Speed / Barrel Racing
Intermediate
25 min
Ground Pole Agility Circuit at the Collected Trot
Focus: Agility, Coordination, Body Awareness
Equipment: 8 ground poles, 4 cones or markers
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set up an agility circuit: collected trot poles in a line, a fan of poles on a curve, and scattered poles for weaving.
- Collected Trot through the collected trot poles section first. Maintain rhythm and straightness.
- Curve through the fan section, adjusting your path for stride length.
- Weave through the scattered poles, changing direction smoothly.
- Complete the entire circuit 3-4 times. The horse should improve with each pass.
- This develops the foot awareness and agility that prevents knocking barrels with hooves.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- The horse rushing through the circuit instead of maintaining a steady jog.
- Tripping over poles because the horse is not paying attention to foot placement.
- Not varying the circuit layout to keep the horse learning.
- Skipping the fan section because it's harder to navigate.
Variations & Progressions
- Lope through the circuit for increased difficulty.
- Raise some poles to 4-6 inches for more engagement.
- Time the circuit and track improvement in speed while maintaining accuracy.
Tip: Agility circuits keep barrel horses sharp and coordinated. A horse that's careful with its feet around poles is careful around barrels.
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