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 Barrel Horse World News
Posts: 64
| Tuesday May 12, at 7 pm. CST visit with Lynn McKenzie. Or simply leave your questions and/or greetings here for her. We welcome Lynn to Barrel Horse World and all her years of experience.
The name "Lynn McKenzie" has been prominent in barrel racing since September of 1977 when she and her great horse Magnolia Missile swept the Texas Barrel Racing Association Futurity, winning every go round. In 1978, in her rookie season in the WPRA, she won the title of World Champion Barrel Racer. In 1979 and 1980, she was the Reserve World Champion Barrel Racer, winning the average at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) both years. Winning the 1979 NFR, she placed in EVERY go round, WINNING an unprecedented 6 of 10 rounds. She again won the World Champion title in 1981. An injury to Missile at the 1981 NFR kept her out of competition until Memorial Day in 1982, yet she still qualified in the top 5 for the NFR.
Lynn and Murray started out in 1974 helping Martha and R. E. Josey at their clinics and schools. Lynn began doing her own clinics in 1979, and by 1984 her clinic business had grown considerably. Today, with 30 years of experience for not only her, but Murray also, Lynn McKenzie Clinics are nationally and internationally known for their success in helping barrel racers young and old. "The youngest I ever had at a clinic was 4, but the oldest was a lady who claimed to be 76, but everyone there said she was at least 83!" Through the last 30 years, Lynn and Murray have developed many, many new patterns and techniques on the barrel pattern that now are being used by many of the top riders today. In fact, most of these techniques have become so standard that riders don't even remember where they came from.
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
  
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Just wanted to say Welcome Lynn  |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Hi Lynn! Just wanted to tell you what a fan of your saddles I am! I have the Nueva and the Special. They're wonderful. I do have a question for you-
Was there a time that you just failed out of hand in the barrel racing world, and felt like giving up? How did you overcome that moment and move on to higher achievement?
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | classicpotatochip - 2015-05-12 3:31 PM Hi Lynn! Just wanted to tell you what a fan of your saddles I am! I have the Nueva and the Special. They're wonderful. I do have a question for you- Was there a time that you just failed out of hand in the barrel racing world, and felt like giving up? How did you overcome that moment and move on to higher achievement?
I love this question.. Would have never thought of asking this, thank you!
Welcome Lynn, Thank you for joining us |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1096
| What things do you recommend to keep you and your horse focused right before and during a run? |
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Red Hot Cardinal Fan
Posts: 4122
| Thank you for joining us! What do you recommend to get a ratey, push style horse freed up and running harder? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 937
| Welcome to BHW and thanks for taking the time for us!
What type of bit would you recommend for a horse that is pretty soft in the face but wants to root on the bit and pull away from your hands on occasion? Dental work is up to date on the horse. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Hello Lynn, I attended one of your clinics 20 plus years ago! Many of the things you taught me has lasted....looking for a time that you will get to ND again so I can send my daughter.
I am wondering how you get a little more run from a horse? He's just not super confident but is getting better all the time. When you ask there is always more to give, he just doesn't want to give his all.
Thanks |
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 Member
Posts: 9
| Thank you for such a warm welcome - I've never done this - so have patience with me - I'm tech challenged |
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Member
Posts: 9
| Thanks for the kind words about the LM Saddles - I personally love them and ride them myself.
On the failure part - how about just yesterday.
I go back and think about all the hard work I have put into this and it makes me want to go a least one more day. Then I pray - Lord help me to make one more day - my strength comes from above. Thank You Jesus. |
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Member
Posts: 9
| I had a roper tell me this one time and it has always. He said to close your eyes and watch yourself run in your minds eye - he said to it a good run. I like to watch from the alley way. So I see myself come down the alley way - and Missile just liked to take a good run at a first barrel - and he liked to drop over and turn it. When he came up out of the back of that turn - it looked like a race horse coming out of the gates. He ran across so hard.
If you have ever been to a clinic you know the term - "Step Out" - so when I stepped out - he once again turned and ran to the third and brother - could he run out.
After I watched that several times - he said to feel it in my body. He asked me - what does it feel like when Missile runs down the alley - he was like the jet on the jet way. I could be walking towards the arena - pick up the trot and then let him run.
It would be a long discussion about how it all felt - but if you have ever ridden a great horse and many of the good ones - you know what I'm talking about.
My roper friend then said - feel it again. Your competition ran some where yesterday - but you have run - in your mind - 4 times. Now just do what you felt. Make your horse feel what you are feeling.
Now you will find out that riding like that is horsemanship - ladies. |
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Member
Posts: 9
| I like to start with - first of all - good nutrition. There is nothing better than a healthy horse - on the inside. We don't have much education in exactly what "healthy" means to horses. Barrel racing takes them out of their environment. They don't get to eat what they need - we feed them what we think or what we are told what they need. Feed could be an issue in this style of horse.
Soreness could also be an issue - as saddle fit as shoeing. If he is rating hard in order to protect something.
Training is another issue - many riders train one way - but compete with a totally different mind set that they train.
This question could have a lot of answers. You read this and see if anything "fits". Come back on latter if any of this - as my Mamo would say - "rings a bell" with you. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Hello lynn. Welcome to BHW. I have a short legged long back free runner. What kind of pocket would suit this horse better. I can put her any where I want.Run round or square. Just trying to find her mojo. |
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Member
Posts: 9
| This is pretty common at clinics. I use a Myler that is called a 3 ring combo with a triple barrel mouthpiece. It works so that when the horse pushes on the bit - he automatically tightens up the tie down - himself. The rider usually has to do it with her hands - but now - he is doing it to himself.
Once he realizes that he is tightening his own tie down up - most of the time they will quit. It might take 10 trot through's for him to realize it - but horses are smarter than we give them credit for.
Of course you will have those who say - what about collection - what about draw reins - once again there can be a lot of answers. At clinics however - riders as well as myself want to solve the problem. That bit is my "go to" bit for horses with a temperamental face. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 590
Location: Austin, Texas, where it can get really weird!! | What was the first really big take away early in your pro career i.e. mistake you learned from or trick you learned that was a wow moment.
Thanks for being with us Lynn! !! |
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Member
Posts: 9
| Twenty years ago! Now everybody will know how old we are! LOL
For any problem of needing the horse to feel better - I always start with nutrition. I want to know that the horse is healthy and he feels like running.is he playing in the pasture - is he interested in eating. What type of care is he getting in the barn. Is he is a pasture - a dry lot - so many things to consider. Does he need to be stalled to feel good. Some horses don't do cold weather very well and for us here in TX - some horses don't do hot weather very well.
You can have blood work done to see where the red count is - lately we have taken hair samples to know where we are.
We don't always think about a horse with thin souls or just their feet are sore.
When you need that extra - I will add - that the timer not only times the speed of the race but also the distance of the race. If your lines of approach and exit are not straight and you are carrying a lot of arc into your approach - the timer is timing those extra steps. |
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Member
Posts: 9
| I don't teach pockets. I want the rider to run the horse right up in those turns about 5 feet out (the first barrel is different because of the angle of the ally to the first barrel). We teach the turn is behind the barrel - not beside the barrel. We teach the tear drop shape turn because it has the straightest sides and the timer loves a straight line. The more arc you have in your approach - the time is going to record all of it. |
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Member
Posts: 9
| I had a great career on Magnolia Missile. It was very easy.
However - Murray and I have 2 daughters - they were young enough to travel with us a lot . My parents baby sat beyond belief during those years. There came a time when I - as a mother - had to go home and raise my daughters. It was not a hard decision - but when you have had that much attention and you go home to raise a family - it's not a low point - but there was a place where I had to start over as a clinician.
So - you can be doing all of the right things - making good choices - and sometimes have to start over on a different career. Students come to get results. There is a learning curve in being a good clinician. I can say with all confidence that I am still on that learning curve. Teaching clinics after such a great career is an awesome life.
A low place is one year at the NFR - I went into the lead on Wednesday to win the NFR and Missile slipped on Thursday night and hit the 2nd barrel.
The Cow Place use to be the last rodeo of the year. We could hit some rodeo's on the way out there. At the Cow Palace I hit a barrel to win it and we had to drive 2200 miles home. I still went to the NFR that year.
A champion never allows themselve to be defeated - you might not win - but you are never defeated because you learn from your mistakes. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | What are some characteristics that you look for in horses in general, not just unstarted prospects, that hint that they have "got it" to be a top barrel horse? Any common denominators across the board for success that you have seen? Specifically for rodeo? |
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 Veteran
Posts: 133
| svincent - 2015-05-12 7:38 PM
What are some characteristics that you look for in horses in general, not just unstarted prospects, that hint that they have "got it" to be a top barrel horse? Any common denominators across the board for success that you have seen? Specifically for rodeo?
Thank you for your question -- I have passed it on to Lynn and she will be answering it for you as soon as she can! |
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Member
Posts: 9
| I have had the great pleasure to work with a Conformation Expert - Judy Wardrope (JW Equine). She has changed everything I thought I knew about conformation.
The first thing she looks at (so it must be the most important thing) is the LS joint and it's location. Now to find out that location (because I am not the expert) you need to buy her e book - "Conformation for the Western Disciplines." Judy says the LS joint is like a transmission in a truck. It has to be in the proper place in order to pull the heavy loads.
The next thing is the triangle in the hip. It starts at the point of the hip to the point of the buttocks - then the point of the buttock to the stifle - then the stifle to the point of the hip. Those lines need to be an equallateral triangle for the hip to function properly.
There is much more that can be said about the front end - however I am not the expert that Judy is. She has books and clinics you can gain information from.
iIf the horse is made to do their job - then you don't have to keep convincing them to do their job. It becomes easy. Breeding doesn't always insure that you will have a winner. We are still looking for the individual. |
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Veteran
Posts: 133
| Here is an article by Judy Wardrope about barrel horse conformation: http://jwequine.com/jwequine/pdf/Conformation-BarrelSires.pdf |
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