at one open end, doesn’t matter which one.
Turn all the barrels the same way until you get
to the end of the horseshoe, then reverse and
repeat the exercise turning the barrels the other
way. Turn all of the barrels the completely, 360
degrees. Begin at a walk using the look, leg,
and rein sequence. When your horse is just
getting to the barrel you should slip slightly to
the outside of your saddle and push the horse
around the turn and lean slightly to the outside.
Do not lean in. Before you know it your horse
will be turning just off the turn of your head.
Progress in the following order: two hands on
the reins, then one hand on the reins and one
hand pointing, then one hand on the reins
and one hand holding your gun out. Aim your
unloaded gun in the direction of travel as if
there was a target just ahead. Make sure that
your gun arm is straight, do not you’re your
elbow, even to cock back the hammer. Most of
the misses in shooting come from crooked gun
arms. Follow this same sequence at the walk,
trot and canter. How do you know when to
move on to the next speed or step? Don’t move
on if: your horse is rushing the turns, if your
horse is shaking his head, if you are using your
reins more than just as a suggestion. Please note
that the barrel drills at the walk and trot should
not be rushed and it could take days of practice
for things to feel natural to you both.
through the turn then canter to the next
barrel. You want your horse to push out
of the barrel turn at the canter. Repeat,
when the horse’s nose is even with the
first barrel drop to trot for the first
¾ of the turn then push up into the
canter to get to the next barrel. If the
downward transition is rough, and it
usually is at first, you can go to a halt
and take 5-10 steps back to reinforce
the transition down. Then continue
on at the canter to the next barrel. By
doing a downward transition at the
barrel every time, the horse learns to
prepare for the transition by getting
under himself with his hind. When
we ask the horse to push or propel
himself away from the barrel at the
¾ or 270 degree point he will be able to respond
because he is already on his hind end. The end
result of this drill is: when running full speed
you won’t even have to touch the reins when
approaching a barrel turn because your horse
will see a barrel and at the perfect moment
he will self rate and balance, then push out of
the turn, allowing him to actually accelerate
through the turn! Again don’t rush this
training, this is not a one-day lesson; the first
3 times are for your horse, the next thousand
times are for you.
When you are ready to begin cantering the drill
we are going to change things up a bit. To start,
canter your horse towards the first barrel at the
open end. When your horse’s nose is even with
the barrel do a downward transition to a trot
Is all of this REALLY necessary? Can’t you
just get on your horse and go run patterns and
shoot? Of course! The difference is that when
you break anything down into its simplest
form to study, it is easier when you put it
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AZintheSaddle.com
back together. There are many moving parts
to the sport of Mounted Shooting. It helps
both the horses and the riders to look at each
component as an individual skill that can be
learned. Next month we will be looking at
another component of Shooting in depth. Try
the barrel drills, we’re confident you’ll see great
improvement in both you and your horse. See
you next month!
If you have any questions about this months
article or any of our previous articles please
feel free to contact us through our website,
www.sunsetranch.us If you would like to check
out Cowboy Mounted Shooting in person come to
the next Club Baddog competition March 8-9th
or go to www.clubbaddog.com
7220 S. 27th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85041
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