By Peggy Gaboury
I have worked with Western riders on a number of different horses, and I think that dressage has utility in training these horses at two different levels.
First, and most obvious, is that a basic grounding in dressage gives the rider and horse a set of communication skills that will allow them to learn how to compete at speed, and to solve the problems in balance that inevitably come up when running fast and turning quickly.
There is a primary need in both a good barrel horse and a good dressage horse for the horse to be “rideable.” The horse has to know his job, but he also has to be relaxed enough and sufficiently well-trained to let the rider help him. The horse needs to go and stop on demand, lightly and in balance; to travel in a straight line without deviating left or right, which means without relying on rein; and to “rate” within the gait, to slow down approaching the barrel and then to speed up leaving it. Above all else, the horse has to be able to turn at speed, without losing control of his balance, so that he neither crashes into a barrel nor has to slow down so much he has to rebalance to gallop out again.
Every loss of balance turns into a loss of speed. So if you want to have the fastest time, the most balanced horse will likely get it. When the horse leans in too far and his hind legs fling out, the turn will be wider and there will have to be a moment of rebalancing before speeding out on a straight line. If the horse is out of balance coming in to the flying change, the change will not be fluid and the horse will have to slow down or change its line of travel to correct. If the horse loses balance to the left or right starting the run, you have lost the most efficient line of travel. The horse who braces in the neck and onto his forehand cannot change direction or speed as quickly as one that is balanced over his hind legs. Speed comes down to balance!
All of those issues are addressed in basic dressage training, where we teach both horse and rider to understand control of the shoulder, the rib cage and hind legs in all lines of travel – straight ahead or sideways. If a horse “dives into the turn,” we would use exercises in leg-yield and moving turn on the forehand to show him to turn without leaning in. Turns on the haunches teach the horse to balance the turn by moving away from the outside aids instead of leaning towards the inside rein, again keeping that inside shoulder up and free so that the horse is balanced in the turn.
Practice at increasing and decreasing the circle gives the rider control over the precise line of travel, and maintaining the same tempo throughout that practice teaches the horse to shift his weight over his hind legs coming into a turn, and not shift onto the forehand coming out of it.
But the real value in giving a barrel horse some dressage work is that it may increase the usable working life of the horse. Dressage aims to teach horses to work from their central core. A horse who knows how to use the full abdominal circle of his muscles puts less stress on his joints. There is a big difference between using the hips and hocks to go under the horse and support a fast turn, and doing that same turn with a horse who lifts his back and draws those hocks under him with the entire strength of his core. A horse who uses his muscles to carry his rider both lasts longer and is easier to ride.
So if you want to improve your barrel racing time, your balance, your horse’s balance, and your horse’s muscular ability – try dressage! Both you and your horse will be glad you did! Flailing legs against the horse’s sides may be “showy,” but they won’t help you win the barrel race.
About the author: Peggy Gaboury has been riding and training in dressage since 1975. In addition to traditional dressage riders, she has worked with event riders, hunters, jumpers, competitive trail riders, and western performance riders. She is the resident trainer at Cranesfield Farm in Williston, TN and can be reached via email: Gaboury@bellsouth.net or telephone: 901-853-1815.
I have worked with Western riders on a number of different horses, and I think that dressage has utility in training these horses at two different levels.
First, and most obvious, is that a basic grounding in dressage gives the rider and horse a set of communication skills that will allow them to learn how to compete at speed, and to solve the problems in balance that inevitably come up when running fast and turning quickly.
There is a primary need in both a good barrel horse and a good dressage horse for the horse to be “rideable.” The horse has to know his job, but he also has to be relaxed enough and sufficiently well-trained to let the rider help him. The horse needs to go and stop on demand, lightly and in balance; to travel in a straight line without deviating left or right, which means without relying on rein; and to “rate” within the gait, to slow down approaching the barrel and then to speed up leaving it. Above all else, the horse has to be able to turn at speed, without losing control of his balance, so that he neither crashes into a barrel nor has to slow down so much he has to rebalance to gallop out again.
Every loss of balance turns into a loss of speed. So if you want to have the fastest time, the most balanced horse will likely get it. When the horse leans in too far and his hind legs fling out, the turn will be wider and there will have to be a moment of rebalancing before speeding out on a straight line. If the horse is out of balance coming in to the flying change, the change will not be fluid and the horse will have to slow down or change its line of travel to correct. If the horse loses balance to the left or right starting the run, you have lost the most efficient line of travel. The horse who braces in the neck and onto his forehand cannot change direction or speed as quickly as one that is balanced over his hind legs. Speed comes down to balance!
All of those issues are addressed in basic dressage training, where we teach both horse and rider to understand control of the shoulder, the rib cage and hind legs in all lines of travel – straight ahead or sideways. If a horse “dives into the turn,” we would use exercises in leg-yield and moving turn on the forehand to show him to turn without leaning in. Turns on the haunches teach the horse to balance the turn by moving away from the outside aids instead of leaning towards the inside rein, again keeping that inside shoulder up and free so that the horse is balanced in the turn.
Practice at increasing and decreasing the circle gives the rider control over the precise line of travel, and maintaining the same tempo throughout that practice teaches the horse to shift his weight over his hind legs coming into a turn, and not shift onto the forehand coming out of it.
But the real value in giving a barrel horse some dressage work is that it may increase the usable working life of the horse. Dressage aims to teach horses to work from their central core. A horse who knows how to use the full abdominal circle of his muscles puts less stress on his joints. There is a big difference between using the hips and hocks to go under the horse and support a fast turn, and doing that same turn with a horse who lifts his back and draws those hocks under him with the entire strength of his core. A horse who uses his muscles to carry his rider both lasts longer and is easier to ride.
So if you want to improve your barrel racing time, your balance, your horse’s balance, and your horse’s muscular ability – try dressage! Both you and your horse will be glad you did! Flailing legs against the horse’s sides may be “showy,” but they won’t help you win the barrel race.
About the author: Peggy Gaboury has been riding and training in dressage since 1975. In addition to traditional dressage riders, she has worked with event riders, hunters, jumpers, competitive trail riders, and western performance riders. She is the resident trainer at Cranesfield Farm in Williston, TN and can be reached via email: Gaboury@bellsouth.net or telephone: 901-853-1815.
