Marlene Mcrae - Barrel Racing 101: A Complete Program for Horse and Rider

F ew equestrian sports are more exciting than barrel racing, in which horse and rider carve a lightning-fast cloverleaf pattern around three barrels, then gallop down to the finish line. Time is measured in hundredths of seconds, and winners receive substantial prize money and the admiration and respect of fellow competitors and spectators alike.

As thrilling as barrel racing is to watch, doing it is even more fun, as thousands of people are discovering every year. To help themand youget started, champion racer and internationally respected instructor and clinician Marlene McRae shares her program that has taken hundreds of her students to success in the arena as well as to becoming educated horsemen and horsewomen:

Selecting Your Champion Horse: Choosing a barrelracing prospect based on conformation and temperament; finding a qualified veterinarian to help you assess the prospects.

Choosing and Using Equipment: Determining the right saddle, bridle (including bits), leg protection, and other tack to buy, as well as their proper fit and use.

Feeding and Nutrition: Establishing a basic commonsense feeding regimen for your horse; the role of supplements, as well as their possible misuse.

Shoeing and Foot Care: Proper foot care, with an emphasis on working with your farrier and veterinarian to avoid foot- and leg-related injuries.

Conditioning and Exercising: A comprehensive program for developing your horses stamina and fitness, along with ways to avoid unsoundness problems.

Getting Started in the Barrel Racing Patterns: How to set up the pattern correctly; techniques for training the horse, with an emphasis on rider position, balance, and using hands, legs, and voice as communication aids.

Competing: Locating entry-level local events, clubs, and associations; the mental game of competing to stay focused; achieving teamwork with your horse.

BARREL RACING 101 is the perfect textbook for the sport. Study it, use it, and youre bound to finish at the top of your class.

Copyright 2006 by Marlene McRae

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher.

Requests for permission should be addressed to The Lyons Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

The Lyons Press is an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Printed in the United States of America

Designed by Diane Gleba Hall

ISBN-10: 1-59228-796-4

ISBN-13: 978-1-59228-796-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

LORD CHESTERFIELD

O VER THE YEARS I have often heard the expression that those who win at the highest levels of competition have a secret or two; if other competitors had this knowledge, they too could rise to new heights of success. My goal is that this book will provide the missing secrets to successful barrel racing.

I have developed a philosophyand a teaching methodbased on the idea that a horse and riders successful development is much like a jigsaw puzzle: the many pieces need to be correctly placed in order for the complete picture to become clear. Identifying each essential puzzle piece leads to success at whatever level each owner/rider wishes to achieve. The basics are the same whether a person wants to trail ride or be the best in the world.

So what is the sport of barrel racing, anyway? A rider and a horse compete against the clock, speeding around three barrels set in a cloverleaf pattern in an arena, usually for less than seventeen seconds. If a barrel is knocked down, a five-second penalty is assigned to the pair. And when the run is over, the electronic clock stops and decides the winner.

There are unlimited barrel racing organizations to join. Each one has their own criteria, and I have listed in the Resource section how to get in contact with them. No matter what level of competitor you are there is a barrel race just for you.

Does it sound simple? Read on! Rodeo spectators dont see the hundreds of practice hours behind every run. They dont see the years of basic horsemanship that define a successful competition pair, or the care and attention to detail behind every successful barrel racing team. But those details define a good barrel run and make a great competition. In the twenty-five years Ive spent competing and winning, Ive built a list of strategies that Ill share with you, so you can successfully put the barrel racing puzzle together, too.

When you have finished reading this book, I hope that each piece of the puzzle and its important role in successful barrel racing will make the difference in your champion program.

Good luck. Ill see you at the finish line.

Marlene

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.

MARGARET FULLER

I VE DEVOTED my life to being the best at my profession. I teach, train, compete, and win. My accomplishments and experience allow me to assist others of all ages and ability levels to achieve their goals with their horses.

I grew up in eastern Colorado wanting to be a cowgirl. My parents, Carl and Elma Schiffer, were busy building their ranching, farming, and petroleum businesses, but they always had time to encourage and support my quest to become the best. This lifestyle contributed greatly to my horse and cattle knowledge, as well as my business abilities. Early in my life, I set goals that required the greatest achievement. Being very competitive has driven me to achieve those goals.

At age six I showed registered Shetland ponies against adults in classes like Ladies Fine Harness, Roadster, Western Pleasure, and Halter. I learned early the proper way to prepare and groom a horse for show and performance. Then I joined 4-H and continued my education about horses, judging, and demonstrating.

I was thirteen when I competed at my first Little Britches Rodeo, and I won the All Around Cowgirl award. Now my goals centered on rodeo.

In high school, I was an accomplished saxophonist and traveled around the world playing as member and soloist in selected honor bands. I also qualified for the National Little Britches Finals and High School Finals four years in a row, becoming the Colorado High School Rodeo Queen and All Around Rodeo Champion. Music and horses were of equal importance then, though the time was coming for a decision about what Id focus on.