Barrel racing originally developed as an event for women,  While the men roped or rode bulls and broncs. In early barrel racing, the pattern alternated between a figure-eight and a cloverleaf pattern. The figure-eight was eventually dropped in favor of the more difficult cloverleaf. It is believed that competitive barrel racing was first held in Texas. The WPRA was developed in 1948 by a group of women from Texas who were looking to make a home for themselves and women in general in the sport of rodeo. When it initially began, the WPRA was called the Girls Rodeo Association, with the acronym GRA. It consisted of only 74 members, with as few as 60 approved tour events. The Girls Rodeo Association was the first body of rodeo developed specifically for women. The GRA eventually changed its name and officially became the WPRA in 1981, and the WPRA still allows women to compete in the various rodeo events as they like, but barrel racing remains the most popular event competition.

Now let’s get up there, in the saddle and start riding our horse, our partner in this journey… Once again we have to train both parties (rider and horse). Let us start with ourselves. We need to make sure we are comfortable in our saddle and our stirrups are up high enough. I personally like it so I can stand up and be able to put a fist underneath me (meaning there is about 5 cm between me and the saddle). This helps me not only to balance my legs, but also top half of my body. If your stirrups are to long, you will have to drop to far in the turn to be able to balance yourself or you will loose them during the run. So make sure you are comfortable, are able to keep your heals down and you are balanced.If you are balanced on the bottom half, it will be easier to keep your hands still and correct during your training. Right position of the hands is in front of the saddle horn at all times and your arms should be bent. Some say 90° but once again being comfortable and holding them still is more important. It also depends on the bit you are using.

Than my horse: For me I start of with horsemanship and basic reining… Does this mean you can not start the pattern? No as soon as your horse knows how to speed up and slow down, you can start walking the pattern, but keep in mind, it is harder and takes longer to correct a horse than to learn him the pattern correctly the first time. So best is to get the basic covered before teaching your horse the pattern. The up most important start is for your horse to respect your commands. If you want him to walk, he has to walk, trot means trot, lope,… And the most important safety command: whoooaa, the hand break. Get your horse to be comfortable making transitions, I get my horses to ease up from a lope to a walk before starting the pattern. This will help them get their legs up underneath them so now I only have to prepare them for the turn. Once the transitions are set, get your horse to follow it’s nose. Keeping him or her as soft as possible in the mouth. Because pulling a horse around the barrel will slow you down. You should get as far as to prepare them, point them the way and they do all the work. This you can do by making a lot of circles, changing directions (this does not mean diagonals only)

Training started with flat work, teaching Emma to control Thistles  feet not only around a barrel but threw a series of objects. Emma & Thistle have also changed from an English saddle to a Western saddle, in the transition Emma rode in a bareback pad and discovered by moving her body weight Thistle would respond, and they could manouvre around barrels and objects just by weight movement enablling more control over Thistle. Their running times went from 18.09 to 17.21 in a space of 3 weeks.

Naturally, horses will typically spend 18-20 hours a day grazing on low nutrient coarse grass. This coarse grass has a high rate of wear on the cheek teeth of about 2-3mm per year. Due to this wear horses teeth have a large reserve crown which continually erupts over the horses lifetime atthe same rate. By the time the horse reaches late 20s early 30s this reserve crown will be coming to its end and will expire. A horse’s upper teeth are wider than their lower teeth meaning there is a reduced contact of the tooth surface whilst chewing. This leads to the formation of sharp enamel points on the outside of the upper teeth and inside of lower teeth. Domestication of horses and the move from coarse grass to lush and soft grass reduces the rate of wear on the teeth accelerating the formation of sharp enamel points, in turn leading to ulceration on the cheeks or tongue causing pain for the horse.

Further dental issues can include the formation of hooks, ramps, prominent ridges and dominant teeth caused by the misalignment of opposing teeth. These issues can cause further discomfort to a horse due to restricted movement of their lower jaw leading to a loss of eating efficiency and reduced athletic performance. These over growths can progress over time due to the continual eruption of the teeth therefore if not managed could lead to problems in later life such as difficultly chewing hay. A diastemata is an abnormal space between teeth where food becomes trapped. Once food is trapped it starts to degrade and can lead to gum or periodontal disease which can be very painful for horses. Horse with diastemata require more frequent dental care to manage the build up of food in the gaps.

Signs of dental discomfort can include: Abnormal chewing action, dropping feed, quidding hay, weight loss, bit evasion, head shaking, unbalanced or uncomfortable when riding, facial swelling, malodorous breath, nasal discharge, or choke. For most horses an annual dental treatment will maintain the comfort and balance of the mouth, however younger horses or horses with more advanced pathology may require treatment every six months If your horse requires its annual dental check up or displays any of the signs listed above then contact your equine vet or a qualified Equine Dental Technician. (www.baedt.com)