Equestrian Speed Training: Straightaway Barrels

Video Transcript

"Straight away barrels is another very popular sport in the event of play days or speed events. We're going to watch our rider as she jogs her horse through the barrel pattern, which is very simple. We start on one side or the other as we weave through, planning to make that correct turn on the haunches, so that we got a nice quick, tidy turn on the end. We want our horse to stay far enough away that he doesn't knock that barrel over, but also close enough so that we get our speed in the time that we hope for. After jogging through, we're going to go ahead and let this horse lope it, and then we'll hope to take her to a faster pace as we continue. The rider wants to keep her hands short on the reins, so that she has that good control, as we pick up the speed. We're going to sit back, look up, and let the horse turn on the haunches, and that's a very nice example of how we start to bring it to a more rapid pace. So he's gone through successfully with a quiet disposition, now we can let him give it a try at a little faster pace. We know that we take the risk that he may not be quite organized enough, but this looks like we're off to a pretty good start. And he stays smoothly patterning and coming on home. With a little practice this rider will be able to let that horse get quicker and quicker as he learns the pattern, and improves in his technique."