Barrel Racing expert holds clinic at Copper Spring Ranch
Bill Brewster , The Big Sky Sun
Published 03/27/2008 – 9:37 a.m. MST
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Barrel Racing expert Lisa Dupea Anderson provided participants with detailed information about the fine art of barrel racing and the appropriate horsemanship skills that are required to excel in the highly competitive sport during a clinic on March 21-22 at Copper Spring Ranch.
Lisa, originally from White Sulphur Springs and her husband, Brian, from Miles City, train many top barrel horses at their Moore, Texas training stable.
The clinic by the Andersons is just one of the ongoing events that are being conducted at the ranch which is one of the leading centers for performance horses in the United States.
During the two days, the Andersons worked with both horses and riders to help them compete effectively in both rodeos and barrel racing futurities.
While Lisa provided the detailed barrel racing techniques in the arena at Copper Spring, Brian worked with horses in both the round pen and arena to get them responding and working correctly for the two demanding days of barrel work.
During the clinic, Lisa rode every horse to make sure they were responding to the correct equitation techniques and then took their owners through the right riding techniques to extend their performance levels. Throughout the clinic, classic western horsemanship principles were stressed as the way to obtain winning results.
“The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. Vision will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to whatever takes it takes to achieve excellence. Only vision allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. Vision has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our vision is what we become,” she said. “Listen to what your animal is telling you,” she noted in a clinic paper. “I have been beaten more by my own pride and ignorance than I have by my competitors.”
She emphasized that champions are champions…Not because they do anything extraordinary; but because the do the ordinary things better than anyone else.
Lisa noted that competitive riding required a positive attitude to act like a champion both in and outside the arena.
She reminded participants that horses need boundaries just as people do and that perfect practice makes perfect performance.
She said it was important for riders to focus on their “spot” at each barrel where should initiate the turn around the barrel.
“Teach your horse to go to his spot on its own,” she emphasized. She asked the rider to keep his or her seat in the saddle while staying focused between the horse’s ears so that they could know and feel what the horse is doing. She also stressed that riders should keep their horse’s poll flexed and their butt under them while keeping forward motion throughout the turns.
Riders should ask for their horse’s nose, while still balancing an outside rein.
She said riders should teach their horses that barrels are a safe place.