I did talk while taking the video. This is one of my favorite tools for teaching a rider how to “ride the turn”. I HATE having to set up the regular pattern to teach how to ride a turn. I also hate roll backs. Both can really sour a horse. Roll backs can be a great tool but for the horse, not the rider.
I came up with four square a while back. Not sure if someone else coined it or not. So forgive me if I learned it some where! For my students, this one work out can teach them how to feel the turn, the thrust leaving the barrel and how to push between. The idea is to have two lefts and two rights. You need to go across as if you were going to third and straight as if from first to second. Doesn’t matter if you go left or right first. It’s not about the clover leaf, it’s about the rider’s ability to ride into the pocket, drop their outside hand, look up, shift out in the saddle (to counter balance the horse) and then to resume two hands, stand up and push off the barrel. This video is going slow. You can use it at a trot, lope or full speed.
This particular student is riding a finished barrel horse. He was sour running to the right barrel first so when we started them together, we went left. The student has been with me for almost 3 years. She has had her horse for a little over two years. With school and such going on, we have been able to compete every other month here and there. Once we began doing this work out, she improved her time by a couple of seconds!!! It really helps her to get over the “I’m lost” feeling of the speed with the turns! This horse is huge! He has nice turns when you shorten his pocket. He is push style. They are a great match! I need to edit her video of going fast! But I wanted to share the video of how the pattern is set! Enjoy!
#resridinglessons #resbarrelracing #kidcurryjr #brooke
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