Quick Fix: Incorrect Position Coming into the Barrel
Professional trainer Jana Beam Brown shows you a common rider error in barrel racing and how to fix it.
The Problem: “Sometimes you see people at a barrel race coming into the barrel, and they’ll start way out there, and then as they want to start the turn they’ll fall forward and lean in, and then the turn ends up kind of nasty and the rider gets leaned over and their feet get behind them. Sometimes you see people run straight at it and can barely get their horse over, and then they’re so tight coming in that they step off leaving.”
The Fix: “When I come to a barrel, I want to be in the middle of my horse, sitting down in my saddle, sitting up straight, squeeze with my body, and I don’t want to lean over my horse to turn a barrel. I don’t ever want to lean to the side. I want to sit up on my horse with my horse between my hands, straight up and down, with my feet a little in front of me. I am in complete control, squared up with my horse. My hands are close to my horse, my feet are a little in front of me, and I am sitting down in my saddle. I have complete control of my horse because of my body positioning.”
