Brad Barkemeyer shares his detailed checklist for refining your fence work practice, breaking it down into three key sections: boxing, going down the fence, and circling. Follow these steps so you can focus on proper form, maneuvers, and improving communication with your horse.
As you work through each phase with Barkemeyer, a Ride TV coach, take note of areas where your horse may need extra support or additional practice to build confidence and efficiency in every movement.
Keep Your Horse Relaxed
“When we first put a cow in, I’ll walk up nice and relaxed so my horse doesn’t feel like every time the cow comes in, I’m going to be aggressive and go 100%. This depends on your horse’s character, too. If he’s lazy and doesn’t want to hook to a cow, I’ll ride up more aggressively and put him to work.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
See If He’ll Work on His Own
“When I’m traveling with the cow down the fence, I will leave him alone. If he stops with the cow on his own, that’s on my checklist, and I know he has that fundamental. I want to make sure he’s not starting the turn early, so I back and draw into that turn slowly, then accelerate back into position on my cow. Help him be patient by getting closer—use your cow-side foot to maintain forward motion, then release that leg to help him start the turn so you don’t overuse your bridle reins.
“I want to give my horse the opportunity to respond to the cow moving, but not do it for him every time.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Avoid Him Leaning into the Turn
“If a horse is starting to lean or turn early, when I get into this position and get stopped, I like where he’s at but want him to respect the bridle rein, so I’ll turn him away from the cow. I want him to know that he doesn’t have to stay super locked on. If I tell him to come off the cow, he needs to listen to that.
“I’ll do that with some motion—let him turn, go stop the cow, and then turn away.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
If Your Horse Isn’t Cowy, Try This
“If your horse isn’t very cowy, then you don’t want to turn him away as you head down the fence, because he won’t have the responsibility to stay with the cow and use his instincts. For a horse that isn’t hooked onto the cow, instead of stopping and turning, I’ll try and turn him before the cow moves. So, go ahead of the cow and start your turn with the bridle reins.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Drive the Cow Through the Corner
“When we leave this end to go down the fence, I want him rating and being patient with the cow through the corner. I want to get into position with my cow to drive it.
“A horse that gets chargey in the corner—it’s better to turn him into the cow, then pull him straight back. Get up to your cow pretty tight, start through the corner, and if your horse is strong, turn off into the fence. My goal is to be parallel with my cow as we approach the corner.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Distance Between the Cow and Your Horse
“We don’t want to get too wide or too tight. Angle into that cow’s hip to get through the corner, then catch up to the cow. I want to be pretty tight here before I go by, then keep riding forward.
“As we go past the halfway mark, I’m a little tighter. As soon as we start to go by, I separate from the cow a little bit, and that gives the cow a pocket to turn into. Once you do ride by, the cow feels like he can stop and change directions. If you get mashed up against the cow and the fence, the cow will keep pushing forward because he doesn’t have enough room to make the turn.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
[Watch Now: Barkemeyer’s Tips to Perfect Your Stop]
Learn from the best. Ride TV’s library of Working Cow Horse videos covers everything from the basics to advanced maneuvers to troubleshooting issues. Begin your free trial today!
