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Member
Posts: 5
| Hey I'm new :) A little about me? I'm 17, been riding for 11 years, just in love with the sport of riding and the horses themselves :)
I show a little pleasure here and there.. but I mainly love just riding (and going fast ;)..) I've owned a lot of horses but currently (due to the fact that I mainly pay for my horses now) I have 2; 12 year old 14hh POA gelding and a mini
I LOVE to run barrels, have ever since I was little, but I also love my current horse. And he's not a barrel horse. (actually he's pleasure bred, but I pretty much do everything with him haha..) I have been fortunate to be able to race other people's barrel horses a bit, but I would love to start with my lil guy ;)
I've done the pattern with him at fun shows, and he seems to take to them, but I've never seriously tried to train him on them.
He's not, erm, the fastest one of the bunch cuz of his little 14hh legs. But he'll work his little heart out for me with everything else I do, and I figure that's a big part of it!
Is it possible to turn a lil nugget like mine into a barrel/games horse, even at his age/height?
THANKS  |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
  
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Hello there and hang on for the ride, it can get bumpy sometimes . 
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2014-01-03 4:42 PM
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I had the coolest 12.3 hand quarter pony named Bandit when I was a teenager. He was built really thick and long bodied.. looked like a dachshund horse. He ran 21 second poles and ran in the open 1D more than a share of times… Most often he was a top of 2D barrel horse. He was a load of fun and I miss the old guy. Had I known what I know now as far as training and riding I think he could have been a pretty tough guy despite his size!
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Oh yes and the great thing about barrel racing, you don't always have to compete with the elite. You can get your feet wet at open shows and little local 4D's. My good barrel horse was out last year so I grabbed my husband's 14.3 ranch horse that isn't very fast. I took him to an AQHA barrel race (just because) and we both had fun. This was honestly the first time he had ever seen a barrel or went around the pattern. He's really really broke so that helped. He was just "lost" during most of the run, but I still had fun and he seemed to get a kick out of something new. I went to patterning him at home so I have something to play around with while I get something more competitive ready. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5SQAriWFGU
Edited by wyoming barrel racer 2014-01-03 4:50 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
Location: PA | Neither of those factors will matter,your guy should work for what you want. I didnt start my gelding until he was 12 and I was 14 at the time, he was a trail horse up to that point. He ended up winning the 2D youth at our state finals the year I ran him, which was a great accomplishment for him. I never expected him to get faster than 2 seconds off but he suprised everyone who knew him (He is a lazy plug). When I look back now I see how easy he really was to train, I didnt have to teach him how to use his body in his turns, he just knew. Now that I have my mare started and being hauled, I miss Zep for his, um, intelligence. I think alot of that came from him being aged and experienced with life in general lol. Oh and my mare in the 14 hand bracket and she is wicked fast and athletic so dont let that get to you either. She's running 1D youth now and only been to 8 arenas in the past year.
Zep, gelding started late ETA: He's also grade!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMj5C8HiASA&list=TLTB49IfrKt_0pzC7a6LVy6L5AZn5msImg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x31Qqp73Ic&list=TLTB49IfrKt_0pzC7a6LVy6L5AZn5msImg
Rosie, short
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rufnypBG_NA&list=TLmSunS5070qD9Fuxq9OvXWGfd_hOYBJpy
Edited by Zepridesitright 2014-01-03 9:49 PM
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 Veteran
Posts: 215
Location: The money window | Coming from the girl who is training her halter-bred Arabian for barrels, go for it! 
If a horse has the heart for it, and the willingness to run, they can be always be competitive SOMEWHERE in the barrel pen, whether its grabbing a check in the 4d or taking it all in the open 1d. I personally think breeding is very much secondary to a horse's natural 'try'...I'd take a big-hearted pleasure bred over a bratty son of whatever famous sire ANY DAY. |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Yes you can and WELCOME to BHW. It comes down to learning for horse and rider... Good Luck.  |
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 Veteran
Posts: 101
| My friend ran a Saddlebred until she got a barrel horse. That Saddlebred competed well and kicked some butt. You can do it :) My older horse was 9 when I got him and was a roping horse before I turned him into a barrel horse. You can teach an old horse new tricks :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 836
Location: Southern Pennsylvania | Welcome! There is a lot of advice on here and everyone is willing to help. One of the best things is to learn as much as you can. Youtube is a great (and FREE) tool. I personally like Sherry Cervis training videos on there. Also KBBarrelRacing has a playlist with 80 videos!!! As for your horse. The Divisions (1D-4D) were made for horses and jockeys to learn and move through the ranks. Oh and his height is perfectly fine. In the BHW header at the top of the screen (running horses; says happy new year!) is Sherry Cervi and Stingray (MP Metermyhay). Sherry is over 6' and stingray is around 14.1-14.3 h and they are an AMAZING team. Well considering that they just won the NFR! Along with the Top Gun award at the NFR and other amazing attributes over the years. Good luck and happy new year. We would love to hear your progress! |
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 I Am Always Right
Posts: 4264
Location: stray dump capital of the world | My friend bought her daughter a grade 10 year old 14.1ish mare when her daughter was 10. Neither mother or daughter had much experience with horses when they made the purchase, but the main goal was finding something safe. The daughter sat back and observed barrel racing and worked with her little grade mare. It wasn't long before they were rocking and rolling and winning. They were a team for 10 years when unexpectedly, they loss the little horse the day before Thanksgiving to colic. It was amazing to watch them grow together. The little mare took such good care of her girl and they grew together in a sport that neither knew much about going in. The major reason for their success is the love each had for one another.
Take your little horse and hit playdays and small races. Work together and let him show you what he has. Go for fun and enjoy your boy.
Also, welcome to BHW. You will learn a lot here. |
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Member
Posts: 5
| Thanks EVERYBODY! I got some confidence in is now :) we're not NFR material but I think we'll have a blast doing local events and rodeos..! I walked him on the pattern today (despite the bitter cold) like I've read! I watched some YouTube videos! I'm so excited.. I love barrels!!
I think I'm gonna like this place ;) everybody here is so welcoming and friendly! I'll keep all you posted about our progress!! Thanks everybody again! |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| There's a young lady in Arkansas that rides a POA less than 14 hands that clocks in the 3D at big (300 plus), tough barrel races. |
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Member
Posts: 5
| I I have probably a dumb question... How come you're not supposed to run the pattern full out at home?? I'm obviously not there yet with my boy.. I'm just wondering!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| saddleuprideout - 2014-01-04 1:46 PM
I I have probably a dumb question... How come you're not supposed to run the pattern full out at home?? I'm obviously not there yet with my boy.. I'm just wondering!!
You can, and I do VERY VERY occasionally once they are solid on the pattern at a walk, trot, lope, and gallop. The slow work is where your learning occurs. Running too often over and over (my own bad impulse when I was in grade school and probably still in middle school) will sour your horse, make them into the stereotypical crazy barrel horse, and possibly end in physical harm.
Everyone starts somewhere!! My niece had a 13.3 h Driftwood who took her to State when she was a teenager and she's 5-11. You just never know. Now he's in his twenties and he's my ten year old daughter's walk/trot horse and he's worth even more to us now.
I started barrels on my 12h mystery pony, then graduated to a skinny Arab with lots of heart before I ever got my 'big girl' barrel horses. I learned more from the first two than you can imagine. Now I'm a mom of three with #4 on the way and guess what? I still love it. In fact, I'm putting the iPad down right now and going out to keep them legged up.
Try it out! You'll learn some things, love some things, and maybe hate a few things. But you won't regret it.
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 Fact Checker
Posts: 16575
Location: Displaced Iowegian | First, welcome! And I agree with the input that you have been given here. A horse with heart and willingness, whether it is halter/performance/race/cow bred CAN make you a good solid barrel horse. The most important advice that I would give you would be to rent "training" videos or go to a clinic (even if it just to watch) to learn the "basics".....and take every step SLOWLY....It is easy to teach bad habits and hard to "untrain" them. Do you have any one in your area that runs barrels (successfully) where you could take lessons? |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | saddleuprideout - 2014-01-04 12:46 PM I I have probably a dumb question... How come you're not supposed to run the pattern full out at home?? I'm obviously not there yet with my boy.. I'm just wondering!!
I believe the people that say a horse only has so many runs in them. If you use them all up at home, you won't have anything left. Barrel racing is taxing on their bodies so most people try and tune at home and keep the hard runs for competition. |
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