1. Never let a hand cross the over the neck. Both hands shouldn't be on the same side of the neck- ever never

2. Always run barrels with short reins, so you can quickly contact your horse.

3. Keep your hands LOW and in a box. 

4. Always make sure your horse will lope circles on each lead softly and collected and with head turned toward inside of circle- entire side of face visible. 

5. Your horse should bend/wrap barrels in a four wheel drive style. 

6. Your saddle must have a back girth to prevent the saddle from popping up in the turn. 

Now, I've watched 100 rodeos in 100 days for three summer. Here's what I see. None of the top barrel racers adhere to thes rules. When moving a horse over their hands are high and cross over the mane. They don't give a hoot and a hooey if the horse bends around the barrel. Many of them go into the second and third stiff as boards. Very few have hands low at that point. 

Please add any other golden rules to the list. 

7. Never said "I'll Never" or "I'd never"...

I'm beginning to think it's do what I say not what I do. Never and always don't work for me. I wish I hadn't spent 20 years following those rules.

Everyone has their own set of "golden rules" that works for them ;-)

Of course. Point is as we gain age and experience, we should wonder about the things we were taught. That's what my post is about. I've watched many videos of pro girls demonstrating this or that. This and that go out the door during a run.

Training rules and running rules are waayyyy different! You should train a horse and yourself as perfect as possible to build good habits, especially since those good habits can get you out of or through things that go wrong in a run. Run rules are whatever it takes to shut the clock off. I love the flex and bend in slow work, but I don't want my horse to noodle a barrel turn at a run. That does not shut the clock off.