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My 16 year old daughter

2157 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  EquiiAlex
My daughter took horseback riding lessons back when she was 10 for a year but decided to take up another sport. She competed in various mini shows at her barn, particularly barrels and did pretty well but it was a small competition. Anyways now she is 16 and decided she wants to start riding again and eventually compete in barrel racing, she also wants to further her riding career by studying equine sciences and agriculture business in college, wanting to open her own ranch. I think that is a little drastic but she has her mind set on it! How should she go about getting competitive in barrel racing and is there anything I should get her into now to help her achieve her goal of owning her own farm. We don't live on a ranch but kinda embrace some of the culture with our city living! Thank you :)
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Get her set up with a trainer who is knowlegable in barrels and maybe even has a seasoned youth friendly horse to help teach her the ropes to lease. As for the barn thing it is a great idea to talk to barns in your area about maybe helping out around feeding, turning out horses, cleaning stalls etc. Before thinking about the barn in the future I would just worry about getting her a good start properly in barrel racing, do research and find a good trainer and start there.
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Ditto to above.

All the "big name" barrel racers learned from a trainer at some point. So she needs to find someone who has been extrememly successful in barrel racing, to learn from.

Nothing wrong with dreaming big. But if you want to get there, it won't be easy.

wanting to open her own ranch........is there anything I should get her into now to help her achieve her goal of owning her own farm.
If she's 16, she should be able to get a job.

Have her go find a big ranch nearby and ask for work. If she can't get paid, then volunteer. Sure, owning a big ranch is glamorous (as is being a big time barrel racer) but what most of the public doesn't realize is most of your week is filled with:
--fixing fence
--cleaning stalls
--hauling manure out of the corrals in the spring
--pushing snow in the winter so you can get to the corrals
--taking sick calves or sick foals to the vet
--re-fixing the fence that your horse just ran through
--cleaning and oiling your tack on a regular basis
--spraying the pasture for weeds
--picking up manure in the arena
--digging and working the arena
--fixing the broken gate in the corral
--checking the electric fence to find out where it is shorting out because its not working
--feeding the horses in the morning and the evening EVERY SINGLE DAY
--loading square bales onto a flat bed trailer in 90 degree weather during haying season
--unloading square bales (the ones you just loaded) into the barn
Etc Etc Etc

The list is endless. The only "glamorous" part of being a barrel racer is that 20-some seconds you spend in front of the crowd at a rodeo or barrel race. The rest of it is work, work, work. 24/7 work because you always have to take care of the ranch and the critters.

If your daughter can get some experience working or volunteering for a ranch, she will get a better taste to decide if that truly is the life she wants.
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Barrel Racing Trainer

We live in the Colorado Springs area and was wondering if anyone knew a good barrel racing trainer?
My daughter rode awhile back and is going to get back into it and wants to become competitive in barrel racing, and eventually own a horse.

THANK YOU
To give my honest opinion, if she wants to own a ranch, she needs to realize that she may be living on pennies for a while. It depends on how you go about getting a job or business in the horse industry. I know older (as in middle aged) trainers that have second jobs just to get by. It's far from easy-it's probably one of the hardest things to make a living at. If she is going to do this, it needs to be for the love and passion of horses, not the glamor of riding a fast horse around a barrel.

As everyone else said, take lessons first! If she's dedicated and passionate about it, she will do well. =)
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A lot of really great advice here especially about working under a successful trainer. She'll have to start at the absolute bottom, cleaning stalls, grooming horses and doing all the hard grunt work before she's trusted enough to actually ride one of the trainer's horses. If she's determined enough she may get to that goal she has.

Bear in mind that it is likely that she will most likely lose interest in this idea and in horses in a couple of years. I've been training and instructing for 40 years and my experience has been that 95% of horse crazy girls will
lose interest in horses and drop out completely between the ages of 16 to 19. The fact that she has already dropped out once before makes those odds even higher.

Another poster was absolutely right about the realities of making a living doing this. It is incredibly difficult to actually make a full time living with horses be it training or owning your own facility. As an adult, you are acutely aware of how much your day to day expenses are-adding the expense of owning even one horse is extremely difficult. They are still very much a luxury item.

No need to discourage her dreams but make sure she's the one who is doing the work and learning those hard lessons of life:)
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I agree with the above get her involved working at a barn/ranch and learning about the actual work involved. There is a lot more to running a ranch/barn then just riding the horses and it is not glamorous like the movies make it seem. I read somewhere, the best way to make a little money with horses is start out with a lot.

As far as riding for pleasure and competing find someone who will help her make it a reality, and give her a good experience.
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We live in the Colorado Springs area and was wondering if anyone knew a good barrel racing trainer?
My daughter rode awhile back and is going to get back into it and wants to become competitive in barrel racing, and eventually own a horse.

THANK YOU
I don't know if she takes "interns" but Christy Lofin is from Franktown.

And Sammi Besset is from Loma.

Just off a Google search, I see:
Star Amazing Grace Performance Horses
Lazy Heart E - Home Page
Lone Tree Ranch, LLC (Marlene McRae)

Your best bet is to go to the barrel races near you and ask around. Word of mouth is the best way you are going to find someone.
I'd start out with getting her barrel lessons from a successful barrel racer. I live in Colorado Springs too and I learn from Jamie Harrison from Colorado Springs Therapeutic Riding Center.
I'd start out with getting her barrel lessons from a successful barrel racer. I live in Colorado Springs too and I learn from Jamie Harrison from Colorado Springs Therapeutic Riding Center.
Oh perfect! Do you have contact information?
Yes, here's her website:
Colorado Springs Therapeutic Riding Center
It's a therapeutic riding center and she also teaches barrels. Lessons are $25 for a 30 minute lesson or 45 minute group lesson. Board is $425 a month, and they have an indoor arena and outdoor arena. Their annual open house is June 7, from 10am to 2pm, Mark Reyner Stables, 3254 Paseo Road. There will be horseback rides, cowboy lunch, and silent auctions. Great place, the lessons are fun and you learn a lot!
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