What the best horse for an inexperienced barrel racer ?

Roxie: What the best horse for an inexperienced barrel racer ?
I’ve been riding for 5 years and own a Quarter horse mare that is good for an intermediate rider but I am looking for a good barrel horse. What Should I look for ?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Katie S
something that has won a lot. proabley a quarter horse that is less than 16hh but you can’t just say “i want a jumper, buy me a throughobred” the horse has to know what their doing and have talant and skill for it.

Answer by texasnascarcowgirl
First off, do you know how to run barrels? If you do then find a horse that has speed and ability. If you can afford one that has won alot then get after it! haha But if not then find one that knows his/her job and with hauling will only get better. I would not get an older horse as they probably won’t run as hard. Now there are those that will blow your socks off but they are expensive. It all mainly depends on what you like. I love the cutting horse for a barrel horse and I have done pretty good with them. I have also had the TB and not done very good. That is just me.

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*******EDIT*********
okay, it would help me to read the question. Your inexp. doesn’t mean you don’t know how to run barrels but have not done it very much? I don’t know. Look for a horse that doesn’t crash the barrels but is honest and true. You don’t want one that wrings it’s tail, that means that something is wrong somewhere. You might have to try alot of horses out to find the right one. best of luck, email me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help if I can.

Answer by alabamagirl
Personaly I would pick a qauter horse. Due to the ability of this breed. I actually use a wild mustang. I had some trainers to train me how to get along with a wild horse. I had to have the patience and time to train a wild mustang. The reason why a chose this breed because of its free spirit. And its willing to learn. But not all mustangs are the same. U can always start off with an experienced mustang or a quterhorse. I do know some people who use paints. But they had really good trainers

Answer by L D
With any event/sport a beginner rider (in that particular event… barrels, roping, jumping, etc) should buy an experienced horse, one that already knows it’s job so the rider can learn theirs. If you look around, there are good beginner horses at all price ranges. Before purchasing a horse that seems to fit what you need, draw up a contract with the seller requesting 7 days to get a vet check to make sure the new horse is sound (you can’t just look at one and know) and also request at least 14 days to keep the horse to make sure it is going to work out for you. Most of the time the buyer has to pay upfront for the horse and then if it does not pass the vet exam or it does not suit your needs, you return the horse at your expense and your money is returned to you. The contract will be voided at that time and you proceed with your search for a new horse.

Answer by zephania666
Look for a horse that is:

NIMBLE. Thoroughbreds don’t excell in barrels because their speed tends to be straight ahead, not around the barrel.

QUICK starting. You don’t want something that builds up to a good speed; it’s better to have one that starts quick, even if it doesn’t have as much speed over the long haul.

FAST Once you’ve found nimble and quick, get as much speed between the barrels as you can.

RESPONSIVE Time lost while he thinks about responding to the rider is time wasted.

CALM Hot does not equal good for barrels; they’ll waste too much of their energy carrying on.

MOTIVATED If it doesn’t like speed, it won’t be good!

SOUND It doesn’t have to look good, but it sure needs to be sound!

Unless you have big bucks, you can either get an experienced barrel horse who’s unlikely to get better or you can get a horse with potential and give him the experience. Make sure you’re up to the challenge!

If I were to pick one breed to choose from, beyond all doubt it would be the quarterhorse.

Answer by TrailsnBarrels
You have what you need – a quarter horse..

Trot her on the pattern for a couple weeks and go from there.. from the sound of it, you’re not looking to win states.. so use the horse you have =]

Answer by Country girl
you should try to find a quarter horse and if you have run barrles befor than look for somhting with a lot of spunk because that means that they won’t be afraid t run, don’t buy anything in its younger years because the horses joints will not hold up to the preasure the youngest you would want to go woul be like 5. the height should be around 15 or 15.1 hands cant go that fast.

Answer by SpotsRider
Very well trained in what you want to ride in. A horse 6yrs to 13yrs.