Barrel Racing Trainer

Should You Hire a Barrel Racing Trainer?



Should you hire a professional barrel racing trainer, or can you do it all yourself?  That’s the question facing many new barrel racers – and some that aren’t so “new” to the game.  When all is said and done – you’re the only one that can answer that question – but here are a few things for you to consider.

Horse ownership in and of itself is an expensive … what, hobby, passion, sport… whatever category you feel best describes it.  Your initial investment in a barrel racing horse can range from hundreds of dollars at the lower, non-professional side to tens of thousands of dollars for a professionally-trained barrel racing champion, which can cost upwards of $50,000 or more!

Then you have the sheer expense of owning a horse – boarding fees (if you have to board your horse at some else’s place,) vet bills, shoeing costs, buying extra grain, supplements and treats (gotta have treats!)  And if you decide to show at state, national events or even local events, you have the added cost of trailering, entry fees, etc.

And there are plenty of events (hundreds if not thousands) at local and state competitions that you can enter that will provide you with a wealth of experience and give you a training ground to help you improve your competitive skills.  I’m not saying you have to compete at the professional level in barrel racing – I’ve personally had more fun on many occasions at the local level of competition than I have had at the state or national level.

But if you do decide to hire a professional trainer – you’ll have to take into account how much of an added impact that’s going to have on your budget.  Professional trainers aren’t cheap – their experience is what you’re buying, and that always comes with a large price tag.

On the plus side, a professional trainer can do wonders for your form – many professionals will videotape you as you run a pattern, which can be a wonderful way to spot weaknesses and make corrections in everything from the way you sit in the saddle to how you’re leaning on the reins to your posture as you bend around the turns.  That’s all important information – because they can spot flaws in your presentation and help you correct them.  Sort of like a golfer videotaping his golf swing and fixing what’s wrong.

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But at the very least a professional trainer can give you guidance on training techniques, as well as pointing out bad habits you’ve developed, bad habits your horse has developed and ways to correct those things and become a better competitor.

It’s important that you understand that working with a professional trainer doesn’t mean all your hard work is over – you can just relax now and let the trainer take over.  If anything, you’ll be working harder than ever, because most trainers are pretty close to perfectionists, so you’ll need to repeat lessons over and over again until you get them right, or practice continuously to break that bad habit that’s keeping you from breaking though that final barrier to success.

You need to plan on spending long hours in the saddle, getting hot, sweaty and tired – whether you’re working with a professional trainer or not.  Training your own barrel racer takes hard work and dedication, but so does working with a professional trainer.

The main difference between training your barrel racer yourself and working with a professional trainer lies in the answer to this question – at what level do you want to compete?  A professional trainer can take you one step higher – if that’s where you want to go.