I probably shouldn't even post here, as my advice will probably get thrown back at me, but I guess why not....
she refuses to even trot around the barrels. Please Help any advice and or tips is greatly appreciated.
If you cannot get your horse to trot, you have bigger issues than not knowing how to train her for barrels.
Also if you know of any barrel trainers neat Houston,Tx please do tell.
I am nowhere near Texas, so I can't give you any name recommendations, but getting a trainer (based on what you have explained to us) is going to be critical for you. This mare "has your number" and knows how to avoid doing what you are asking.
Don't even think about trainer her for barrels until you have complete control over her.
-walk, trot, canter on a relaxed loose rein
-stop immediately and softly from any gait
-back freely when asked
-can move the shoulders, ribcase, and hindquarters independently of each other
-can do simple lead changes (flying lead changes are not necessary, but it is nice)
-can do "perfect circles" with little help from the rider
Basically, you need to be able to control every piece of her body, at any speed, at any time, with no resistance from your horse. At this point in time, you cannot do that. You need to achieve that first before you can expect to train her for barrels.
She is not green she used to be a jumper and a ranch horse
Just because a horse competed in a few events doesn't necessarily make them
not green. Granted, none of us have seen your horse, but from what you are describing, your mare is green or spoiled, or a combination of both.
Her previous owners were scared of her so the let her do whatever she wanted
And this gives a big vote to the
spoiled category. She's learned that she can get away with whatever she wants. I've not seen you ride, but again, from what you describe it does not sound like you are qualified to deal with a stubborn spoiled horse like this, because you have difficulty getting her to do what you want (ex: trotting around the barrels). You need lessons to help you learn how to communicate and control your horse.
she is not very responsive to leg ques and she is not soft mouthed
And this is just one more thing that your horse
needs to know/have
before you start her on the barrels. She is not 100% broke if she does not listen to leg/body cues, and is hard in the mouth. I'm not saying that you are the one that caused this (chances are, it was her old owners ..... although,
how long have you had her?) but you have her now and it is your duty to fix it.
I have my own barn. And no my parents won't help out and I don't have time to get a job.
So if your parents don't help you, who pays the bills for the horse right now? Who is going to pay the vet bills if your horse happens to get hurt? Who pays for hay? Feed? Annual shots? Farrier visits?
Do you board your horse? What do you mean by "you have your own barn"?
It's really kind of wishy washy to say you
don't have time to get a job. You can
make time to get a job, if you have good time management, and if getting lessons is important to you. I know lots of folks on this board who work 3 jobs, have a family, and still have time for the horses. You make time for the things in life that are necessary. You are young; you will come to learn that.
Also I don't need lessons my mare just needs to be trained.
So let's just say that you did have a ton of money sitting around. You send your mare to the BEST horse trainer in Texas for 90 days. Your mare is winning rodeos in barrel racing she has been trained so good.
You cannot possibly (and honestly) say to me that you would be able to bring the horse home and
maintain all that training. The horse will learn to do what you allow them to do. Even the best trained horse will revert back to old habits when placed in the hands of a rider that was not trained how to handle the trained horse.
If you don't train the rider, training the horse is pointless.
You
DO need lessons and you need to accept that.
Don't worry about how to train for barrel racing, until you learn how to train your horse in the very basic fundamentals.