Barrels Aren’t Just For Racing
By Nicole Ponte
As you move up the levels in eventing, the jumps not only get higher but also more narrow. Unless you have shorter jump poles or a nearby cross country course, it can be difficult to school over skinnies. Using just two barrels and two poles, you can school your horse through a variety of heights as well as widths; working on both straightness and accuracy. This will help give your horse enough confidence to jump other high skinnies without fretting.
Here are some tips to get started with barrels at home:
Two Barrels Laying
The first variation of this exercise is comprised of two barrels laying side-by-side. If your horse shows reluctance to jump, consider using a ground pole in front of the barrels as a ground line.
Single Barrel Laying
After your horse is willing to jump over two barrels laying down, take one away. You may need to use your two ground poles to help “guide” your horse if he is newer to jumping narrower objects. If necessary, lay the end of each pole on the end of the barrel on each side; it should look like a triangular “chute.” Also consider using a single ground pole in front as a groundline if your horse needs extra encouragement to progress through the exercises.
Two Barrels Standing
Two barrels standing is almost as narrow as the single laying barrel but quite a bit taller. You may have to use the poles again to help “chute” your horse.
Single Barrel Standing
Unless your horse has indicated no previous hesitation, I recommend using a chute the first few times you go over the single standing barrel. This will help your horse’s confidence, as well as your eye, when the poles are down.
For all of these exercises:
Aim straight for the center of the jump and keep your eyes up to help reduce the rate of run outs. Hold a slightly wider rein contact and keep contact with your legs and hands to help set your horse up for a successful jump.
Approach the jump from a collected but fluid canter to ensure that your horse is on your aids and ready for the jump ahead, not sucked back and ready to stop.
If your horse starts hesitating or refusing one of the more advanced exercises, drop back down to the basics and build back up. Oftentimes, the horse just needs to regain their momentum and courage for the trickier jumps.
If your horse has continued difficulty with one of the exercises, consider adding jump standards on the sides to help them understand that they have to jump what is ahead of them.