Now that im older and heavier.

[Bob Gould]

Reading the forum really educated me about barrel racing ive worked on the track for most of my life now that im older and heavier i was wondering if the weight factor affects the timing of a barrel race as well as a horse race i am 6ft tall and weigh 180lbs i now have a 10 yr old tb off the track that im bringing down slowly at my home he now has a good handle on him and ive been practicing the barrels on him. at the track when we wanted big horses to gather up quicker we would put alot of short works into them to teach them to gather is that what i need to do in the pasture with him for quickness between barrels? if so how much of a distance do you suggest? back to the weight issue if i do want to persue the barrels with this horse am i going to have to go shopping for a willing pilot.and where? oh one more thing how important are shoes for horses to do barrels and why couldnt i use aluminum toe grabs ?

Weight is certainly a factor in any kind of a horse race – whether they are running straight down the race track or around three barrels. Your horse certainly needs to learn to collect himself and shorten his stride in order to make a quick turn. A lot of the “quick foot” on a horse comes from genetics and natural athletic ability. I’m not saying that you can’t get enough collection on this horse to run barrels but if he doesn’t have some of it naturally then it will make it a lot more difficult for him. I certainly don’t think that toe grabs have any place in the barrel race unless you are looking to put a lot of stress on a horse’s legs. Remember that you are asking a horse to collect himself and make a turn three different times in the barrel race and that makes for a lot of twisting and torque on the legs. Toe grabs, heel caulks, trailers and, to a certain extent, rim shoes are all things that will stop the foot in a turn.



Martha Wright