Barrel racing ????

Question

my horse gets hyper and knockes over the barrels how do i stop that?

Answer 1

My first thought is for you to try and run the pattern backwards. When you come in start with the left barrel and see if this sudden change helps. Your horse might just be on auto pilot so when you come in and he sees the barrels he just goes. If going the opposite way does not help than it is going to take a little more work. Your horse has just learned to be fast and not both fast and accurate. You would have to start schooling him by backing off the pace and really making him accurate. Do the barrels at a jog, and then lope, but don't go full speed for at least a week. Really praise him/her when he/she gets close but the barrel stays up. Your horse probably has no clue right now that the barrels are even supposed to stay up. I would also recommend doing some pole bending to really emphasis that he HAS to listen to you and not just plow over everything because he is having fun. I hope that helped. If nothing works you might want to look for an instructor. Many people specialize in barrel racing.