hello,
my name is jennifer and im a mommy and a wife. prior to being married i was a single mom working and living in a studio apt on a little horse ranch. to make a long story short all ive wanted in life is to run barrels... but my dad would never let me have a horse (he was afraid id break my neck) anywho after he passed i started following my dreams working for very little but doing what i love... being around the horses. ive basically apprinticed and learned how to start a horse the right way. though i did everything humanly possible to be around them while i was young, and spent the summers with my uncle at his ranch, i feel the past 4 years i have learned alot more!! anywho the people i work for breed and show paints... though its not my desipline of choice, i still love it! i finally caught a good deal on a well bred quarter... however shes 14.3 at best and im 5'9''... everyone i talk to says im too tall and my filly is too short... that i'll throw her off while turning the barrels. im wondering if it is true, if i myself am too tall or if i just need a taller horse. my boss loves my filly and is eyeing her for a brude mare... so weve been kicking around me getting a taller horse. i have my eye on a nice gelding who's 15.3.... what should i do???
thank you for listening
jennifer

Who ever told you that must think you would beat them in a race!

14-3 is not that short and 5-9 is not that tall, if you were 6-2 and your Horse 13-2 then maybe you might have a concern.

I have seen many a "tall" Horse be off balance, a short Horse has a lower center of Gravity, we have a little 14-0 Paint, that if he raced would give any of the Barrel Racers a run for their money!!!

I mostly agree with Southern. If you really stick well with your mare, and don't tend to loose your balance easily (those little guys can *really* take the turns!), then I wouldn't worry so much about the height. Ponies are great at barrels for exactly what Southern stated, and if you can stay on just fine, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just stay close to her around the barrels and y'all shouldn't have problems throwing each other off balance.
However, if you feel awkward on her just doing rail work, etc, trying for barrels may not be in your best interest. What has your trainer said?

Small horses handle themselves like sports cars.
You/Horse difference isn't all that great.
Most of the good Reining horses are 14.2 at best and the riders can be as tall as 6" something. So if they can handle spins,rollbacks and the rest of the maneuvers you'll be fine.
Also are you looking to be competitive at the national level or just have fun locally.

To: LTC4H,
sorry im not sure if im replying right.
i want to start at the small stuff... but eventually i want to go national... its been a childhood dream!

To Niara Joy,
umm haha my trainer... see thats kinda a weird stroy... well i hired a trainer and by the end of the first lesson i had with her she was letting me take her horse around the barrels at full speed.. the first time i did it... i really had to push her boy off the second barrel... the second time i ran him i didnt have much schin left. what ended up happening was i wound up training her horse not to dive into the second barrel (apparently he had a problem with this)... so she started talkin me up very highly to her friends and getting me work working their horses... but i think somewhere along the line she got a little jealous because i started running better times then her. she doesnt really speak to me anymore... and i havent been able to afford a trainer sense. so im kind on my own in the department :/

To Southern,
thank you for the encouraging words!! i hope your right!! =D

Hmm! Sounds like a not cool situation! But it also sounds like you do have things pretty well pulled together. Was it your former trainer that told you that you're too tall to barrel race? It sounds like Southern nailed it if that's the case! :P I wouldn't worry about it! Go out there and try it and see how it goes for y'all! I'll bet you'll be happy with the results.

Keep up the Dreams and persevere! It sounds like you have a gift and I hope you take this chance to ride it as long as you can.

Ron
Admin1

Hey girl! Not to worry. 14.3 is a common height for barrel horses, the most common range right around 15hh. Your height is not nearly as much of a concern as weight and balance. I am 5'9 also and have had great successes on both my 14.3hh gelding and 15.2hh mare concerning barrels. Another thing I would be concerned about is my horse's ability and conformation for the sport. Although Barrel racing is not a long, drawn-out event, it does put alot of stress on a horse's bones, legs, hooves, joints. Good conformation fit for barrels is a plus. Good luck and have fun