A soft, supple horse can mean tighter turns and faster runs. Jordon Briggs shares a barrel racing drill that benefits both green and seasoned horses. By guiding your horse’s nose toward your hip, you can help relax their neck and encourage them to follow their nose with forward motion. This technique not only promotes a smoother, more relaxed turn but also teaches young horses to stay focused and responsive during their runs.
1. When you bring your hand to your hip, does your horse drift away or shut down?
“Horses are either going to not want to stop their forward motion—they’re going to float away and not come to your hand when you pull to your hip—or they’re just going to stop their front end and not move forward. So you have to analyze how your horse is going to handle it first. Start with just pulling your hand to your hip and see what your horse does.”
2. Ask your horse to follow your hand and move their hip over.
“This horse is floating away so I’m going to pull him around, get his front end moving forward really well and his hip crossing over to get himself out of the way. And even though this bend is overdramatic, this is how I want him to turn a barrel—free in those feet.”
3. Maintain the feel in a straight line.
“Then I want to teach him how to do it in a straight line. I want this softness through his whole body in a straight line. His shoulders are moving forward, I have control of his nose, his ribcage is soft and his hind leg is going underneath me. Then when I get to the turn, I just have to put my hand over the barrel and he’s ready to turn. His hip is out of the way, his front end is moving forward and he’s soft as butter.”
Do this, not that.
“Instead of your hand being held up, make sure to concentrate on keeping that hand in the area of your hip.”
TRAIN WITH JORDON BRIGGS. Learn from world champion barrel racer and Ride.TV coach Jordon Briggs as she shares her expertise on a range of topics for success in the arena. Jordon dives into tuning barrel horses, providing valuable insights on honing their performance to perfection. Learn from her extensive experience working with young horses, uncovering the techniques that lay the foundation for future champions. Watch her full training library here.
