Who runs a free runner and what drills do you do to help season one? Her style is definitely free running, and she is clocking but she is not finished. (We have been cruising, I haven't been pushing her yet.) She mainly needs work on the first barrel. I understand since she's free running I will need to check her most likely, but I still want her to look for it more on her own. The issue is she is a hot horse and I need drills that will help teach her to rate better but also keep her calm. We haven't been to too many shows yet, only 3 so far this year. She is very smart and catches on so I think if I had a few good drills for her it wouldn't take very long for her to respond. I am trying to go slow with her since she is hotter, don't want her blown up. I got her a little over a year ago and we didn't start doing the pattern for a few months at least. We worked on headset and collection etc., so she really hasn't been on the pattern very long. She only went to a few shows last year as well. 

I wouldn't drill a hot horse. Take her outside the arena and ride her. Pick a tree or buah or whatever you want and pretend thats the barrel. Teach her her cues that way and stay out of the arena. 

one rein stops

2 things in particular helped my little free runner, hawt mess.  One was using a verbal cue at the barrel , on her I use "here" but I say it low and slllooowww.  The helps remind me to to slow my brain down also.  The other was doing some slow work  on the pattern, in a fast stop.  We had been having an issue before the fast stop of me apparently pulling on her all the way to the first, then I'd go to rate her And she wasn't sure if I was rating her or if I was still just pulling like I had been from the first step...She could hi lope the prettiest little pattern, but go faster than a hi lope or try to cruise thru and her brain fell out.  Trust me, she was broke as they came...until you added any speed and most of that was my fault again.  We'd been to several Ed Wright Clinic, had gone to some reined cow horse stuff to learen to rate a cow.  Thankfully I caught a post on here from Diane Guinn about the fast stop and how she used it.  I took about 2 weeks to introduce the fast stop to her and myself as I tend to have some crazy pulling hands or did at that time....And the fast stop was actually when I started using the "here"  cue too to help cue her without having to touch her if I could.

Interesting Run n Rate. Do you have a pic? Is it what we call a Quick stop? I could have been the OP. Someone suggested I take her into the pasture and work on transitions in a straight line. I haven't been to a race yet, so I can't tell you if it's helping. I, ME, MYSELF need to practice at speed. That's not her fault, so I've been going to the gym to get stronger and improve my balance. 

https://www.sears.com/weaver-leather-fast-stop/p-SPM8876622217

In April of 2010 I had gone to a race at our fairgrounds.  We had the slowest time of over 250 plus runs minus those who did not hit a barrel. Why?  Because we took trail rides around the turns.  I think we ran a long 19 in a pen that a mid 14 won it, on a horse that I had hauled for 2 years doing time only's, entering here and there, hi lope and you could accidently pick up a check in the 4D, let her go faster and the wheels came off.  On the most physically gifted animal to this day that I have ever thrown a leg over....frustrating.  May of that year I caught a comment from Diane on a post about the fast stop and it hit its target.  Like I said , took 2 weeks to introduce it to her because she is super light in the face at the wAlk, trot and lope but as soon as you hit a gear on her her brain flipped you off and she was running at Ruidosoand you better have an outrider to help slow you down.  Any way, I then introduced it to her on the pattern and asked her to stop several times on the way to the barrels at the trot and the lope for a week or more.  I was not brave enough to make a run in it because as I've said I tend to get heavy handed and that is a big no no with this bridle.  I popped her regular bit on her, made a run and the first time I asked her to check back with me on the wAy to the first and suddenly I was in the middle of a beautiful slide stop, LOL!!! Hello!!! And all I did was asked for a half halt.  Fast forward to June and we ended up having a big race at that same arena we had posted the long 19 in April in .  Friday night at the warm up race she was a 16.7,little hiccup where she actually really did stop at the 2nd barrel, totally my over anxious hands BUT she listened!!! TypicAlly she would have had her nose in the air and been off to the races so a stop was a step in the right directions.  Next day she wAs A 16.3 and Sunday she was a 15.7, Friday we had picked up a check in the 4D in a 4D race and then Satruday  she picked up a check in the 4D in a 5D race. Sunday she was middle of the 3D. 2 years later she even kept her rate at Pendleton at the 4th of July race and just missed a check in the 2D.  That bridle used correctly changed everything for us. To me it isn't a bandaid when you keep the lesson. and she has.

First one...and for more info try contacting Diane Guinn , she is a walking text book on this bridle.

So do you run in that as well or just do pattern work at home in it? I do use a verbal cue with her. I tell hey at her and it does help a lot, but she has so much run she needs to look more. My push style I can push to the first and he will turn but her I have to ride quiet to the first.

This isn't free runner specific, but I put what I call the "Easy Button" on them all. It can be done anywhere, on the rail/pasture/trail/etc doesn't matter. Start at walk and teach up from there. I just get them moving out at the gait I'm doing, and then ask them to shorten their stride/rate. I sit, squeeze my legs, and say easy. You can use whatever word. And once they've mastered a slower gait, move to the next. If they ignore you, stop and back a step and then go on. I can get mine long trotting on a loose rein and do this and the reel right back to me & I never have to touch a rein, And when I hit my rate spot at the barrel I do the same thing, use the same word or a few of them learned it from my sit/squeeze more than the vocal word. I try to sit/squeeze and then say the word and some are just smart to know it was coming and did it before the word left my mouth