Slow, precise work like this will do more to improve your times than if you race around those barrels at home.

It’s natural to assume that timed events with your horse are all about speed because, after all, the fastest time wins. But to make those winning runs with your horse consistently, you have to understand just how important it is to slow down! That’s right. The key to success is to go slow. Slow your hands, slow your training, and make use of slow rehearsals to balance the fast pace of competition.

Most people don’t understand this when they begin to compete in barrel racing or gymkhana events. They just think about the time.

Here’s a common scenario. A rider gets comfortable running and turning her horse, and she enjoys that exhilarating feeling, so she decides to try timed events. The competition seems like it will be easy. The rider walks and trots the horse through the pattern until her horse seems to know it by heart, and then progresses to loping and running through barrels or poles. Finally, the rider goes to a jackpot or a playday, where her horse runs a pattern that is only 3 or 4 seconds off the winning time. 

Well, for heavens sake, a few instants off on a 17-second pattern—this event is simple! 

The rider goes home and, in anticipation of next weekend’s run, begins pushing the horse to be a little quicker each day. At the next jackpot, the time is a second closer. Back home, a little more practice, a little more fast work. The next week at the jackpot, the time is a few tenths of a second closer to the winner’s. Quick calculation—all we have to do is keep improving, and in a month, we’re going to be winning!

But the next week, the horse runs way past the first turn. And in coming weeks, the times stay about the same. Even though the horse is going faster, the times aren’t better. And now, the horse is getting harder to work at home. Instead of loping quietly to warm up, he wants to speed up. What’s more, he’s gotten heavier on the bit, and he’s starting to hit barrels. At the last jackpot, he even whirled away when the rider started riding him into the arena gate. What’s going on?

There is usually a combination of conditions or errors that cause these problems. Somehow, somewhere, one or more of the “10 Tools for Timed Events” was overlooked.

Strive to ride the pattern the same way every time. Consistency pays off when you compete because you and your horse will have developed muscle memory.

The 10 Tools
1.         You need to understand the mechanics of the event well enough so you can avoid teaching wrong techniques or habits to the horse. Knowing the ideal pattern, knowing when to sit down for a transition, knowing where to look, and how to negotiate different arena types are all essential for success. 

2.         Adhere to a training and maintenance program and communicate  clearly to the horse.  To succeed, you need to lead your horse through a training regimen that he can understand with stepping-stone skill levels that he can achieve. We define success as helping each horse reach his maximum potential. In other words, if a horse is consistently performing at his own optimum level without bad habits or repeated mistakes, he is a success in timed events. His skill and athleticism will determine whether he will be a big winner. If you do your job right, he’ll have the best chance.

Easy indigo hasn't always raced with this much confidence. Your mission, like Savannah's is to make your horse eager to run to the pattern, not through the pattern due to fear.

3.         Install the basics completely, so that controls like “whoa,” collection and steering will work as well when you’re going fast as they do when you’re going slow. Those are the aids that help teach the pattern. Plus, if a horse is soft and willing in the bridle; has the ability to walk, trot, lope  and accelerate on cue; if he responds to “whoa”; and he knows how to move laterally from rein and leg aids; then you will have all the tools you need to correct any problem he might develop in running timed events.

4.         Rehearse the pattern long enough at each speed so the horse becomes confident before going to a faster speed, and use the horse’s  “comfort zone speed” as a guide. Horses learn by repetition. It’s vital to go through the pattern at each increasing speed level until the horse knows it exactly. When it’s time to run, you can’t possibly guide every step, but if you’ve instilled those steps as part of his mental and muscle memory, he’ll hunt those barrels or poles and expect to be going around them in the way he always has. We refer to the top speed at which a horse can make a perfect pattern as his “comfort zone” speed. We’ll let him go at that speed for a period of time so that speed becomes easy for him, then smooch him up to the next level. If he’s mistake-free at the next speed, we’ll keep him there, until he gains confidence at that level. If he’s not mistake-free at the new level, we go back a notch and build his confidence again, getting perfect patterns consistently for a while before we ask him to try it faster again.

An Intoxicating Instinct

We’re dealing with mighty instincts when we’re running timed events with our horses. The flight instinct is one of a horse’s most powerful protections. That defense is to burst into top speed and run fast to get away from danger. Because of that, adrenaline and speed go hand-in-hand for most horses. At some level, a horse that’s pushed into too much speed too fast has an adrenaline rush that’s tied to that primal fear reaction.  Sometimes just that sheer burst of speed can be intoxicating. That’s why keeping a timed-event horse quiet is so difficult. The only way to work around this overpowering urge is to build gradually into running patterns at top speed. You’ll then temper those runs with reassurance, relaxation and reward, so your horse can learn to run at top speed and still retain the ability to balance that all-out adrenaline rush. Think of it as the difference in the horse wanting to run to the pattern in order to perform at his best rather than wanting to run through the pattern to get away. Your training and daily work will determine which is the reality for your horse, and how much fun timed events will be for you and your horse. By slowing down, you’ll be rewarded by faster times.

5.         Execute the pattern exactly the same way at every speed—both in where the horse goes and in how the rider cues. This is one of the most important aspects of training any horse for any event. Exact repetition gives a horse security, while doing something one way one day and another the next has the opposite effect. Even little things are important—where your hands are, where you ask for a transition, and your body position. 

It’s tempting at slower speeds to just ride along, maybe talking or visiting with your friends as you walk or trot through the pattern. But this time is vital and you want to instill the feel of the run from the beginning, so when the run comes, it feels comfortable to the horse. 

6.         Ride the same when you’re going fast as you do when you’re going slow. When doing slow work, you need to ride exactly like you will at a faster speed—hands, body position, how you guide should all be the same. Many riders are soft with their hands and guide well at a slow speed. 

However, when the speed increases, they have problems stabilizing their bodies and their hands start to move and jerk. That is not what the horse is used to, so it stresses him. The faster the speed, the more the rider moves and the more nerve-wracking it is to the horse. Developing an awareness of what you’re signaling to the horse, along with improving your ability to stabilize your seat, will help.

7.         Recognize and correct little mistakes before they become big mistakes or bad habits. Here’s an example: Often a horse will hit a barrel with his shoulder going into the second turn. That begins with anticipating the turn. Over a period of time, the horse has begun to set up a little early for that turn, losing speed too early. When that happens, he begins to drop in rather than stay rounded, and it ultimately becomes difficult to get him past the barrel. 

If, when you first feel that horse start to decelerate too early, you urge him on to the correct transition area, then you never let the problem develop. Similarly, the right approach to a barrel is essential, but that approach begins from the time you leave the previous barrel. Leaving a barrel at an angle that’s one degree off can result in being five feet from the right position on the next barrel. It’s hard to move a horse five feet, but the correction at the point of leaving the previous barrel would have been slight.

8.         Recognize what the horse’s behavior is signaling and respond correctly to it. Horses have limited ways to communicate with us, but if we take the time to understand them and to respond to them, they can sure tell us a lot. We’ve been to jackpots before and seen a barrel racer really mad at her horse.

 “I don’t know what is wrong with him. He never acts like this, and now he won’t turn at all to the left.” Big red flag! If a horse is normally a willing performer and suddenly makes a big mistake, he’s telling you something. It’s your job to figure out what it is. 

It could be a developing lameness. Have you checked your saddle tree? Broken trees are one of the most common reasons that horses work well one day and then don’t the next. Check your saddle. Check the horse’s mouth. Has he developed a tooth problem? That can be painful, especially when the teeth interfere with the bit. 

9.         Allow for the seasoning process. Different arenas, different patterns and different surroundings can all unnerve a horse. Expect that it may take your horse a while to learn to concentrate enough to ignore all the distractions. Again, it’s your job to surround him with as much familiar reassurance as possible until he gains confidence.

10.       Control your own nerves so you don’t communicate your stress to the horse. Sure, you’re a little nervous—or a lot!  But you have to be brave for your horse. You need to become a good actor. Remember to breathe deeply and regularly—it will get more oxygen into your brain and your body. Plus, did you know that most horses respond to your breathing pattern? Lope your horse for a while, then stop him and take a big, deep breath. Then let all the air out and just relax down into the saddle. Do that a couple of times and most horses will relax right with you. Remember to talk to your horse and tune in to his needs and all the things you need to do to prepare him to run.

Most novice timed-event riders don’t realize how important each of these 10 Tools is when it comes to preparing for, and participating in, timed events. In the beginning, most riders feel they can get by with ignoring or skipping some of the components. 

You may hear, “I don’t have to do that for my horse; he’s working just fine without worrying about that.” The rider may be right, in the short term, but sooner or later those skipped steps and misconceptions will come back to haunt such competitors. Slowing down to cover all these essentials will make you faster, later on. 

We like to think of barrel racing, or timed events, as being a lifelong career for a horse, so we want to train for the long term. We want to keep the horse as quiet as possible. We also want to keep all those basic skills working and usable. If the horse makes a timed event horse, great, but if he doesn’t, he’s got the skills (and the mind) for another career. 

It all comes down to understanding. Think of it as an on-going communication between you and the horse. You’re the leader in this relationship, and it’s your responsibility to guide the conversation and the relationship so that you convince your horse to work with you. 

That is somewhat more of a challenge than you might think. There is not a running horse on this planet that understands the concept of an electric timer and why we think he’s a hero one day  and a failure the next. What the horse does understand is exact repetition of the pattern. What he can feel comfortable with is doing the same thing over and over again, which gives him the confidence to become bolder about running that familiar pattern.

Maybe you’re just getting started with timed events, or you’re still just thinking about it. Or maybe you’ve already started, but have missed some of the steps. Or you might have missed the signals when your horse has tried to tell you he was confused or sore or apprehensive. The good news is, whatever stage of learning you’re at with your timed-event horse, most problems can be fixed. Some take more time than others, but if this is something you want to do with your horse, he’ll be worth the added effort. 

In our “Timed Event Toolbox” column in the coming months, we’ll be explaining techniques, philosophies and goal-setting. You’ll soon start to see progress and improvement in your horse, which will add up to more fun and faster times.