08/10/2026
TRAINING TIP: Go trail ride your dang horse.
I was talking to another trainer recently about something I do regularly in my program, especially when I’m preparing for a stretch of runs.
I mentioned that I like to get my barrel horses OUT of the arena and take them “trail riding” through the mountains.
Their response was something along the lines of:
“I guess you just want to be in the business of making trail horses instead of barrel horses.”
Well… the following weekend I won everything I entered.
So I guess those trail horses barrel race alright. 🤷🏼♀️
But since we’re here, let’s actually talk about WHY I do it.
When I say trail riding, I’m not talking about walking through a flat field on a loose rein enjoying the scenery. I’m talking steep mountains, rocky terrain, straight up hills and straight back down them.
I want my horses thinking about where their feet are.
I want them figuring out how to balance their bodies instead of me micromanaging every step. I want them building their hind end climbing a hill and learning how to use their shoulders and stay underneath themselves coming back down one.
I want them confident when the ground isn’t perfect.
And I want their brains to get a damn break from the arena.
We ask barrel horses to handle an incredible amount of pressure. Run hard. Rate. Turn. Leave. Haul. Stand. Compete. Repeat.
Sometimes one of the most productive training days you can have is getting out of the arena and letting your horse learn how to use its own body and brain.
Here’s the bigger training lesson though:
Stop assuming something is wrong just because it isn’t how YOU do it.
There are a hundred ways to make a good horse. What works for my program might not work for yours, and what works for yours might not work for mine.
You don’t have to understand somebody else’s program for it to be effective.
And you damn sure don’t have to approve of it.
One of my favorite sayings applies pretty well here:
Not your circus. Not your monkeys.
So go trail ride your horse. Or don’t.
I’ll keep doing what works for mine.
🖤✌🏼