Need some help with a push/roll back style mare. Mostly with MYSELF. But I'll take any suggestions on keeping one a little more free'd up as well. I've had her for a year now, when I got her I knew I'd have to step up and change my style to fit her. But I knew she'd make me better in the long run. I'm trying to give myself some grace since 5 of the last 12 months she was stalled healing an injury but man, this is killing my confidence and I feel like her's too.

We're struggling big time with the 1st barrel. I'm dropping to my horn like 3 strides too soon and as soon as I do she will set and drop her shoulder and no matter how much "lifting" I do, we're going to plow it.  Between that and figuring out her "pocket"..we're not having fun. It's like she needs an angle going in but she can't have too much of a pocket has she'll turn back on top of it on the back side. There is a sweet spot with her and apparently I have not figured it out consistently yet.

Any advice on what I can do and what I can work on with her appreciated!

I understand the dropping too early thing. I chant, "HOLD HOLD HOLD (holdholdhold)," from the time I take off and try to get as close as possible to the barrel before dropping to the horn. Not that I'm always successful! It's tough. My girl is going to go around the barrel no matter how much I muff my riding, but it's the difference between a 3D run and a bottom 1D/top 2D run. Good luck - it's a tough think to learn a new style of running!

Try to really focus on a spot on the ground and don't drop to horn until you get to that spot.

This, or focus on needing your leg to be to a certain spot on the barrel such as your leg is next to the barrel before grabbing horn. You're better off going past the turn for a little bit than hitting it, I'd always rather be late than early. I'm running one that's a whole new style, you put your hand forward halfway up the neck to turn & I've always trained horses to turn pulling more to my pant pocket. I've had to just walk the pattern a ton at home & just focus on my spots & act like I'm running. I lean over her & fake hustle her between, sit up & deep when I need to turn & go to the horn & put my hand where it needs to be. It's starting to click better now after doing that a ton. I just do it when I'm warming up or cooling out from a workout 

Well, it sounds like you have identified the problem. 

*cue the Taylor Switft song - Hi, it's me ...... I'm the problem

But in all seriousness, it's a mental game. YOU have to figure out how to get YOU to ride to your spot. 

But....... I would also comment that your mare also needs to allow you to fix her if you make a mistake. She should still respect your rein, even though you were the one that created the issue in the first place. So it's really two-fold. Your horse should be more broke so that she listens to you; yet at the same time, you have to figure out your timing so you don't mess her up.

Now, what do you mean by LIFTING? There is no such thing. You cannot "lift" a 1,000 pound animal. So if you mean that you are pulling up on that inside rein, and you are crossing your inside hand across her mane to the outside, there's another problem. DON'T DO THAT. That is exactly what will make her drop in even harder and hit that barrel because you are putting her off balance.  Your hands should never never never never cross the plane of the mane .... and in the very rare situation that you goof up and do it, you should have enough training instilled in your horse that they still aren't going to drop in. I know there are plenty of barrel trainer out there that teach this "lifting garbage" (excuse my french) but ask yourself: Do you see English riders crossing the plane of the neck? A reining trainer when they are working a horse two handed? 

No, you don't. Because they are riding balanced, correct, collected, and with the horse between their hands and equal, as they should be. So I don't know why barrel racers have adopted this "lifting" habit because it doesn't help your horse.

Can you post a video making a run? It might be helpful to see what else is happening.

I had similar problem, but worse at second barrel. The "lifting" I was trying started her ducking 2nd barrel. My daughter would scream "Two hands! Two hands!" at me as we went across the pen, and I finally learned to ride her. I needed to be beside the 2nd barrel when I dropped my hand. When you can get "with" those kind, they're really fun to ride, you can't push them past a barrel! Stay with her, she's worth it.

take the horse out on trail ride and work on one rein stop and side passing while doing it randomly always alternate so your doing both sides equally.  get the horse good and soft. dont work on the barrel stay away from them only to compete. dont go past a walk working one rein stop.until soft then pick up trot. doing this your training the horse to respond to you not a barrel.