NFR qualifier and top barrel horse trainer Carley Cervi outlines how she utilizes her cornerstone training pillars of consistency, respect, pressure and release.
Cervi’s foundation has become a blend of father, Jim Richardson’s philosophies, plus outside influences like World Champion barrel racer, Mary Walker.
Through the years, she’s developed three main pillars that her program is built around from start to finish: respect, repetition and release.
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Respect
Carley Cervi: I like to think of my horses and I as business partner. Everybody wants to say ‘Just keep your horses happy.’ Well, I need to keep them happy, but they need to keep me happy, too. I take great care of my horses, and for 23.5 hours a day, they get to do whatever they want, so when I have them, I need their focus and their attention.
Horses in the field have a pecking order…when I’m around I’m at the top of the pecking order. These horses know they can’t run over me, step on my toes, sling their head and hit me with it. They respect me because they consistently know what to respect from me.
Repetition
CC: Horses understand yes or no, period. They don’t speak in complex sentences, it’s yes or no when they ask a question. ‘Can I step on your foot?’ No.
I’ll give one pressure back every single time. Just because I’m proud of him after a workout or run, he doesn’t get to step on my foot when he asks. Simply, no. I keep it consistent so my horses always know what to expect.
Release
CC: There’s a million ways to train a barrel horse. But the thing that stays the same 100% of the time across the board, whether you’re riding cutting horses, on the thoroughbred race track, or running barrels down in Brazil….They learn through pressure and release, and they learn through repetition. When they step on my foot, I’ll pop the lead rope and give it back. When they get it, it’s done.
About Carley Cervi
While she may be known for her NFR qualifications, from Roggen, Colorado, Carley Cervi is also a skilled horsewoman. She has produced several noteworthy horses, many of them related to her great horse Doda Flit (“Radio”). Two more recent champions of note produced by Cervi include MVP Futurity Champion Flit Six (“Six”) and Prairie Circuit Finals Champion Flit Money. One thing is for sure: Cervi knows how to train great horses.
In her series on BarrelRacing.com’s Ride TV channel, Cervi combines her training expertise, horsemanship skills and incredible knowledge of tack to give members tips and insights they can use in their own training. She covers a wide range of topics from the mindset of a successful rodeo athlete, bits and tack for training and competition, excellent drills for young horses and tune-ups on finished horses. She also works with her futurity hopefuls, giving members an inside look at a typical day in her program.
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