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boon
Posts: 3
| Any advice from a barrel racer would be amazing. In a nutshell i have found myself struggling with choosing a discipline. I'm 21 years old been riding since i was a tot, from ages 11-14 i barrel raced with a seasoned 17 year old babysitter horse competing locally about 1-2 shows a month , at 14 i traded that horse for a 4 year old well bred green broke prospect , long story short this prospect is athletic and has the speed and quickness needed to be a barrel horse, however mentally this horse struggles with any kind of stress or change. after about 1 and half years of barrel training, hauling to shows, trail riding and just about any kind of exposure possible i gave up barrel racing due to my horse being so high anxiety. Fast forward about a year after that i started him again on the barrels we ran into the same anxiety/being a hot crazy horse again, about 3 months in i had competed at 3 nbha shows and finally this horse had become manageable and then he tore his suspensory and had some other soundness issues that correlated with his stress around the barrels. So since then this horse has been retired to trail riding every once in a while. So since (about a year ago) i have done a mini internship with a barrel trainer and i got the chance to ride a variety of barrel horses. This is where my struggle starts my mom and aunt trail ride gaited horses and they love it i have always done it with them and enjoyed it but always been ( A barrel racer) I now own a gaited horse and have started trail riding and endurance riding with them and i really enjoy it. I'm struggling with not being a barrel racer any more it makes me feel like I'm not as good as i once was and I'm not as important as a barrel racer. I have taken quite a interest into endurance riding because it combines the speed of barrel racing and the enjoyment of trail riding. I'm having trouble moving forward. its always been a goal of mine to get back into barrel racing and be competitive on a higher level. But now i love trail riding and endurance riding my gaited horse. I want to be happy and stress free and just enjoy having fun with my horse. If you were me would you A)continue to pursue barrel racing. (starting from scratch again)
or
B) Trail ride and endurance ride my gaited horse and have a lot of stress free fun with my mom and aunt.
Any help or advice would be appreciated
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
   
| First of all, going from an older trained horse to training your own horse is difficult to say the least. If you decided to get back into barrel racing, get a horse that is trained. First of all, you will be ready to go and you won't have the stress of training. Why can't you do both? |
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boon
Posts: 3
| In hindsight i wish i would have traded for a more seasoned/proven horse. It is possible for me to do both discplines i haven't put much thought into that. That defiantly is a option thank you for bringing that up. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | streakysox - 2018-02-07 8:41 PM
First of all, going from an older trained horse to training your own horse is difficult to say the least. If you decided to get back into barrel racing, get a horse that is trained. First of all, you will be ready to go and you won't have the stress of training. Why can't you do both?
Agreed. It might be a little more on the expensive side to buy a seasoned horse but it's worth it in the end. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| Honey....whether you "barrel race" does not define who you are and NEVER think you are NOT "as good" and NOT "important" doing any other discipline than barrel racing!!!!!
I started barrel racing very late in life...probably was 25 before I was actually competitive. It was not an easy hill to climb, there were plenty of haters, and judgemental girls, but I met lots of lifelong dear friends along the way too....do I jackpot and rodeo now, yes I do, does it make me feel any more "important" or "as good" than when I was starting out? Heck no!
Do what you enjoy. If you need a break or are feeling burned out going to rodeos and jackpots, take a break! Enjoy your gaited horse. You are young (I am assuming, LOL) and you have lots and lots and LOTS of time to get back into barrel racing if and when you want to 
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I say stay with {B} sounds like you are having a blast, as young as you are now you can always go back to barrel racing anytime you want but I would just enjoy what you are doing now. I bet your mom and Aunt are enjoying having you riding with them.  |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Just do what you enjoy. I used to stress over picking a discipline like it was a college major. Unless you are aiming for world championships, high level competition, guess what? It doesn't matter! Nobody else is gonna give a flying fart what you do with your horse. A good horsemanship foundation makes it easy to transition from discipline to discipline. There's no reason a well trained and reasonably fit horse shouldn't be able to trail ride, and barrel race, and enter a western dressage class, and try mounted shooting. They're not going to win everything, but if you just want to be a jack-of-all-trades it's ok. That's what I do. And if someday you want to get serious about one discipline, you can always do that. Horses should be fun and relaxing. Do what makes you happy now and don't put yourself in a box. |
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Veteran
Posts: 225
Location: Montgomery TX | Do not let not being a barrel racer define who you are or make you feel less than a person!!
Trail riding can be be challenging and fun also. Have you ever done an endurance ride or competitive trail class? 50-100 miles in 24 hours is an amazing feat keeping both yourself and your horse happy and healthy!! Ever heard of Tevis? Being into trail riding, you probably have, if not, google it. I've ridden some gaited horses and they are so smooth, with my knees and older body, I can really appreciate that.
Mainly have fun and enjoy your horses.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | As someone who is upper 20's, do what you enjoy!!! Do i have the fastest horse? Nope. Would i trade him for the world? Nope. I do sometimes wish i had a faster horse, which will come in time and money. But my little horse will do anything thats asked. We trail ride, swim in ocean and go places (heck i took him to tsc to meet santa this year) My mom rides, heck most of last season she was beating me on her horse. She doesnt care if we go to a race or trail rides. She just loves to ride and do something with me.
Lifes to short not to have fun!! And it doesnt matter what others think. My philosphy is unless they are paying your bills, live your life (within reason, not saying alcohol and drugs)
Not many people can ride a horse. Be proud of what you do whether its endurance riding or running barrels! And enjoy time with family! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 623
Location: /ARKANSAS | Could it be the adrenaline rush that is causing you to question what sport? No sport is like barrel racing, just you and your horse defying the odds at warp speed? That is what I miss, the adrenaline. I love to trail ride also, but, but, the but? I have no idea, it feels like settling, missing something, it is just not quite right. And yes I think it does make you feel like less, you know the look in someone's eye when you tell them you barrel race. I am lost too and rambling my thoughts. Whatever you do with your horse have fun. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
Location: Ohio girl moved to PA | I would try to do both!! It'll give you something to works towards with each horse as an individual and keep you motivated. I love barrel racing and couldn't imagine my life without it, but it's because it's fun!! the moment it stops being fun is when you need to re-evaluate why you're doing it. My Diesel is a solid 4D barrel horse. He will put you in the money every single time, and he's a solid 2D pole horse. He LOVES his jobs and we make a great team together. Are we the fastest? nope, but i will bet you were always the ones having the most fun out there. Eventually i'll get a faster horse when the time is right for me, but for now were enjoying every bit of it. If your horse loves what youre doing just as much as you are then why not?!! |
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