So you read all this stuff about fixing a horse for this or that but what is the best way to fix Us? You know that muscle memory when you know its not the horse but just sometimes we get in bad habits like going to the horn to soon which triggers the horse to set up to early and slows momentum and over goes the barrels! I have drug over a lot of money lately and im trying not to  get in my head too much but gheez it hard not to.  I have read With winning in Mind and Mind Gym all great books but the application during the run when you have an outside factor is where I struggle.  

How do you fix yourself when you know its you not the horse?  I need to retrain my muscle memory to keep both hand forward to my spots.  Its tough because after 3 months off for injury my mare is finally back to running and I have forgotten how to do it! I visualize and feel the run I want to make, I know what I need to do but on those runs where the nerves kick in I go to the horn to soon and she drops in and its just ugly.  I have a wickedly little talented mare and Im not doing her justice right now and its frustrating.  Ive already reached out to someone to go ride with but want to see if anyone has some ideas.  TIA

That is frustrating no doubt! 

Maybe try riding a lot more one handed at home, possibly some holes might show up?

Make sure she really honors your leg and rein at all times, on pattern and off...both 2 handed and 1 handed.

Walk the pattern on foot, visualize where your horse's head is.

A another book suggestion...Get Out Of Your Head and Into Your Mind by SW Johnson. Available on Amazon. 100% Barrel Racing based, not a training book, but a mental conditioning book...it is based with the Winning In Mind philosophies. I think you will love it! 

Wish you all the best in getting it figured out! 

I had to go back and make sure I did not post this in my sleep or somthing. I'm here for advice as well - literally, I am in the same situation.....

Y'all just don't kick the back on my seat on this bus we're all on. 

Years ago I was holding my horse too long and too much on the backside of the first barrel. I have a friend who stood by the first barrel and yelled 'WATCH YOUR HAND' as I was coming around the barrel. She's loud, couldn't not hear her. I literally started watching my hand to make it stop the move. It worked after many many times. I now am addressing the hand to horn too early going to the first. I chant to myself, 'hold, hold, hold,' as I run out of the alley. My friend found that out and is now standing at the end of the alley yelling it to me to reinforce it. I still need one more stride to be ideal, but I've increased by at least three strides already. Visualization just didn't work for some of these fear based moves (not that I'm scared, it's just age based thing for the horn too early, and not trusting the horse to finish a turn on the rein hold) I was making. I can see it correctly in my mind, I can tell myself that I need to hold, or need to release. But it was the reinforced hearing at the right time that does it for me. 

Problems are fixed slow. I walk and trot around the barrels practicing what I need to do. I practice this for hours. Does it get boring. Yes!  Anything that is worth working for us worth spending the time to practice. Also, a clinic with a lot of saddle time is very helpful. Two things though. If you go to a clinic thinking you know everything, just keep your money in your pocket and if you don't practice what you learned, you have wasted your time. Two or three days isn't going to fix anything. 

I have not hopped on BHW in a long time.  Something told me go look :)  

I am on the same bus!!! I am hoping to get off soon!!!! What I have been doing is turning way to soon for the barrel and my horse turns becuase he loses his foward motion. Soooo to help the issue is I focus on ONE thing before the run.  Which in my case is to HOLD.  Sometimes I change it to kick becuase my horse is push style......I am trying to focus on kick this weekned.  That way my body will be in a foward positon and not pulling on him.  I tend to hold back when I think hold.  That is differnet for everyone!   Just find your one thing!!!! It does take the stress off! 

Yes, I am still stressed.  Like writing this make me STRESS about my run Saturday!!!! I keep telling myself, that it is excitement not stress :) :) :) My horse is so much fun to run!!!! 

At home, I have been riding without stirrups.  This seemed insane to me at first but it has helped me gain confidence in my riding.  I never thought I would be  able to lope without them but I can.  It kinda makes running barrel seem easy to me! LOL. It has also helped my find my seat/balance again. I lost a lot of weight and my balance was extremely off!!!!!  I did not realize how bad it was unitl I started riding without stirrups. 

If you start riding without them, start at a walk and work your way up.  This has taken me months to do.  I am now doing figure 8s at a trot, one day I hope to be able to lope the pattern without them :) 

Yes this!!

Update..so I reached out to my friend not going to name her, but shes NFR qualifer and someone I respect and she has also struggled with hit barrels and overcome it and just won a ton so I trust her completely.  She pointed out that I had to get my mare to honor my hand and yes keep it forward and be lazer focused on not letting my eyes drift.   We decided I needed to slow my runs down for a while(HARD TO DO) so I could think and not worry about speed, I can always get that back but I needed to break some eggs.  Well its working  yes Im in the 3 D BUT I have had 3 clean pretty runs with my hand forward, then just drop but stay forward.  I could almost hear my horse going "oh ok were going one more step".  so Im pressing on going to get back to my good habits and winning like we were.  

I will tell you it took me a lot to call her I am pretty much a loner and she is on the rodeo trail winning and i didnt want to bother her but I was desperate.  It was way out of my comfort zone and she has been awesome!  It really has helped to 1) let go of some negative people i had around me and 2) dont be so quick to blame the horse. 

Looking forward to good things!