I'm looking into buying a barrel horse but i'm not sure what age of horse I would need because I'm an eperience rider but a beginner barrel racer. I don't want a deadhead but something that does have slow when I want it and speed when I need it as well. critisism and follow up questions are welcome. I do think I would need something older thats a little bit more experienced but I would also like a training prospect.

Get something that you can be confident on. When I got my first barrel horse, I was also a lifelong experienced rider. I remember telling my husband that I wanted a horse with a little fire. I went through a couple of those before I lost my confidence completely and started looking around for an old horse. I was thinking like.... twenty. That's how bad it got. I wound up buying a two-year-old, believe it or not, but he was born old. (He's turning 25 this year.) So you can get a training prospect but I would say go for something that's real quiet and easy-going. If you have problems, you're not going to have fun. Good luck!

My suggestion is get an older steady Eddie that will teach you the correct way to barrel race. There is a lot more to it than running out there and making three turns. I want to point out that these horses are not that easy to find and don't come cheap. It is a lot easier to learn on something that goes out and does the same thing every run than having to fight with one to get it to work. I am old. I raise my own so they are gentle. They don't stay here if they aren't.