Hello and welcome to my Barrel Racing experiences

I have been barrel racing for quite a while now, 10 yrs or more, but I got a late start on it in life. When I started playing around at a local gymkhana where I boarded my horses, I really found it to be very exilerating. The horse I started out with I really believe that they did these types of horse games on him, which is how I was able to get so confident.
Since moving to my home in New River, AZ, I have been fortunate to meet John and Kathryn Deegan, who have been so inspirational in teaching me horsemanship and being so encouraging, they truly are wonderful people. They initially encouraged me to go to a Connie Combs Clinic back in Nov. 2003. It was so great and I learned so much as a novice Barrel racer. At that time I was riding Missy or Skips Miss Moon. She would have been 8 yrs old at the time. Since that first clinic I have attended 2 additional clinics with Connie, but on my current horse, and in Sept of 2008 I was able to go to Charmayne James' Clinic in Colorado Springs, CO. WOW!!! I had picked up a barrel racing book in 2006 by Western Horsemen-Charmayne James on Barrel Racing-which was in debth on haw she trains and runs her horses. It taught me so much and I really started working Skippy according to her ways of training. After attending the clinic, my confidence level escalated to a new high. We got better and better through that season of Oct 2008 to Feb 2009 and our times went from being in the middle of the 4D to being in the mid 3D-Hey today I would be estatic about that. I accomplished most all of the goals I set for us and was improving all the time. Then a slight accident happened where Skippy got hurt in the trailer when the brakes locked up. He fell and as he tried to get back up, kept hitting his hip and back on the devider of the trailer. I thought it was minor and continued to ride him but later found out it was very bruised. I gave him time off for a few months, sought my Vets advise but we have not as of yet been able to get back into the groove we were in before.


Fast forward to today, Aug. 2011, I have Skippy. Born at my home Jan 2001, trained by John Deegan as a 2 yr old, he is 16.1h and about 1200lbs he has been a great horse, but I suck at being a trainer. It's not that I suck, I do not have the experience. This barrel racing thing is very tricky. I have found that my horse is much smarter than I and sometimes you have to trust your horse. There are many things that you can't put into a book or a DVD and unless you have the ability to ride many different horses and can ride everyday, you miss out on some teachings that are so important.
No excuse, but I have a fulltime job, and I ride as often as I can. Keep in mind that I have a family also, and they depend on me for responsibilites at home. Luckily my family is supportive of my passion, and they tolerate late meals of finding their own, as the kids are now grown so it gives me more freedom.
So here are my notes about the runs I make good or bad. If you have any suggestions, I am open to hear them and try something new.
There is a song that I love and I listen to it to give me motivation called The Climb-this is my way of moving that mountain and sometimes your gonna have to lose. It ain't about how fast I get there, but I will have learned along the way by going my speed!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Aug. 19, 2011

After reviewing my video from the previous run and knowing what has helped in the past, I set out on Friday to #1) keep Skippy calm before a run, #2) don't tug or pull on the outside rein going into the 2nd barrel and #3) do the best I can with the horse I have. So in my previous runs I made this summer, I thought I would incorporate a couple of practice runs prior to my actual competition run in an effort to get myself right. Well with Skippy, this just makes him more agressive and I don't need that with him going to the 1st barrel. I need to keep things slow right now, almost like I am starting over with him. So this time we just warmed up and waited for our turn to go. Well it paid off because he stayed calm going into the arena and I did not have to fight with him so much getting closer to the timer. He also had a much nicer 2nd, (still not perfect) getting around it quicker. The 3rd still needs work, but I am happy with the improvements. I feel I am headed in the right direction. My time was 19.629 which is my best time so far this season.
My next plan of action will be to work on Skippy's circles, both large and small and I have some great excerices to help mix it up some. I'd like to continue to work on making our barrel turns smoother which, in turn, will make them faster. I am really trying to educate myself on proven methods that help in this area. Does anyone have any suggestions, if so please let me know.
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