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[Joan Deutsch]

The whip doesn't seem to affect speed but may cause unwanted behavior.
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31330/aggressive-aids-effects-on-barrel-racing-horses-studied

[4HMom]

Very interesting and not really surprising. My older daughter's horse will slow down if whipped on the butt. He will go faster with over under to the shoulders. Really the pits for 4H which doesn't allow hitting the horse in front of the girth/cinch. My younger daughter's horse is terrified of crops so that was a non-issue. Both girls do use spurs, not for forward but as part of their leg aid for bending/turning.

[horsepeople2001]

I owned a barrel racers throw away, because they spurred and whipped her so much she would pancake her rider just going into an arena to do a run. It took years for her to not get all light in the front end when in an arena. It took a pro trainer to get her to quit flipping over. she was 12yrs old when I got her. It took her 4 years to learn to walk on a trail and not jig for 10 miles, it took another 8 for her to work in an arena semi calmly. I was her last owner. I am not a fan of barrel racers nor of dealing with the nut jobs they create.

[kriss10]

Not all barrel horses are nut jobs and not all barrel racers use aggressive aids to train their horses. As in every discipline, there are good trainers and methods and there are bad trainers and methods. I think Annie is a perfect example of good training. She won 3 saddles and quite a bit of money as a barrel horse (and a roping horse). Less than 4 months after her last winning run she was packing little kids through my pastures and up and down the foothills. I have participated in barrel racing and other speed events since I was a kid and I have never had a horse that was a crazy nut job - I have certainly seen them, but I have seen a lot more that were safe and sane.

[Joan Deutsch]

This got me wondering how Mary Walker rides so I found this NFR Barrel Racing Round 3. What do folks think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7JksbPcm7Y

[horsepeople2001]

This got me wondering how Mary Walker rides so I found this NFR Barrel Racing Round 3. What do folks think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7JksbPcm7Y

what I see is a person riding aggressively she is kicking and whipping the horse to run faster. she is kicking the horse in the straight away and whipping it. not around the barrel but in between each barrel, this is meant to make the horse run faster.

[horsepeople2001]

find me one video of some who does games/barrels and wins who isn't using a riding crop,over and under,spurs,or whipping the horse in some way during competition. I really don't think it is possible.

[drafthand]

I watched the video and I am not all that impressed. Looked to me that none of the horses were happy or comfortable--they went because that was the lesser of the evils. Interesting to watch their behavior back in the paddock area. I have seen the use of "gimmicks" as a short cut and I'll keep my opinion to myself. Our old carriage horse had been "whipped" a lot before we got him and he was immune to it for many years after. I did notice that one of the horses had a really long shank on it's bit. I believe that (some) people want instant gratification--want to win without doing the work. This is a diservice to the horse. I can see how a (barrel) horse can become a "nut-case."
I drive a four-up on straight bars. One of our classes at the Extravaganza is to drive that same barrel course with a team and wagon. (this is a junior driver class). Quite a thrill, two tons of horses and a ton of wagon. This is judged on driving only with time being a minor consideration.