11 Time World Champion Barrel Racers Charmayne James has a lot to offer the barrel racing world.
I came across this video on Youtube that was taken at one of Charmayne’s Barrel Racing clinics. If you have watched her video and read her book like I have, you will appreciate this visual.

Part of Charmayne’s teaching uses 5 axis points around the barrel. She also really emphasizes looking over the outside ear on a horse going into the turn to locate those points while shifting your weight to the outside. The third thing she wants to see is a bent elbow through the turn as you lift and position your horse for the turn.

This is a long video, but it won’t cost you a time to catch a glimpse of this $600 clinic.

For more on Charmayne James and her clinics visit her website: www.CharmayneJames11.com She also has some other really great articles on there that have been featured in Barrel Horse News.

This is an excellent video from Ty Mitchell from the Josey Ranch Team of trainers. He talks about some of the things we can do as riders to prevent alleyway anxiety in our horses. He will demonstrate how to be prepared for different setups and still be successful.

Prevention really is the key and he talks about some of the strategies to do that. Every horse is a bit different so getting your game plan and strategy for the alleyway in mind in advance, is key. Being prepared in the alleyway is part of getting consistent.

The horses don’t necessarily know our names, but they certainly feel our nerves!

Ty suggests trying to channel any nervous energy you may have in a positive way.

If you’ve already got problems, you’ll want to watch right through to the end. Ty talks about what to do with horses that want to turn around and circle. He suggests you turn them the opposite of where they want to go, while keeping an eye on where you want to go (even if you aren’t facing that way). Your body will follow your eyes. Try and stay relaxed and ready to make a move.

He also suggests to use progression where you would walk, trot and lope into your run rather that blasting from a stop.

One barrel horse training exercise he likes to do is “Loping in the Hot Zone”. He suggests loping circles down at the stopping end, then walking through the pattern. Make him work where he feels the anxiety and continue loping until he starts to relax.

The Josey Ranch has a lot of great resources on Youtube and online and on their website www.BarrelRacers.com

In barrel racing we often try and coordinate or match our outfits to the horses gear, but when it comes to personalities, too much of the same can be a bad thing.

The idea is to compliment your horses personality with your own. Too much of one thing can be a trouble. If you are nervous and your horse has a tendency to be nervous it can be a recipe for disaster. If you are relaxed and laid back, teaming up with a lazy horse will likely result in a slow time.

We could put that lazy horse with the nervous rider and the nervous horse and the relaxed rider and have a dynamite team. Selecting your horse to compliment (rather than match) your personality and riding style is the ticket to success in barrel racing.

If you aren’t able to pick, it is really important that you aware of how you affect your horse and how your horse affects you. You may need to adjust your energy level accordingly. For example, if you are laid back and your horse is standing there sleeping before you run, you may need to raise your energy level to get some spark in him. If you are nervous and you can tell you are making your horse nervous you need to find a way to calm yourself down, even if it means getting off and walking your horse so that you don’t channel that energy to your horse. Horses are so sensitive – they can feel how you feel.

Are you an aggressive rider? Some horses run better with an aggressive rider, some worse. Some run best with a quiet rider, some will just lope through with a quiet rider. If you are aggressive, its important you ride a horse than can handle the pressure you put on them. Not all of them can handle it.

Give this some thought – do you match or compliment your horse? Do you need to adjust your energy level up or down?

Three Key Questions to Ask Yourself

Fall is often a time to reflect about what has transpired during the first three-quarters of the year.

You’ve got time now before the beginning of 2011 to think about what worked this year, what didn’t work, and what you would like to do in the future.

Maybe you want to buy, sell or trade your horse. Maybe you want to show more … or less. Maybe you’re content at the moment.

In this article, I’m suggesting three key questions to ask yourself when you make decisions.

They will help you stay on track with what makes you personally happy. It’s so easy for any number of reasons … ourselves, other people, circumstances … to make decisions that haven’t been thought out completely.

Question #1: What do I value most?

This question has to do with what is most important to you. It will help you take stock of your personal values.

You’ve probably experienced the unsolicited clarity of sifting through your values when an illness occurred, tragedy struck or a loved one passed on.

Suddenly, you were aware of what really mattered to you. You may have wondered why you weren’t living with that perspective all along. However painful, everything was simplified.

You can use, “What do I value most?” as a starting point for any decision. You don’t have to experience a tragedy to gain the confidence that comes with letting go of things that are not truly important to you.

Your answer will never be absolute. What you value today may or may not be different in one month, one year, or 10 years.

Question #2: What do I want (achieve, experience, or be)?

This question is more goal oriented.

But, it also goes further than that when you make sure your answer SUPER EXCITES YOU.

This again is totally personal.

This is where many people get hung up. They compare themselves to others. They think they have to do something other than their preferences.

We all come wired with our own desires.

When you answer this question, you will stay grounded.

Your answers are also your keys to having your own brand of fun.

When you make your next move by first deciding what’s important … and, then choosing a dream that excites you … now you are in for a real adventure.

Question #3: Do I believe this can happen?

You can answer the previous two questions, but if you don’t believe your decision can, or will happen, you can be sure it won’t.

Your beliefs are what you know to be TRUE within your own mind.

They are the “rules” of our thinking and they are very RIGID!

The reality is they are not really absolute, but we think they are. Religion is a great example of how different people have absolute beliefs.

Beliefs originate from a variety of sources, but ultimately they are the result of repeated patterns of thinking over time.

The good news is, to change your beliefs, change your thinking.

To change limiting beliefs about your success, consciously repeat thoughts that feel good, visualize your dreams happening with emotion, and look for solutions to your challenges.

Never believe YOU personally have the limitation. It’s only a matter of time until things work out for you when you believe they will.

If you don’t know exactly HOW things will unfold, no problem. Just know (believe (-:) that with time and persistence you will achieve the things you desire.

PERSONAL VALUES + DREAMS + BELIEF
= Equals
Positive goals, Focused action and Ultimate success
_____________________________________________________________________
About the Author

Barbra Schulte is a personal performance coach for all riders, a cutting horse trainer, author, speaker, and
clinician. Visit her Blog and signup to receive her FREE monthly email newsletter, “News From Barbra”. You will also receive the high performance secrets of great riders, inspiration, cutting strategies, news, and much more. In addition, you will also receive via email Barbra’s special FREE report: “Five of the Most Important Skills of Riding”. Go now to http://BarbraSchulte.com

A valuable resource available to barrel racers includes the website of World Champion Barrel Racer Charmayne James.

Each month Charmayne contributes an article to the Barrel Horse News magazine. If you aren’t a subscriber you can still access this information. On Charmayne’s website she has a link called Barrel Horse News where you can find the articles organized for reading right on her website.

Past topics include problem solving for barrel racing, safe hauling, proper bitting for barrel horses, the importance of healthy barrel horses (including shoeing, dental work and chiropractic work). Important lessons from her clinics, horsemanship, balance, nutrition and fitness and how they apply to barrel racing.

I encourage you to check out these articles whether you subscribe to Barrel Horse News or not. There is a large database of past articles which make for a great reminder even if you have read them already.

11 time World Champion Charmayne James sharing her experience and sound advice is something barrel racers can’t afford to miss out on.

Here is a cool video with Charmayne talking about her Bridleless run with Scamper. It is a great example of what a great team they were right from the very beginning when Charmayne was only 16 years old.

Learn How to Let Go, Trust Yourself, and Tap Into Your True Talent and Skill

Do your hands and seat come naturally and spontaneously … or … do you analyze everything you do? Try this test: Crumple up a piece of paper and set a trash can 15 feet away.  Your objective is to toss the paper into the basket using two patterns of thought. On your first toss, focus on the mechanics of throwing.  Analyze how your hand must open to release the paper.  Think about the angle of your elbow, the position of your hand, and the rotation of your shoulders as you throw.  With all these thoughts spinning in your head, make your toss. Now try throwing the paper by simply getting a picture in your mind of what you want to happen.  Rehearse the feeling of a perfect toss.  Imagine the paper dropping into the center of the basket.  Now hold that image and make your toss.  Trust your body to do the work as guided by your mind. You will probably produce more baskets. The same is true for any discipline or style of riding.  The best riding is automatic, intuitive, and instinctive. Of course, as we learn new riding skills, we have to break things down analytically to improve our mechanics.  There’s no way around step-by-step thought in the learning process. But that is just the beginning.  Early on in your progression you can consciously accelerate your skill acquisition by riding more instinctively. Riding by Instinct As you practice techniques that develop more feel, you’ll begin to trust your decisions, or use your feet appropriately, or keep your hands low … all more automatically and “in-the-flow” instead of feeling like a disjointed robot! Try these four tips and watch your true talent and skill come to life.  And … as you make the transition from analytical to instinctive riding, you’ll have more fun. 1.  Use mental videos to imagine what you want to do before you do it. All great riders have developed the ability to get an image of a smooth ride before they do it … out on the trail, or a great jump, or an elegant reining spin, or nose-to-nose rhythm with a cow. Images are incredibly powerful.  They work to your advantage by automatically programming your mind and body for success. One of your jobs is to have fun with these mental images.  This is important! So, let your imagination run wild.  The videos should feel magical, like something you can step into.  They can also feel like a relief to you because you are “letting go” of the analysis and rolling with the flow. You can also try mentally becoming your favorite rider as an experiment to help you get the hang of it. Then, put your own spin on it. Play with the image until it feels good.  Keep playing it over and over and enjoy the experience!  The more positive emotions, like energy, calmness, confidence, and fun you add to your mental videos, the better … and the more pleasant and powerful. 2. Work on rhythm and tempo to smooth out mechanics. Instinctive riding is smooth and non-robotic. Coach yourself to feel the rhythm.  Before and during your ride, remind yourself, “Feel the rhythm.  Feel the rhythm.” Sometimes counting or repeating a tune or a phrase can re-establish flow, too. 3. Steady your breathing. Become aware of your breathing and simply let the air flow in and out of your abdomen when possible. Be easy about this.  A focused breathing pattern can help you blend the mechanics with the intended rhythm of your entire ride or any part of it. 4. Use phrases with feeling words to coach yourself as you ride. Brainstorm phrases that automatically trigger the right moves.  Be sure and add these scripts to the mental videos you’ve been practicing (#1 above). For example, if you say “Smooth, soft, low hands”, that is much better than, “Keep your hands down and stop being jerky”! “Stay aggressive” could help you remain offensive in a situation without overdoing it. “Scan out front” evokes more softness and a broader visual field than just, “Eyes up”. Combine the necessary information of analytical thinking with a mindfulness for instinct, rhythm, and flow.  Now you’ll have it going on and be in the groove more quickly and consistently!

About the Author:

Author Barbra Schulte

Barbra Schulte is a personal performance coach for all riders, a cutting horse trainer, author, speaker, and  clinician.  Visit her Blog and signup to receive her FREE monthly email newsletter, “News From Barbra”.  You will also receive the high performance secrets of great riders, inspiration, cutting strategies,  news, and much more.  In addition, you will also receive via email Barbra’s special FREE report: “Five of the Most Important Skills of Riding”.  Go now to http://BarbraSchulte.com

Thank you Barbra for sharing this great article.  We look forward to sharing more of your great tips that can be applied to barrel racing. ~ Michelle

Readers,  please check out the other great resources Barbra has on her website including and audio CD specifically for barrel racers! 

Martha Josey and her Josey Ranch Team have a great website with many resources available.  There is information there suited for the beginner barrel racer just learning to barrel race, to the advanced racer that needs to freshen up and be reminded that good horsemanship is where it all starts.

In Martha’s Winning Ways section for the website you will find all kinds of tips including horse care, training and developing that winning attitude.  Seeing that it is the beginning of a new barrel racing season in many parts I thought I would focus on one section she has called The Barrel Racing Checklist

This is a great review for all levels of barrel racers.  Its a good list to go through and assess where you are at in your own program.  Kind of like a “spring tuneup” to see if you have any issues you are missing that could be improved on before you get too far into the season.

I encourage you to go to her site (BarrelRacers.com, then Winning Ways) to read more, but here is a quick rundown on some of the things we need to be in tune to with our horses:

• Check for soreness and injury.  Know your horse, know what he SHOULD feel like
• Check his ears for soreness, check his teeth for problems
• What is your horses overall appearance? Step back and think what a stranger would think.  Is she underweight, dull hair coat, have you de-wormed lately?
• Assess your feeding program? Is your horse getting everything he/she needs?  Are there changes you could make?
• Look at his/her feet? Are they up to date? Is your farrier doing a good job.  The condition of your horses feet will directly affect its ability to perform to its best.
• Check your equipment.  Is it fitting your horse correctly? Properly adjusted? In good condition? Is it safe?  Check your tie-down, curb strap, rein length, headstall – every piece.
• Is your tack clean?  Dirty tack can make a horse sore and uncomfortable
• How is your saddle fitting?
• As a rider – are you doing your part? Are you fit and able to ride to the best of your ability?  How is your mental game?  Are you mentally prepared to help your horse?
• Consider videoing your run to see if you are causing your horse problems – perhaps sending an incorrect message.
• When you are trailering, is your horse comfortable? Too hot? Too cold? How’s your driving…are you giving a smooth ride so your horse doesn’t arrive more tired than when he left?
• Are you remembering to properly warm up and cool down your horse before and after a workout or run?
• Is your practice productive/constructive.  Are you over practicing or not enough?
• Is your horse in adequate condition for what you are asking of him/her?

Martha Josey goes into much more detail than I have here and has so many other great tips on her Winning Ways section of her website.  I encourage you to check them out.  She is very positive and offers  great advice that stems from decades of barrel racing experience.

We had great feedback on our Facebook page when we posted some videos with Dena about bits for barrel racing.   Now Dena has her very own channel on YouTube!

I think this video on positioning your horse around the barrel for a turn is great.  It is a caption from her new video “Dena’s One Smooth Motion”.   Have a look at this video below.

(Click here to watch video if you are reading this on Facebook)

In this video Dena points out the importance of positioning your horse properly to make the best turn.  She suggests that no matter your training style or your horses style, you always want to position the barrel behind your leg or at the horses hip before you start the turn.  Reason being is that in your horses peripheral vision if you turn earlier, the barrel will be in your horses way and he will react in an unfavorable way.   He might stop forward motion, move himself over, slow down, blow off etc.

If you are able to continue forward motion at all times, your resulting time will be quicker.   The overhead video is awesome for showing how a horse can keep those feet moving continuing in a forward motion.  Dena also shows how when you start the turn to soon how the horse will have to reposition himself take make the turn which will cost valuable time as he gets out of the most favorable position.

This fundamental is important for training a young horse, keeping a seasoned horse honest and schooling one that has some bad habits.   I would hedge a guess that this bodyto barrel positioning is a key and integral part to Dena’s training program that has been coined  Dena’s One Smooth Motion – “The Unique Training Method of Dena Kirkpatrick”.

Dena’s new video is available through stores that carry the Classic Equine Brand.  I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet but I’m sure it is great.  I have been to one of her clinics and thought it was great.  5 and a half hours of video from the lady who has trained many futurity champions and NFR qualifying horses (including the 2008 World Champion barrel horse “Martha”).   Check out the YouTube Channel here or go see Dena’s website www.denakirkpatrick.com Go to”media” and you can watch the videos right on her website too.

Some of the other clips you can find on her website or youtube channel include those on how to put polo wraps on properly, speed to the first barrel, handling ground,  saddling and controlling your mind for barrel racing and more.

Thank you Dena for this great visual showing us the importance of proper positioning around a barrel.

NFR qualifier, AQHA World Champion and barrel horse trainer Kristen Weaver-Brown talks to Barrel Racing Buzz about the third barrel.  Watch the video and let Kristen give you some great tips.  She is really well spoken and explains her beliefs really well.   Get some tips on how to avoid bowing out on the way to third and slicing third on the backside (thus causing your horse to step off the barrel on the way out).   She believes it is important you go back to two hands between second and third to regain your balance in the saddle.

Video:  

They talk about riding the stride, sitting down for the turn and let the horse work the turn rather than getting ahead of your horse.  “Stay calm, breath, work the plan”  ” Ride the stride”

Kristen talks about feel.  Feeling your leads, feeling where your horses feet are.  You need to be able to feel what is going on underneath you.   She even suggests closing your eyes (at a walk in a safe environment) to to feel your horses stride.   She offers clinics and lessons and a lot of her platform is based on “feel”.  She also has a video available at WinningRuns.com, or linked through her website

Learn more about Kristen Weaver Brown at her website www.kristenweaverbrown.com

January 15, 2010 Barbara Merrill and her horse Proud Red Pepper set an arena and standard pattern record at the Greg Olsen Memorial Derby.  It was held in Arizona at the Buckeye Equestrian Center.  Give it a watch here and see what you think.  Feel free to comment on what you think made this run so fast.

To me, I love how she is a quiet rider in both her body and hands.  The horse runs to his points and wraps the barrels in one smooth motion.  He looks happy and runs so smooth.   She is in control but stays out of his way.  Look how proud he is of himself at the end and walks flat footed into the arena full of confidence.  His trainer has done a great job of taking her time and grooming him into the confident champion he is.   Way to go Barbara Merrill and Proud Red Pepper!

Her record setting time was 16.653 the fastest time recorded previous to this was Jordan Peterson and Frenchmans Jester in October of 2008 with a 16.665.

Here is a video of that amazing run.  Smooth!

There isn’t a specific tip associated with this but I think it is important for all of us to see be reminded – if a time can be run, it can be beat!  This is what the fastest time in the world (on a standard pattern) currently looks like.  Who will raise the bar next!?

What do you think made these runs so fast?  What can you do in your programs to mirror these runs and bring yourselves ones step closer to your next championship?

If you are reading this off the facbook fan page, you’ll want to go to Free Barrel Racing Tips.com so you can watch the videos