Ask Joyce Loomis-Kernek your barrel racing questions
Question:
I have a barrel horse that has alot of natural rate, but he wants to shoulder the barrel, I can't seem to be able to pull him over enough. My approch is good (not
to wide).I ride in a o-ring combition bit. What type of bit do I need to go to, a short shank lifter bit, a chain bit, or maybe even a hodger futurity hackamore?
(something else, he loves to open his mouth in his turns. Thanks for any help you can give. D
Answer:
Hi D,
Barrel horses with a lot of rate are my favorite kind. Shouldering the
barrel while rating however, is not desirable as I am sure you are finding
out. The big word that you said that alarms me is the word PULL. You can
never pull a horse away from a barrel. When you pull the head to the
outside, you place the shoulder in a position to aim at the barrel. You
must learn to PUSH the horse to the pocket area where he makes the best
turn. You do this by teaching the horse to respond to inside aids. You
bring his nose toward the barrel, soften the neck, move the shoulder over
and then you will have room to clear the barrel. I suggest you get a 4-H
manual and study the sidepass and learn to push your horse instead of pull.
Study what point your horse is opening his mouth in the turn. It is usually
where we are pulling. Learn to use your leg to push the horse on around the
turn instead again of PULLING. You cannot PULL and force horses. You ask
and train so that they learn to respond to our 4 natural aids. Happy
Trails www.loomis-kernek.com.
Question:
I have a 16 year old aqha that I barrel race. She tries to cut the first barrel and hesitates after
going around the 2nd barrel. I was told a lift bit would help her from cutting the first barrel.
What do you think? Any suggestions to stop her from doing that around the 2nd barrel?
Answer:
Hi,
Anytime a horse is cutting, the first thing that I do is go back to circles. If you cannot trot
her in a circle with the shoulder up, that is a good place to start. A horse that is cutting is usually
dropping their shoulder to the inside instead of running up to the pocket clean. Go in a large circle and
pick up the inside rein and use the inside leg and see if you can move the horse off of your leg and rein.
If you cannot, then the horse is probably moving into the pressure instead of moving away from it. To correct
this, practice trotting in a circle and moving the horse out of the circle while still in an arc. For example,
if you are trotting in a left circle, use the left inside rein against the neck and the left inside leg against
the shoulder and rib cage area and teach the horse to move to the right staying in the left arc. I would need
to know why the horse is hesitating after it comes off the second barrel. Be sure that you are not balancing on
its head causing the horse to hesitate while you regain your balance. I see this very often. When the rider
balances on the reins instead of the horn, they cause their horse to hesitate. Happy Trails
www.loomis-kernek.com.
Question:
I have a 12 y/o APHA mare, who I just brought back from broodmare status in Feruary. SHe is making great progress.Some exercises we have doen are spirals,figure
eights, rollbacks. I played with the barrels alittle, and found that she turns very well(we ride in a twisted O ring with a running martingale), but when pushing off, she
hesitates, like she is not sure if she should GO or keep rating, I do not hold her back. Will this come with time and repititon? Are there any exercises we can do to get
her pushing off the barrel and GOING? She was a WP horse and just recently learned she could run. Any suggestions? Thanks Sarah
Answer:
Hi Sarah,
When teaching a horse to push off and pick up some speed, I start between the first and second barrel. Then I do the same going from second to third. Run to the first barrel and run
home as the last two spots.
You can lean up coming off the first barrel and make a smooching noise and release your rein. At this same spot, you can tap her in the backend with a light bat or rubber
hose....something that will urge her forward, but not scare or sting her.
I start this when they are in their early stages of training. My body tells them when to Whoa and when to Go. You can ride in the jockey position going to the barrel......sit where you
want her to gather......ride the turn, then put your body back in the jockey position urging her again to go forward. Do NOT give mixed signals such as urging forward and balancing
yourself on the reins. This says Whoa and Go at the same time. Be sure that everything is in the Go position before tapping her.
Happy Trails www.loomis-kernek.com.
Question:
I have a mare that I barrel race, after turning the first barrel she wants to
fly out the gate. How can I make her stop?
Answer:
Anytime that a horse leaves the pattern, we must analyze the problem and
find a solution. This is usually an indication that the horse is going
faster than she is ready to go. It can also be that you do not have the
laterals broke enough to control the horse with your feet as she comes
around the barrel. It can also be that you are pulling the head too far to
the inside and she is floating to the outside. It can also be the bit that
you are using. It is difficult to answer a question like this without more
information, but I hope that this gives you some ideas.
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
Question:
I have a horse that I have taken to some barrel races off and on for 3 years.He is a
big horse with a lot of rate at each barrel .He doesnt shoulder,but sometimes at the
2nd and third he gets it with his hip leaving it.I wear spurs and try to kick but he
just has so much set.How do I get him to run up there a little further with not so much rate? Camille
Answer:
Hi Camille,
Anytime that you hit a barrel leaving it, it is not a bad problem to have. What usually fixes
this is one more kick with your inside foot in the turn a split second before leaving the barrel.
You can also free him up some by running straight right before going into the arena to make your run.
You must be careful in doing this that you do not over do it and get him too free. Happy Barrel Racing
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
Question:
Hi, i have a five yr old i am training on barrels but he realy swings his back end and throws us both
off track can u help me? Thanks Steff
Answer:
Hi Steff,
When the butt is being thrown to the outside, the horse is not tracking in a yielded and smooth circle.
Go back to basics and do some large round circles around tires. Work until the hind feet are following
into the front tracks and then begin to make a smaller circle. This will show you what area of your horse
is not matching the circle - thus is unyielded. It is usually the shoulder that is stiff when the butt is
swinging to the outside. Happy Barrel Racing
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
Question:
I have a three year old that I have started on barrels and doing very
well. I am having trouble getting him to switch leads between the first and second
barrel. When I take him slow I break him down on the back side of the first
barrel and make him switch leads, but when I ask him for a little speed, he
does not switch. I thought he would learn how to switch when he got to the
barrel with a little speed, but he is quit content trying to lope around the
second barrel in the wrong lead. Do you have any suggestion. Thank You, Sherry
Answer:
Hi Sherry,
I would lope this three year old around a tire exercise that I use alot.
Set up like this: Place a barrel with tires about two large steps away
from the barrel making a circle with the tires with the barrel in the
middle. Go about 90 feet and make another circle of tires with a barrel
in the middle. Now, locate the middle between the two obstacle circles.
Lope around the large circle in the correct lead.....get to the middle of the obstacles
and drop to a trop and pick up the correct lead and turn the second set of tires. You will
be making a figure 8. You will begin to see why the horse is not picking up his leads. This
exercise will show you what part of his body is keeping him from picking up the lead. It could be
one of five parts....the nose, the neck, the shoulder, the mid section or the hip. You must locate
the problem before you can fix it. When a horse will not pick up a lead, he is not broke in a part
of his body. Happy Barrel Racing
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
Question:
Hi, I have a 7 year old gelding that was trained to pick up outside rein at 2 & 3 instead of inside rein.
I've been taking him up to the pocket, picking him up, using inside leg and then moving him away from the
barrel to the next. What else can I do to fix this problem? Shelly
Answer:
Hi Shelly,
Sounds like you are doing the correct thing. You can also use other objects as exercises to let him know
that you are wanting him to work off the inside rein. One such exercise would be to set up two poles at
least 21 feet apart. Loceate the center of the two poles. Do this in a trot....trot to the first pole and
at the center, begin to prepare the horse to turn by tipping his nose slightly to the inside...at the same
time, use your leg cues and balance him with the outside rein and leg so that you don't overfold....then
turn the pole and leave it with both hind feet pushing him forward.....when you turn, be sure that the hind
feet are stepping into the front tracks and not butt swinging. Go to center and do the same thing in the
opposite direction. Happy Barrel Racing
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
Question:
I have a 10 year old thoroughbred I use for barrel racing, he has the pattern and speed, but he
slows down when turning and heading for the next barrel. How can i keep this speed fast
throughout the whole race. Jenet
Answer:
Hi Jenet,
I would sprint him before entering the arena to free him up a bit. If this does not work, I would over
and under him getting him to learn to move out. You must be careful how you do this that you don't
get them too free. If he is lazy, you can also race against another horse occasionally to wake him up.
Again,....use common sense. You did not give me much to go on such as....Can he run? Does he know how to run?
Was he ever on the track? I would also like to know if you might be whipping or spurring in between barrels
which often slows a horse down instead of speeding them up because the rider is spurring and whipping off rythym
with the horse's stride. Hope this helps you. Happy Barrel Racing
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
Question:
Just wondering what you can do for a 5 year old mare that hops and
hesitates after each barrel? She wears a tie down and a short shanked bit. Her teeth
were checked a year ago. She has not been pushed hard at all. We need to get
her to smooth her pattern out. We've tried everything. Please help. Thanks Kyle
Answer:
Hi Kyle,
I would set up several barrels in a row and turn left, turn left again, turn left again, etc. and do the
same to the right until the turns were smooth. Stay the same distance from the barrel in a circle
until she smooths out. You should be checking teeth every 6 months on a performance horse. Be sure
to use a qualified tooth specialist. I need more information such as.....Are you by any chance balancing
on the reins when the horse is coming off the barrel? I see this a lot and it causes a horse to hop and hesitate.
Happy Barrel Racing
Joyce Kernek www.loomis-kernek.com
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