Ed Henle - Part 4 - The Mental Game

In this final section, Henle discusses many of his thoughts and philosophies on competition. 

What morals/rules/ethical standards do you live by when running horses? In other words, how far do you think people should go to win?

- I don’t really believe in drugging up a horse; however you cant control what other people are doing.  I personally wouldn’t be able to stand myself if I “cheated” to win but that’s just me and some people will do ANYTHING.

What vet do you use? Why?

I use Bill Smith from Chester Vet to do all the shots and checkups, but I use Jimmy Boucher when I get their hocks done or x-rays etc.

Any major career goals?

- I’d like to stay in the sport for along time.  As a goal, I’d like to be able to go anywhere in the country and be competitive.

What are you going to school for?

- I am going to Penn State for business.

What’s the best thing about your riding?

- Some people have to work extremely hard to ride but everything has come pretty natural for me.

What do you really struggle with or what was very difficult for you to learn when running a horse?

- When I started running my colt I had a hard time adjusting back and forth between her and Gunner.  They run completely different, and this caused me to over-ride the good horse.

How supportive are your non-horse friends and family of what you do?

-My family is extremely supportive and all my closest friends are involved with horses as well so they are supportive too.

Any superstitions when it comes to running your horses?

- I always follow the same routines when getting ready to run but I do think any would be considered superstitions.

How do you feel about those who say barrel racing is a woman’s sport?

-The majority of people are indeed women; however there are guys who do it therefore calling it a girls’ sport is not true.  I do think its bullshit that guys can’t run barrels at most rodeos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

Ed Henle - Part 3 - In the Arena

Henle's abilities as a rider have brought him big checks at barrel races across the region. With two placings at the AQHA Congress under his belt, getting to know his approaches and methods to riding and training could help every level of barrel racer. 

How long do you usually wait before running a young horse?

- I like for them to be at least three before I do any kind of running around the barrels, but I do have a two-year-old right now that is loping the pattern. But I’ll probably wait another six months or so before I started asking him for a little speed.

What rules do you follow when working with a young horse? Where’s your limit?

- I’ve found that you really have to be careful when you’re getting after a young horse.  If they make a mistake, instead of beating its ass it’s better to let them make mistakes and then show them what your asking of them.  Some horses can take a little discipline, but I have come across some that get worse.

How is your patience with young horses?

- I would say I’m pretty patient with the young ones, at times you really have no choice so you just have to look at the big picture and not what is happening at that moment.

What are you thinking when you head through the gate towards the first barrel?

- To be honest, everything that happens in the arena is a reaction.  I’m not really sure anything is going through my head.

How do your horses approach a barrel? (With a big pocket, straight at it…etc?)

- Gunner runs pretty straight, but I do give him an average pocket. The app mare doesn’t run quite as straight as gunner, but my pockets are about the same on both.

How often do you exhibition?

- Never on the good horse.  When I started taking the colt to shows, I would take her through exhibition maybe two times, but now I do not exhibition her at all.  The majority of people in exhibition are in there because they as a rider need the practice, not the horse.  It’s crazy when you see the same people running their horse to death in exhibition.

What sort of set up do you have at home to practice?

- I have a big outdoor arena where I do most of the riding.  I have the barrels set up but I only ever work the young ones on barrels at home.

Any arena records?

-Buckhorn. 14.408

Do you train other people’s horses?

- Yes. Most of the people send their horse to me to be broke.  I also get people wanting their horse on the pattern but unless the horse is athletic I won’t take it because I don’t like to waste my time with colts that do not have the athletic ability to do it competitively. I usually only take in two at a time, but I have a waiting list a mile long.

Weeklong Profile of Ed Henle - Top PA Barrel Racer - Part 1

This week we will be featuring an interview with Ed Henle, a barrel racer from Hookstown, Pa, who has been consistently in atop the Penn-Ohio standings over the last few years. The Barrel Racing Blog asked Henle some 40 questions covering his beginnings in barrel racing, his training techniques and his arena preferences. We go in-depth with Henle, shedding some light on the methods of a top local barrel racer. 

History - Part 1

What horses are you running right now? What are their names, ages and how are they bred?

- SF Who Shot Doc (gunner) is 9 yrs old and Hustlin Miss Heather (Hustler) is 5. Gunner doesn’t really have much on his papers.

What associations do you belong to and are you trying to win anything big this year (any titles)?

- The only organization I belong to right now is Penn Ohio.  I’m really not trying to win anything big but I am in the top 3 in the junior horse and adult standings.

What are some of your past accomplishments, and on which horse did they happen?

- At the 2004 Pa State Horse Show I won barrels and poles and was reserve champion in keyhole. In 05’ I won all 3 classes on my red app mare (Windy).  In 07’ I won the youth average at the Wilmington Spectacular and I was 4^th in the open average.  Also in 07’ I made it to the finals in Mississippi at the All American Youth on my gelding (Gunner).  At one point in time I held the arena record at Wildhorse and Buckhorn. I still have the record at Buckhorn, but Mike Hulsinger has the record at Wildhorse.  I broke the Buckhorn record last year and then I broke my own record this year. In 07’ I took 3^rd in the youth barrels at Congress and I was 5^th last year.

When did you get involved with barrel racing, and how?

- Im not positive when I started running barrels but I would guess around the year 2003 (I haven’t been into that long).  My sister had always rode pleasure horses, but I was into the timed events where your running against the clock, not hoping a judge likes your style of horse.

Who helped you get started?

- Dan McGlaughlin helped me with the basics when I first started.

Was your first horse one that you trained?

-No, my first barrel horse was already trained…he carried my ass around and taught me a ton.

Where did you get the horse(s) you are running now?

- I bought Gunner from Deena Fries roughly 3 years ago.  The app colt was born at our farm, I’ve had her since she was born.

Who started/finished it (them)?

- Deena Fries deserves all the credit on Gunner’s training.  I’ve done all the work on the app.