn’t have to be the confusing, frustrating grey area we often make it out to be.

Even if you’ve been successful with the methods you apply, a firmer understanding of the techniques you’re using, and even what techniques you’re not – creates opportunity for more clarity and confidence as you develop your horses.

Being a serious student of the horse led me to studying, learning, memorizing, experimenting and experiencing what you could call “Horse Training 101.”

Truthfully, these basics don’t vary too much based on style, preference or what clinician you follow.

What I’ve shared below are the tried and true methods we all use, whether we know it or not – and they’re the exact same methods we can all apply a little differently for even better results!

It’s not so much what we do, but how and when. We’ll be better prepared for the how and when, when we better understand the what! Today I’ve shared all of the above.

If you’re overwhelmed, yet fascinated by terms like operant and classical conditioning, bridge stimulus, or would like to better understand the best ways to use positive and negative reinforcement (you’ll be surprised by this one) to create everything you want in your dream barrel horse – and none of the stuff you don’t want, then join me for this very special article. Read more

Release, Stretch, Relax, Repeat! Four Steps to Maximize Strength, Lengthen Stride & Increase SPEED

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Release, Stretch, Relax, Repeat! Four Steps to Maximize Strength, Lengthen Stride & Increase SPEED

I have to admit in years past my pre and post-ride support routine was pretty minimal.

If I had time or was feeling inspired I would sometimes stretch before a run and would try to cold hose or apply ice boots on after hard, strenuous work.

I also tried to spend adequate time slowly warming up and cooling down, but we all know how that goes!

The support I provide my horses today is much different. This is for a couple reasons. One is that I know better, and so I DO better. The second is that the middle-aged horses in our pasture right now each have physical issues that require some maintenance.

I’ve worked hard to get them to the state of wellness they enjoy today and so I put a lot of effort toward keeping them there under the stresses of travel and speed work. Had they benefitted from a program like the one I follow now when they were younger, they might not require the level of maintenance they do.

In other words, it’s better to go the extra mile with supporting our horse’s physical well-being by seeming to do even MORE than they require in the present, than risk being forced to in the future… OR have them forced into an early retirement.

In the video below I’ve shared the very in-depth and specific pre-ride and run routine I do on a daily basis to maximize performance AND help prevent soundness or health issues from slowing us down. Read more

Hauling Do’s & Don’ts: Avoid the Pitfalls to Arrive (and Stay) at Your Best

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Hauling Do’s & Don’ts: Avoid the Pitfalls to Arrive (and Stay) at Your Best

Last summer I listened to a sports psychologist give a fascinating speech. Something she said really stuck with me…

“There are NO accidents, only unintended consequences that are the result of poor decisions.”

Wow. I think there’s a lot of truth to that.

If you’re someone who’s ALL about taking personal responsibility for the part you play in your barrel racing success – for really OWNING your ability to bring out the very best in your horses, then today’s new video is for you.

If there are pessimists, optimists and realists, then I tend toward the latter. I believe in expecting the best, but preparing for the worst.

After all, if “the worst” is gonna happen, it’ll probably be in the most inconvenient and untimely places, such as when we’re traveling and competing with our horses!

Take a look at this quote by William Arthur Ward – “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”

Which one of the three is the action taker here?

Which one are YOU?

Truth be told – a lot of the problems and challenges that come up when we’re traveling aren’t really SURPRISES. It’s more a matter of WHEN a horse will get hurt, or a truck will break down vs. IF.

Of course, I don’t go around obsessing over all the bad things that can happen, but making sure they don’t knock us off track all comes back to one thing: PREPARATION.

This includes preparing our horses, our gear & equipment, our rig, and most importantly – ourselves.

A lot of road warriors will tell you that the miles in the trailer are actually harder on horses than the actual runs – there’s no doubt it takes a toll.

But sometimes even more detrimental than the jarring of the trailer as we’re hitting the highway, is the mental and emotional stresses our horses go through.

If you’re stressed out all the time – for example, it’s going to effect your entire body, and NOT in a positive way. What’s critical to remember is that like a duck’s feet fervently paddling under smooth water, many horses don’t show obvious, outward signs of stress. So we have to LEARN how to notice the most subtle signs, then take ACTION.

Our horse’s mental and physical well-being while we’re on the road isn’t something we just leave to chance – WE have the power to significantly diminish the stress they experience, and their performance will often improve as a result!

While certain horses require a slightly different approach to building confidence, there’s SO MUCH MORE to “seasoning” a horse than just jumping them in the trailer so they can learn to “get used to” or “deal with” the new sights and sounds.

We CAN be very specific, purposeful and pro-active about preparing them, to make traveling and hauling positive experiences from the very beginning.

And just because an ol’ campaigner has been hauled all over the U.S. and is completely obedient about loading, doesn’t mean their truly accepting of the trailer – there’s room for improvement with these guys too (as I demonstrated in today’s video with Dot Com)!

I want my horses to LOVE traveling as much as I do, and there’s so much we can to do help them be comfortable. When they’re relaxed, traveling takes less of a toll on them AND they have more energy to direct toward winning runs! I’ve shared the specific steps I take with our horses and the high standards I have for “training” them to ENJOY rodeo life AND be perfect gentlemen on the road!

In the video blow I also shared what I did when adversity (and my admittedly poor attitude) was becoming just a little too much for me to bear last week. It’s the same steps I recommend YOU take during times when you just can’t seem to pull yourself out of the pit of despair after a bad run (or a few).

Again, it’s not IF these kinds of things will happen, it’s WHEN – you wanna be ready to bounce back quickly, right!? If so, then click here to dive into today’s new PRO post.

In “Hauling Do’s & Don’ts: Avoid the Pitfalls to Arrive (and Stay) at Your Best” I’ve shared some things we’ve done with our trailer to make it as convenient and comfortable as possible, PLUS the future modifications and additions I have in mind to make it even more so!

In today’s video, we’re gonna talk breakdowns and meltdowns, specifically how to deal with them in advance and even how to avoid them entirely when you’re on the road. Read more

Enter to WIN: How to Pick and Prepare For Varying Competition Environments

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Enter to WIN: How to Pick and Prepare for Competition Environments to Gain Confidence One Run at a Time

Listen to this article in audio form! It’s #164 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

One of the greatest benefits of traveling and competing a lot is that it gives you a TON of perspective. When you’ve “been there, done that,” you have plenty of different environments to compare, helping you to build a mental Rolo-dex of successes, mistakes, and “I won’t do that agains!” It’s ALL feedback that prepares us to make better decisions and do better next time.

Regardless of how many runs, miles and years you have under your belt, below I’ve shared some valuable tips for sizing up your options and making smart choices when it comes to when and where you decide to enter.

First, how far and often you head out the driveway is largely a financial decision. Let’s face it – in the sport of barrel racing, the chances of coming home with pockets fuller than when you left are not great. This article however was written to help you change those odds and tip them more in your favor! Read more

Lessons from the Road: Three Steps to Embrace Challenges, Build Character and Create a Winning Edge

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Lessons from the Road: Three Steps to Embrace Challenges, Build Character and Create a Winning Edge

Listen to this article in audio form! It’s #163 on the Barrel Racing Tips podcast.
For the latest episodes subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

When it comes to achieving excellence in any area of life, it’s not a matter of IF we’ll face challenges, but WHEN. Contrary to what some of us may think (especially when we’re feeling discouraged), it’s not the actual challenges that hold us back, but how we handle them.

Take Amberly Snyder for example. Did you know she clocked her fastest time on the barrel pattern AFTER the car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down? Pretty amazing.

Consider for a moment how EASY it is to convince ourselves “Well, I can’t do this because __this happened__.” We’re often so quick to tell ourselves stories about how and why we can’t do something, even more so when adversity strikes.

Don’t get me wrong, of course we’re all faced with legitimate limitations at times. But our mess can become our message, and our setback can shape our comeback.

In today’s installment of Lessons From the Road, I’ll be sharing three steps to make it more likely that the journey to achieving your barrel racing goals will be a steady climb, regardless of obstacles and setbacks that will inevitably get in your way. Read more