samsara
Posted : 11/11/2009 11:04:47 PM
Welcome. I'm 25 and I just got my first horse in June. We're not really much for barrel racing though. You really just have to ride, ride, ride to get those muscles into shape (both yours and the mare's). Some of those muscles really can only be worked on horse back. once you develop your seat you'll feel more secure and more confident.
Have your mares ever given you reason not to trust them? (ie bucking, rearing bolting etc...) I leased a horse that was a bucker and believe me I was very happy to have well developed riding muscles. The feeling you get after riding out a buck is bittersweet... happy you stayed on, not happy he was bucking. [
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Be careful you don't get your mares sour on the barrel pattern... that can happen. Fortunately there are a lot of things you can do to get them ready for running barrels without having to do the pattern constantly. Go for trail rides, go up and down hills, work on bending, etc...
Good luck and welcome!