Heads up, this post contains foul language. Don't say I didn't warn you.
More often than you'd expect, I receive comments that are .. displeased with my writing.
But the majority of them always come from Barrel Racers, upset over this and this post.
But in an effort to maintain transparency about commenting, I'm sharing these two little gems with you.
All right…. shut your mouth !!! I have been barrel racing for years now and I do not do anything to my horses like this and I have friends who don’t either and look at the pros the don’t do this either…… you are a true a pleasure rider I can say that much. And adding in I have seen people that ride pleasure ‘abuse’ there horses. If you got an issue with how some ride that’s that but u need to look at the actuall barrel racers that show respect to there horses in the ring and ain’t jerking on their mouths. I don’t !!! If my horse wants to,get hyper I take him away from everyone and let him move. I hate when people bash on barrel racing. Cuase we don’t abuse our horses I can say that.!!!!
Maddie, [email protected]
*I have not edited any of the text, despite my desire to fix the spelling, grammar and punctuation.
really you like pissing of barrel racers !! you act like your some big thing !!! bitch you aint nothin !! fuck get real
Kassi Buckles, [email protected]
*This post also not edited, you're reading it in all it's glory.
There you have it, these two Barrel Racers are keeping it classy for everyone!
And for future reference, if you cuss me out in comments with such flowery language your comment and email address are subject to public display. I'd hate to think what these riders do when their horses try to tell them they're being abusive to them!? Eesh.
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Hi Erica,
I have barrel raced for quite a few years, but I have also worked with cutting horses and done some trail riding on all of them. In defense of barrel racers, and no, not all of them abuse their horses, but unfortunately there are those that do. A lot of it is out of ignorance , I have actually had someone try to convince me that their horse wasn’t hurt or sore any where, he was doing it on purpose. Really! Horses do not stand tied to the trailer or in their stalls, trying to figure out ways to tick us off! It is these people as well as the ones who use a lot of colorful language when they feel they are being bashed, that give the World Of Barrel Racing a bad rap. In Rodeo as well as the National Barrel Horse Association, you can be fined, suspended, or even kicked out of the show and/or assoc. for abuse. As a kid I grew up and learned to ride in Calif., if you struck your horse in front of the girth for “any’ reason, you were disqualified. Fortunately I learned how to ride from a tremendous instructor, who not only taught us how to ride, but also taught us how to teach our horse and be a partner, not a master.
My suggestion to barrel racers out there would be to show a little more class. When people make negative remarks about barrel racing and barrel racers, instead of getting mad and being rude, “show” them that they are wrong, that we are not all that way. That barrel horses are extreme athletes, that are well cared for and well treated. That a lot of people not only treat their horses well, but also take care of all their other needs, ie, chiropractic, dental, vet., ulcers, farrier, etc. whatever it takes. I know a lot of people who probably take better care of their equine partners, than for their own needs.
For those that tend to fall into that ignorance catagory, try to learn more about horses and training, teach your horse all the basics away from the barrels. Believe me the barrel pattern is the easiest part of training a barrel horse, provided that you have trained your horse in all of the other basics of a well-trained horse, ie. walk, trot and lope form a walk as well as a stand still, to move off of your legs, sidepass, turn on the forehand and the hindquarters, do perfect circles at all gaits, reverse archs, give to the bit, and work on a soft loose rein, follow your weight, stop softly and willingly. Walk, trot and lope in perfectly straight lines (not as easy as it sounds, lol), as well as speed transitions. When you can do all of these things, the barrel pattern is a piece of cake and you will have a very willing partner that will love his/her job. When a horse that has been working good, suddenly gets resistant, 9 times out of 10 it is pain related, it is our job to figure out where and why. The other part of the time, perhaps you are over practicing speed work. If you keep drilling on something over and over and over with no reward your horse has no choice but to think that he is doing it wrong, so he starts doing it wrong which of course is wrong, but your horse doesn’t know the difference because he is not being rewarded by letting him rest and soak in that he did right. Reward the slightest effort and build on that!
Please don’t catagorize all Barrel Racers, because of a few bad apples and don’t assume that all of us are foul-mouthed red-necks.
In my younger years living in Wyoming I barrel raced and trained horses for barrel racing and pole bending. The worst part of the whole deal was actually going to the barrel races and seeing all the “classy” broads of which you speak. Most of them have no concept of how to train and deal with horses in speed events. I saw so many of what you call “arena soured” horses, due to the fact they think training is going out there and constantly “practicing” which drives a horse nuts eventually. A good horse that is trained right rarely actually “runs” the barrels, except in competition. The rest of the time is spent getting them OUT of the arena maybe walking and trotting the pattern on occasion, and mainly keeping them fit. VERY OFTEN a gal would have a bad run and jerk the snot out of her horse. It became a joke with me to my friends about how now she would probably take him out behind the trailer and beat him. There was also an number of women I met over the years from more affluent circumstances, who went through one horse after the other until they found one that would put up with the “shit”…sorry may not be much “class” using that word, but then it’s about the only word that fits them (could have said crap, but my Granny considered that as bad as the S word so what do ya do? Hey how about just what it is “abuse” There I’ve verbally raised myself a level, and I feel much better about my vocabulary skills.) I had this Easy Jet horse that came off a chariot team, he was a handful, worked great at home, but for some reason just loved to leave his mind there whenever we went to a barrel race, as he was not seasoned. BUT I did not blame him or beat him for it, or jerk his head off when we had a bad run. But one day, after my run, I was walking him back to where the trailers were parked and there was a gal who’d run right before me, out behind her trailer beating and jerking on her horse. I said out loud to him, “Hey see that, if you don’t straighten up, I’m going to sell you to her.”(Because she’d actually asked me if she could by him him a few weeks previous at another barrel race.) Now I know this just may be coincidence, but that horse got better from then on. Of course it also could have been because I changed bits from a monstrosity of a barrel racing bit, a big old giant thing called a long shanked hackamore gag bit, I was told I should try, to a basic nothing little Tom Thumb, and I wasn’t hurting him anymore with that stupid “barrel racing” bit. Have you see those monstrosities, just the fact that they call them barrel racing bits ought to tell you something about barrel racing, it’s training and over all competitors. Those hackamore gags might stop a train, but they just make a good horse worse. Oh and what about the other “barrel racing” bits? You should google it.. I mean when they say “wire snaffle” they mean literal “wire”. A good barrel racing horse that is trained correctly might be as they say “on the muscle” a bit when entering the arena, but he should also be able to be calmed, and walk in and walk out ON HIS OWN, without someone leading him. AND you ought to be able to use a normal non purposely PAIN causing bit. I always admired gals who just used a plain ring snaffle with no leverage, and they were usually the best horsewomen, with the calmest horses, and some of the best runs. Worst arena soured horse I ever saw, was a mare that would piss (I was going to say “uninate” but I couldn’t spell it and am too lazy to google it) all over her self when being forced into the arena. Any way, there are some good gals out there as well, but there are a LOT of (fill in the blank)______________as well. That is as classy as I can keep it.
I think it’s interesting that the form I’m filling out right this very second states that my email address will not be published……. yet in your post both commenter’s email addresses are published… fancy that.
“if you cuss me out in comments with such flowery language your comment and email address are subject to public display.” Helps if you read the full post. But the notice on the comments is to let you know your email address is not publicly displayed like your website address would be if you add that.
I absolutely hate when barrel racers wip there horses! To me that completely slows down your horse! If you have a real relationship with your horse then don’t wip them, the horse is giving it all its got for you but if you wip it that pisses it off so to all those barrel racers out there STOP WIPPING YOUR HORSES!!! If you know Fallon Taylor this year she was at the NFR and she never wips her horse and she won the whole thing so what does that tell you! Exactly!! I have been barrel racing sense I was 11 and now I’m 14 and so close to going pro, and I never wip my horse and I hate it when people do! So please stop! U say your not abusing your horse, well you are if you wip her/him!