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Member
Posts: 30
| Who here is an independent person that is hardworking and trying to make it to the top in barrel racing, while having limited money to do so? I pray I am not the only one struggling to make it to the top, while having minimal help and horses to help me. Experienced people who are doing well in barrels both literally and financially, what is your advice to us ladies that are in this position of struggle? | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 928
 
Location: Northern CA | Me!!! Although I am no longer barrel racing, I am trying to succeed in the Reined Cow Horse world. Limited income, though my job allows me a lot of flexibilty, very limited on the horse power I can afford. Last year was my first year competing at the NRCHA level. I took a 3 year old that I paid $4,000 for, did all the training myself, and competed at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in the amatuer class, against 20k plus horses that had been in professional training for 2 years. I placed 6th, winning a decent check, and then went on to win the Idaho RCHA non-pro, int. non-pro, and amatuer.
It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and willingness to give up a lot of other things. While family and friends were off on vacation, or off doing fun things, I was riding. I did not send my horse to training simply because I could not afford it, but I sank every last penny I had into lessons with reputable trainers. Every week, at least once, I would drive almost 3 hours one way to take lessons and work cattle. I spent a lot of money and a lot of sweat but do not regret one minute of it.
I did come to realize that I couldn't make that commitment every year and have decided to make a hard push every other year. Saving some money and also saving my mental well-being. This year is my off year, and I am antsy, ready to go hard at it again.
It can be done, we just have to be mentally stronger than those who can and flop down the credit card ot cash.
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Veteran
Posts: 231
Location: Nashvegas | So I am right there with you, in every aspect. The biggest thing for me is to get over looking at what everybody else has or can spend to get where we are going, awesome for them but I can't afford it. It is hard for me sometimes, I don't have the funds for the LQ trailer and brand new truck or the expensive colt. I train my own and as much as I HATE selling my horses if that horse is what I need I move on usually making a profit and can move up the horse equity ladder so to speak. Mostly it is alot of sacrifice, working two jobs and riding 4-5 days it requires to train a colt. The satisfaction of doing well will outweighs every doubt, tear shed and sore muscle. Lastly and most important to me I remember that I am not alone my Lord is with me to give me the courage to move forward and the strength especially on those days when it looks more like Mt. Everest I am climbing than the hills in Indiana.
I always keep this in mind "the things in life worth having aren't usually the easy things, keep pressing on"..... | |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | It's hard but I learned a few things.1 you need a horse with the right conformation.2 you don't know everything accept advice and use it. 3 Have someone video your practice and your runs.4 your horse is always right.concentrate on you.fix you.5 be soft on the mouth and your cues and remember what they are.6 be confident.7 save and save some more. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 928
Location: Northern CA | cow pie - 2014-04-16 1:10 PM It's hard but I learned a few things.1 you need a horse with the right conformation.2 you don't know everything accept advice and use it. 3 Have someone video your practice and your runs.4 your horse is always right.concentrate on you.fix you.5 be soft on the mouth and your cues and remember what they are.6 be confident.7 save and save some more.
I really like this one. I have just started a new habit. At times during my ride, I try to think that I am riding the most broke, fanciest horse out there, if he does something wrong, it must be my fault, and I try to figure out what I can do differently to prevent it from happening that way again. It is kind of a fun thing to do, and I think it helps  | |
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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| I have lived on my own since I was 16....and have always had a passion for horses. It has always been a dream of mine to do something BIG with them....and make a big name.
Well, that is hard to do when you are 16 and paying your way! Currently I am 27, have a college degree, working on my masters currently, have land, a living quarters trailer, and three horses. So how did I get here?
I worked hard...somewhere inside me I knew that if I loved horses so much I needed a job that could support my love-so I went to college. When I was in college I worked three jobs. My Friday nights were work at an office from 8:00-5:00, work in the mall at Build-A-Bear from 5:30 to 9:30, and then give carriage rides in the city after that.
I had a horse (Rosie who Muprhy now has) and even though I only did 4H I needed to have a horse to survive-she was my motivation to work so hard.
Once I graduated college life got a lot easier. As a teacher I wasn't making millions...so I bought a cheap $500 untouched three year old stud the last year I was in college. Broke him and spent the first year trail riding. Once I graduated I sent him to a trainer for 30 days to teach him the basics of barrel racing.
I got lucky and had a horse with a lot of talent!! I showed him for a year-did well, but was not challenged to become a better rider. I sold him for $10,000.00
I bought my next prospect...won't say how much I spent, but more than I ever have...thanks to my first barrel horse.
This will be my second season with him-and at this point to get better I ride every second I can, and I learn from anyone willing to give me advice.
Still not at the top-but I will get there.
So-work hard-and don't stop. IF you are passionate nothing will stop you. | |
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 Veteran
Posts: 227
Location: Soon to be outta here:) | Im just a college student, so I wouldn't exactly say that Im financially doing well or anything in barrels. But I do know how to work hard.
My first barrel horse I bought when I was 14 for 2,000 dollars with babysitting money. My parents know nothing about horses, don't like them, don't really want much of anything to do with them. My horse ended up not knowing as much as I thought she did, but luckily I was able to find trainers that I took lessons from with her that helped me a lot. I had to pay for all the lessons all the entry fees for barrel races, but my parents did help pay for feed (just a sweet feed) and hay. But I got a job when I was 14 and worked my little butt off. Then when I turned 16 my parents decided if I wanted to keep doing the horse thing I had to pay for everything entirely on my own. So I got two jobs and worked close to 40 hours a week. and I kept barrel racing and taking care of my horses.
Then I got a waitressing job and I started working 40 hours a week there, going to high school and riding.
My good barrel horse, the one id had for a few years ended up breaking her coffin bone, and I have never ever been so disappointed...everything I had worked so hard for was gone now, I was told my mare would probably never run again. But I bought a 2 year old and worked with her, sold her, bought a gelding and worked with him for a bit, and sold him. And then I bought the mare I have now, I wont say how much I paid, but I paid way more than most rational human beings ever spend on a horse. Especially a 17 year old kid who works at Perkins. But I wanted her so I bought her.
She ended up not being even close to as finished as I thought she was, and all summer that I ran her, I can count on one hand the number of clean runs we made all season long. So that was also frustrating.
Now im in college, working 40 hours a week, and I have my old barrel horse (who is coming back sound to run..yay!!) and my other mare here and im just working my butt off with both of them.
Not that I have been successful or anything, but I do have experience having to work hard and having to do all of this horse stuff on my own. The biggest thing that I've learned is that it doesn't go how its planned. It really honestly never does. You plan for things and how you want it to go and hope that it will, but honestly it probably wont. You're probably going to work your butt off for years, just waiting for it all to come together, and you might finally get it together, and then there's a good chance that wont stick around. IF you work hard enough, it doesn't mean that eventually everything will even itself out and everything will work out for you because you deserve it. That's really not how life works, and if you start to think that that is how its supposed to work, you'll get really discouraged when you wake up day after day and keep working and hard, and nothing changes.
I think you just have to learn to accept that you love what you do, and because of that, you're willing to work for it. And that's all there is to it. Its a passion, not just a hobby. And if you're passionate enough about it, you'll learn to love loping a perfect circle just as much as running a perfect pattern. And you'll be proud of the little things you and your horse accomplish. You just have to be in love with the horses and in love with the process, not just the end result.
I have no advice on what to do with running. Im still trying to figure out my girls haha. I just know that what helps me the most is videoing every run so I can see what's happening in them helps a lot. And ive always loved taking my horses to lessons. That way we can learn together and it helps to have someone watch you and be able to see what's happening from the outside. Horses are hard. Some people are really good at figuring them out, but no one really knows for 100% sure what to do, every horse is different. So if you try something and it doesn't work, just shrug it off and try other somethings until you figure out what does work.
It sounds super cliché, but really, just don't give up. Just keep working hard. Don't over think it. You're doing it because you love it, so just love it. Enjoy your horses and be proud of the fact that, when everything's said and done, you will be able to say that you are the one that made it happen. You are the one that worked for it all. Even if you never make it super big and super far, it doesn't really matter. Because you can still say you worked as hard as you could for however far you made it.
good luck!(: | |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
 
Location: Texas | I'm not independent. I am in vet school and my family supports me a lot. But I do know what its like to try and rodeo with limited money.
First off- be smart about where you are at right now. If your ultimate goal is to run pro, but you know you and your horse aren't at that level yet, don't buy your permit and enter just because. It's a lot of money. I would start with local open rodeos, test the waters, see where you need to improve, then go to the next level up. No matter how confident you feel and how ready you are, it will always be a leap of faith when you first buy it- but be smart and buy it when you feel like you are the most prepared.
If you are wanting to go the barrel race route and aren't concerned with rodeos, stay local until you feel confident in yourself and your horse and then start testing the waters in regional shows. If money is tight, don't just enter all the big barrel races just because- be smart with where you enter.
You do not have to spend a fortune on your horse. You can spend a ton of money and not fit the horse- and it's all a waste. You could also spend a lot of money on a horse, and it be a great fit- so its totally worth it. I think more importantly, if you are going to invest in a nice horse, invest in yourself and your training first, so when you get that horse you know how to ride it and stay with it. Also, the more skills you obtain yourself from trainers or clinics, the more tools you have in your tool belt to fix horses. If I were to look back even two years ago I would see a significant change in my ability, my riding, and my training. The more you learn, the better you can become. My most recent horse I found was not very expensive, and it was a bit of a gamble. I tried her, she felt nice, I was confident in my abilities and took a chance. We are an incredible fit. I don't know what the future holds or how consistent we will be, but I like her.
I think the biggest message is- invest in yourself. invest in training YOU, learning tools for YOU so that YOU can ride that level of horse, or make that horse from scratch. Know when to cut losses and know when to sell to move up. Know to trust your gut when you know something is right or wrong. Know what feels right,and know what "off" feels like. Be proactive with your horse and don't want for injuries to dictate your pre and post race routine. Take care of your horse's legs before there's an injury that requires you to.
I have to disagree with "the horse is never wrong, its you." I listened to that for a long time on at least one horse to end up finding out the horse was hurt and it was NOT a problem with me at all. And I had another one who was a fruit loop and blown up, had friends tell me it was my riding. Went to a reputable trainer and she said no, it's not you, sell and move on. | |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | ^^ I do want to add- even though I said I don't agree with "the horse is never wrong, its you." do NOT fall into the habit of laying blame on the horse all the time. My #1 reason why a horse does something wrong (if it was working right before) is pain. I look for pain first. IF the horse is sound, my second step is go to someone I trust, and evaluate us both. What's going on here- where's the disconnect coming from. Is it my riding, and my habits? Did I teach my horse something wrong?
I am a firm believer that if a horse used to do right, and suddenly does wrong, its most likely a pain issue, then I look at me as a rider/trainer. If the horse never did right from the beginning, I look at the training program and the rider, but always have physical issue in my mind! | |
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 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I am a big fat nobody so take my advice with a grain of salt. The things I see in the ones that are being succesful is their ability to take risks and remove emotion.
You absolutely have to be very subjective about the horse power under you. Are they legitametly capable of taking you to the next level? If the answer is no you have to be able to cut them lose and find something that is. It may take several buys/sells climbing your way up each time. This is something I don't think I am capable of. I hardly ever sell and when I do I fall apart.
Being okay with failure has to be accepted before you can be successful. You can't take the risks necessary to be successful if you can't also be okay if it doesn't pan out and it won't pan out more often than it will. I am afraid of both so I am out there too.
You need to be business smart. Cost/benefit analysis are important; if it is going to cost you $1000 to do something on your own but only $800 for someone else to do you need to swallow your pride and pony up the cash. Take lots of lessons and clinics but if you are going to get more out of sending a horse to a trainer for 30 days and have the same costs as doing a weekend clinic, send the horse out. You also then have an established point of knowledge you can continue to go back to; it's not what you know but who you know!
If you want to make it you have to social climb a bit, either for knowledge or sponsors. The people that have really made it have almost always done so after doing an internship or had a long standing relationship with another top trainer. They didn't go out an reinvent the wheel, they learned from the best and molded the knowledge to their styles.
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | AllAroundRider - 2014-04-16 8:29 PM I am a big fat nobody so take my advice with a grain of salt. The things I see in the ones that are being succesful is their ability to take risks and remove emotion.
You absolutely have to be very subjective about the horse power under you. Are they legitametly capable of taking you to the next level? If the answer is no you have to be able to cut them lose and find something that is. It may take several buys/sells climbing your way up each time. This is something I don't think I am capable of. I hardly ever sell and when I do I fall apart.
Being okay with failure has to be accepted before you can be successful. You can't take the risks necessary to be successful if you can't also be okay if it doesn't pan out and it won't pan out more often than it will. I am afraid of both so I am out there too.
You need to be business smart. Cost/benefit analysis are important; if it is going to cost you $1000 to do something on your own but only $800 for someone else to do you need to swallow your pride and pony up the cash. Take lots of lessons and clinics but if you are going to get more out of sending a horse to a trainer for 30 days and have the same costs as doing a weekend clinic, send the horse out. You also then have an established point of knowledge you can continue to go back to; it's not what you know but who you know!
If you want to make it you have to social climb a bit, either for knowledge or sponsors. The people that have really made it have almost always done so after doing an internship or had a long standing relationship with another top trainer. They didn't go out an reinvent the wheel, they learned from the best and molded the knowledge to their styles.
A thumbs up just wasn't enough.
I think the emotional part is so big. You have to be able to acknowledge your losses and cut them. If a horse isn't working out for you and you're losing your confidence while riding him/her then sell them! I had a horse that wasn't working out for me, but I was too selfish to let him go with someone new. He ended up hurting me and I stepped away from horses for a good while... not a day goes by that I don't regret NOT selling him when he was worth something.
I also think that you have to be able to deal with your emotions and nerves when you run. I am the type of rider (or was, haven't competitively ran barrels in over 7 years) who can not get my ish together when it comes time to make a run. I can do everything right in practice and then just have a loose screw in my head when it comes to making a run. I'm hoping that when I do decide it's time to run again that I will be more mentally mature and not let things fall apart. I never want to lose that excitment feeling, but excitement is a positive emotion. Nervousness is a negative one.
You have to work hard to get anywhere in lif but just remember to work smarter, not harder. | |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| I would get a job at some place like Joseys where you can learn, learn, learn. You may start by cleaning stalls but if you are a hard worker you move up to bridle changer and boy do you learn some stuff there. I know that people move from pretty good distances to work for them. Many live in their trailers out at Joseys. There are other places but Joseys is close and I know what they produce out there. I work 4 miles sown the road and a lot of times I run up there after school. | |
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 Forever Young
Posts: 6768
Location: relocated to Texas | gogetemtiger - 2014-04-17 1:27 PM Who here is an independent person that is hardworking and trying to make it to the top in barrel racing, while having limited money to do so? I pray I am not the only one struggling to make it to the top, while having minimal help and horses to help me. Experienced people who are doing well in barrels both literally and financially, what is your advice to us ladies that are in this position of struggle?
What do you consider going to "the top" in barrel racing? Are you talking about making a living doing it? I don't want to put a damper on your dreams, but I see so many people who are not realistic about this. | |
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Forever Young
Posts: 6768
Location: relocated to Texas | Honeymoney - 2014-04-18 9:22 AM I would get a job at some place like Joseys where you can learn, learn, learn. You may start by cleaning stalls but if you are a hard worker you move up to bridle changer and boy do you learn some stuff there. I know that people move from pretty good distances to work for them. Many live in their trailers out at Joseys. There are other places but Joseys is close and I know what they produce out there. I work 4 miles sown the road and a lot of times I run up there after school.
Just curious, but who (besides maybe Ty Mitchell) has worked at Josey's and made it to the "top" of the barrel racing world? | |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| The same advice I would give to anyone trying to succeed on any walk of life.
Work hard.
Keep your nose clean and mind to your OWN business.
Study those who are successful and determine what it is they do to BE successful.
Don't ride in on someone else's coattails.
Listen to advice but keep in mind that all advice is not good. Do what works for you.
Don't be a lemming and follow the crowd ( this takes me back to every parents quote "If your friends jumped off a bridge......"  )
There are no short cuts. There is hard work.
Accept that there are those to whom it come more easily to, or who may be luckier, or have more money. Walk your own path. Jealousy will only tear you down. You have no idea of what issues those same people may be facing.
Never be afraid to admit that you might be wrong or ignorant of something. Don't be afraid to ask a question. Nobody has ever REALLY died of embarrassment.
Listen when your horse tries to tell you something.
I know that this is not the kind of advice you are looking for, but like I said, there are no shortcuts.
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| My best words are these:
Don't sell yourself short on education. You're going to need it to make money to be high caliber and pay vet bills. Vet bills make the horses run better. It is known. (Ha ha, Game of Thrones reference)
Don't discredit the idea of saving your money to buy one or two bad ass horses. I'm learning this the slow, expensive way. Over the last 3 yrs, I've spent an ungodly amount of money on crap horses thinking they would work. I could be riding a fancy proven 50,000 dollar horse and have a nice 10,000 back up to go with him if I had all the dough back I've wasted convincing myself that I could make it on the deal of the day. I can't.
Go to clinics. Heckle the nearest pro girl into lessons. Spend more time in clinics than you do hauling. Haul enough to get your fix and check your progress. Stay home more and ride your horse. When you start showing up and blowing their socks off, you just might be getting somewhere. Then stay home and ride some more, just in case. I learned more in a total of 10 hours at a good clinic and good lessons on a good horse than I did in 5 years trying to retrain crap horses by myself.
Get ready to sacrifice horse time and hauling time to go to work and make the kind of money you're talking about needing. And don't bank on a man to make it work for you. One of the best barrel racers I know is flat on her butt with no horses to ride, no rig to haul, and no money for food because her boyfriend of 15 years dumped her azz and took all his stuff back....snap!!!
Don't request more from your horses than they can give. It hurts them and you. Sell them and get a new stick rather than keep gunning old Dobber asking for the world. Old Dobber will give us his whole life and limb, but that's not fair. At all. It's a betrayal, really. Enjoy your slow horses while you save for a fast one. They usually have far less maintenance.
I'm currently really enjoying my critters around here. Wish somebody had mentioned the sheer amount of cost behind keeping a 1D/rodeo horse going medically, emotionally, and physically. Holy smokes!! | |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| Hollywood's Fan - 2014-04-17 10:38 AM
Honeymoney - 2014-04-18 9:22 AM I would get a job at some place like Joseys where you can learn, learn, learn. You may start by cleaning stalls but if you are a hard worker you move up to bridle changer and boy do you learn some stuff there. I know that people move from pretty good distances to work for them. Many live in their trailers out at Joseys. There are other places but Joseys is close and I know what they produce out there. I work 4 miles sown the road and a lot of times I run up there after school.
Just curious, but who (besides maybe Ty Mitchell) has worked at Josey's and made it to the "top" of the barrel racing world?
I don't think that I mentioned that anyone that had worked at Joseys had made to the top. I just said that somewhere like Joseys was a great place to start. I do know that a lot of people apprentice there from all over the place. I do know that one person who has spent a lot of time there rides world champion horses at APHA and AQHA shows. Both her horses and mine. I would say that is pretty successful. If you call Joseys I am sure they would be happy to give you a list. They would know better than I would. | |
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Member
Posts: 30
| Great words of advice everyone! | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| Honeymoney - 2014-04-17 8:22 AM
I would get a job at some place like Joseys where you can learn, learn, learn. You may start by cleaning stalls but if you are a hard worker you move up to bridle changer and boy do you learn some stuff there. I know that people move from pretty good distances to work for them. Many live in their trailers out at Joseys. There are other places but Joseys is close and I know what they produce out there. I work 4 miles sown the road and a lot of times I run up there after school.
LOTS of excellent thing said...but this rings SO true for me. I was a nobody and my parents had no $$ so my mother got a job as a groom for a dressage rider (now an Olympic medalist) and I groomed with her. She made friends with the hunter/jumper trainers at the facility, and because of this I was lucky enough to start loping or "hacking" their horses for them and getting REALLY good, but not actually paying for training with them. There were times I felt like crap and all the rich girls made fun of me...but I didn't care. To walk into that arena and WIN some of the big equitation and hunter medals on my horse that cost a whopping $3k was good enough. When you want it SO BAD that you can taste it, dream it, are obsessed by it...that is when you know you are willing to do whatever it takes to become something. A lot of those big trainers are willing to work with true GRIT...because determination beats talent or money any day when talent and money don't put the effort in. | |
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