behind the barrels

BEHIND THE BARRELS
Molly Powell began roping
as a teenager when she was
trying to win high school
rodeo all-around titles.
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Roping
PART 2:
W H AT I LE A R N E D F R O M
In this three-part series, champion trainer and jockey Molly Powell
shares the riding techniques she learned in cutting, roping and jumping
that she says made her a better barrel racer. In this installment, Molly takes us out
of the box for some tips. Article by Molly Powell • Photos by John Brasseaux
Riders who rope must learn to cue their horses into two important elements: tracking and stopping. Powell points out that both of these elements can be
incorporated into barrel racing to make runs smoother and more precise.
A
t our house, the barrel pattern is switched out almost
daily to make way for a herd of roping steers.
Marrying a team roper has definitely kept me in touch
with the roping world, and I believe I have been able
to keep my horsemanship skills even sharper because
I rope with Turtle.
Turtle helps me with my colts, stopping a few steers on them for
me occasionally, and he also gives me some roping pointers, as well.
My roping career, however, actually goes back to when I was chasing
that all-around buckle as a high school cowgirl. My good friend Jody
Petersen and her mom, Nancy, would invite me over to their arena in
Three Forks, Mont., and give me breakaway roping lessons. Although
I didn’t go on to become a breakaway champion, the horsemanship
skills I gained from our practices were very valuable to my barrel
racing success.
Feeling a Stop
In roping, the name of the game is to catch a steer or calf as fast as
possible. What enables you to win is the advantage of a good horse. Jody
and Nancy’s horses always had such good minds. They scored excellently, allowing a fast start, and they stopped amazingly fast, which helped
the rope break away from the saddle horn and stop the time.
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BEHIND THE BARRELS
We would track steers and calves around their arena for hours,
encouraging our horses to stop up underneath themselves quietly and
correctly. The cue that caused that stop was easy and consistent: sit down
and pick your horse’s front end up to allow him to slide up underneath
himself. To do this, the horse’s nose also needed to be tucked down in
respect to the bit.
This technique taught me to recognize the “feel” of a horse’s mouth
and body coming together in preparation for a stop. Why is this important? Before roping, I just thought you would pull on the reins and stop. I
soon realized that without preparation, my horse would stop on his front
end and jar me into the swells of my saddle.
I learned the hard way on a borrowed horse that if you aren’t sitting
down and prepared for a stop, it isn’t going to be good. I fell off over the
front of that horse and broke my leg!
On the other hand, a horse that is prepared by the rider stops
smoother and more consistently—and seems to stay sounder in his hind
end, too.
I worked all the time on the feel of that stop: sit, lift his front end, follow through with his hind end by pushing my rear down into the saddle
and pushing my feet forward.
The process of the stop was more about that feel, with my body
language resulting in a graceful stop, rather than pulling on my
horse’s mouth.
Tracking and Turning
These days, I have a lot of opportunity to rope with Turtle, mostly
tracking a lead steer around in our arena. A lead steer is trained to continue in a large circular pattern to the left at the end of the arena. This pattern allows us to track (while swinging our ropes over) the steer and then
heel the steer and stop our horses when we feel that our horses have given
us a good shot to catch. The majority of the time, this exercise is done at
a slow lope and trot. Turtle uses this exercise to quiet and focus the minds
of his rope horses before he ropes out of the box at a higher rate of speed.
It also helps his horses stay fresh, relaxed and stopping smooth.
It always amazes me how much tracking a lead steer helps me stay
tuned up for barrel racing. After a few trips behind the lead steer, a horse
will usually start to anticipate the left turn and want to cut to the inside
of the circle. I have to mentally stay in the moment with my riding, and
not anticipate the turn myself.
I will try to avoid standing in my inside stirrup, anticipating the turn,
and closing my horse’s ribs to the turn. Ideally, I will stay balanced
in each stirrup, and drive equally with both my legs to keep forward
The Secret
to Molly’s Success
Molly Powell has completed work on the third installment of her
popular DVD series, The Secret to My Success. The Secret to My
Success Volume III: The Inner Game of Barrel Racing is intended
to help barrel racers deal with what Powell calls “the final step to
becoming a champion”—mastering mental toughness.
To help pinpoint the champion mindset for her DVDs, Powell enlisted
the help of world champion bull rider Gary Leffew, two-time American
Quarter Horse Association Trainer of the Year Donna McArther and All
American Futurity champion jockey and two-time National Finals Rodeo
qualifier Tami Purcell.
“I went to work [on these DVDs] with my friends and heros—the
people who have inspired me,” says Powell, “and they have shared their
own stories and techniques for success.
“I hope this DVD will inspire viewers as it has inspired me.”
For ordering informtion on this new DVD set, as well as the entire
Secret to My Success series, visit mollypowell.com or amazon.com.
Powell is a 10-time NFR qualifier who took home the championship in 2004 and the
reserve championship in 2005. Her career earnings total more than $895,000.
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BEHIND THE BARRELS
motion. This challenges my focus as a rider to make sure I pick up my
horse with my inside (left) rein and guide him up and around the turn to
stay right in behind the steer. I guess you could call it “collected flexion”
when my horse is tipping his nose to the inside and staying collected with
his body—which makes him more athletic when turning. A stiff horse
is not only less controllable in a turn, but many times, by dropping his
shoulder, will have trouble with his footing as well.
The steer is a great training aid, not only for the horse, but for myself
as a rider because, even though it is loping in a circle pattern, the pattern can change. Having to handle my horse while tracking the steer
really helps me to evaluate how my horse is handling and if he is in the
correct bit.
This exercise is great practice for anyone riding a horse that
wants to shoulder a barrel turn. It’s the exact same concept and can
help correct a riding habit. I will take a shouldering horse to the
roping pen, not to stress him out, but to re-program us both using a
different event.
Take the Challenge
Roping on my horses has challenged my horsemanship and riding
abilities, and I have definitely stayed sharper as a horseman because of it.
The next time you come to a road block with your barrel racing, consider
trying out the roping practice pen to correct problems and refocus your
own riding skills.
For more information on Molly Powell, visit mollypowell.com.
E-mail comments on this article to [email protected].
Powell’s barrel horses, especially those who try to shoulder turns, spend time
in the roping pen to correct anticipation problems and to decompress.
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