Page 159 - May 2016

Teresa utilizes the down-time with her new horses to help them get used to her routine and to pinpoint any immediate problem areas.
“In those first couple of weeks, I usually just put them in small turnouts where they can just eat grass, run and play, and settle in. When I got one of my new prospects, his last race was two weeks before I got him. He was still pretty high and feeling good. He acted a little ornery and was kind of buddy sour,” Teresa said. “Keep in mind that the horse you’re looking at when he’s in running shape is still going to be in good shape as a barrel horse, but you’re going to bring them down off that energy high.”
Melanie usually starts her prospects in the round pen before taking them into a larger arena. “We start out with a lot of round-pen work—
flexing, bending and a little bit of ground driv- ing,” Melanie said. “There is some difference in cues. With the race training, jockeys like them to push down through their hands to run; when we barrel racers pick up on the horses, we want them to actually come up off of their front end a little bit and come back into your hand. The ground driving helps accomplish that.”
Once Melanie decides a horse is ready to be ridden, she makes sure he understands basic aids before moving on to more complicated exercises.
“Once we get on them, we make sure they bend and flex well, move off leg pressure and can move their front ends and hind ends independently,” Melanie said. “If they show us they already know something, we’ll make sure they are brushed up
on it and remind them what they’re supposed to be doing before moving on to the next thing.”
Once Teresa’s horses have graduated from the roundpen to the main arena, she focuses on providing a solid riding-horse foundation before they begin exercises to prepare them for the barrel pattern.
“Racehorses don’t really have a lot of whoa, so that’s the first thing they learn. We basically start out just riding them to put a handle on them; good turning, backing and starting them in small figure eights and circles to learn that suppleness needed in turning,” Teresa said. “Once they know their leads, can do flying lead
Work on the basics to give your barrel horse a solid foundation.
Adjust for each horse’s individual running style to help him have more successful performances.
changes, slide to a stop and move in a forward motion, it makes training so much easier.” One of the biggest things Teresa thinks
horses off the track need to learn is self-control. “Self-control is key. In racing, horses stand
still and then boom, the gates open and they’re running. When they see other horses while you’re riding them, they’ll often get beside themselves because they want to run,” Teresa said. “That’s one of the major things we
work on—getting them to calm down, have self-control and know that the rider’s in charge and they’re not. That’s a key step before you take them out in public and start exhibitioning them. Otherwise, it’s not fun.”
When starting the very basics of the barrel pattern, Melanie doesn’t immediately ask her horses to run the entire pattern.
“We start with exercises that get them going on the pattern, so once we’re on the pat- tern, they already know what they’re doing,” Melanie said. “We do a lot of drills, like spiral- ing into the barrels.”
Teresa stresses the need for mental preparedness before introducing a horse to even a single barrel.
“We never incorporate the barrel pattern until they’re to the point that we could let any- one get on them and ride them; if we’re having any issues, we just don’t introduce it,” Teresa said. “If they’re not doing a circle very well, and then they relate that barrel to the bad circle, then you’re just causing problems for yourself.” Putting the pattern together is different
for each horse, so making adjustments for the individual is important.
“I’ve had several horses that once they get in run mode, you’ve got to work a little bit more
on training them to rate themselves and slow down so they’re able to stop and turn that barrel. You also have to teach them to look for barrels,” Melanie said. “Sometimes, that process can be
a little bit more strenuous with them because they’re used to just running. At the same time, I’ve had some horses that, once you teach them to stop and turn, become very ‘ratey’ and you actually have to push to the barrel.”
Hit the Road
Knowing when to start taking a horse off property can be tricky. However, hauling a horse that’s already been exposed to a busy atmo- sphere—like a racetrack—can be much easier.
“The more a horse has been exposed to before you start running them, the bet-
ter. Horses off the track have already been out there and they’ve seen it and done it,” Melanie said. “We haul younger horses that don’t go to the track to barrel races and
leave them tied to the trailer to get exposure. Racehorses have not only been watching it, but they’ve already been working in it, which is a plus.”
The barrel pen is a long way from the racetrack, so allowing a horse to see the sights has benefits in the long haul. Teresa takes
her horses to playdays and jackpots to check things out.
“I like them to be able to lope through the pattern at home pretty well; that way when I take them to a playday or jackpot, I can trot and lope them through the pattern without much concern,” Teresa said. “But it’s going to be a different atmosphere, so be ready. It can be more laid back or more intense.”
Once horses graduate to running the pattern, their personal preferences will begin to show.
“There are some horses that absolutely thrive in a rodeo atmosphere, and there are others that go to a rodeo and lose their minds. Some don’t like the music and the crowds and all the things going on behind the scenes; it depends on the horse,” Melanie said.
The Big Payoff
While training a horse off the track comes with its own unique set of challenges, the rewards are just as great.
“Knowing a horse can run is always a plus because you don’t want a barrel horse that can’t run,” Melanie said. “At the same time, there are some horses that just don’t want to run on the track; it’s not their cup of tea. They don’t want to do it, but they will run 10 times harder once they’re into the barrel pattern.”
Use playdays and jackpots as opportunities to season your barrel horse, see the sights and gain experience.
SPEEDHORSE, May 2016 157
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