A Method Of Teaching The Barrel Pattern To Both Horse And Rider

Morgan Frye and Jake, running Barrels

The way I teach barrels, both the green horse and green rider, is to have them start the pattern at the walk.  Having the horse come to a complete stop about 2 lengths from each barrel, and then walk around the barrel.  About ten times a day, for at least a week.

The next week I will ask them to trot around the pattern, slowing to a walk about 2 lengths from the barrel and then trot around the barrel, and back up to the trot once around the barrel.  The reason for the stop at the walk, and the slowing to the walk when we start at the trot ,is to start the horse in on understanding how to rate. We can do this about 10-12 times a day for at least a week.  If you are unable to work with the horse every day this it will take longer to drill it into the horse's memory.

The next week I will ask them to do the pattern at the canter slowing to the trot as they come up on the barrel, then cantering out from the turn. I will not ask a horse to do this more than 6 times a day.  I will then continue the training at the canter until  the training until the rider/horse can make a tight turn around the barrel without clipping it.

Next I will ask for the pattern to be done at the gallop, but not the charge, with the horse starting its rating about 2-3 lengths from the barrel, keeping the turn as fast as possible without the horse slipping down (I have had that happen way too often).  Once we start working at the gallop I will not ask a horse to run the pattern no more that 4 times a day.  This part of the training last until the horse/rider is able to complete the pattern consistently without clipping or swing too wide around a barrel.

The reason you do not want to run the pattern too much in a given day is because of the lateral stress you are putting on the horses feet and legs by making it make such fast sharp turns.  The horse does not have to be lame to feel pain.

The last stage of training as I do it is to ask for the charge as we start the pattern and away from each barrel, and rating down just before each barrel, just how slow depends upon the horse and the rider's comfort.  Some really good horses do not have to rate slower than a slow gallop to make the turns, others have to be slowed much slower.  It is the rider's job to find the point where the horse cannot go into the turn any faster without a wreck ensuing.  Some riders are more aggressive in finding out how fast they can make the turn.  

Rating is the term giving for slowing the horse's rate of speed as it comes near the barrel so it can make the turn without sliding down.

This is the risk you run.

The difference  between a gallop and the charge is one of effort.  The horse will, on its own, after reaching a certain speed change its gate to the gallop, when you ask the horse to run as hard as it can, that is the charge.  When the horse cavalry was being dressed from a column in a scrimmage line for an attack on an opposing force the troop would be brought up side by side in a straight horizontal line to the enemny's position.  The commander would say at the walk, forward, as he pointed his hand in the direction of the attack.  All the horses would walk at the same speed allowing the line of troops to stay dressed. The same for the "At the Trot" command, "At the Cantor", and "At the Gallop" commands.  The slowest horse in the unit sets the speed for each of these gates as the troop advanced.

Until the "Charge!" command is given, at that point the dress of the line become broken as each horse runs as fast as it can into the battle ahead.