How do you introduce the rate cue on the approach to a barrel at slow speed?

Once the horse responds reliably to the rate cue on the flat, the cue is introduced on the approach to a barrel at a slow lope before any competitive pace is considered. The exercise begins by loping a straight approach to the barrel from a distance of at least twenty to thirty feet, applying the rate cue approximately ten feet out from the barrel, allowing the horse to collect for two or three strides, and then guiding it through a slow, correct turn. At this stage the emphasis is entirely on the horse's response to the cue — whether it softens through its back, shortens its stride, and shifts weight rearward in the strides before the turn — rather than on the speed or tightness of the turn itself. The rate cue should be applied at the same point on every approach during these early sessions so the horse develops a consistent spatial association between that point on the approach and the expected response. As the horse becomes more reliable in its response, the distance at which the cue is applied can be shortened gradually, teaching the horse to rate more quickly in preparation for the faster approaches of competition. One of the most common errors at this stage is releasing the rate cue too early — before the horse has actually collected and shifted weight back — which teaches the horse that partial collection is the correct response. The cue should be held until the horse has produced the desired collection and the turn has begun, at which point the release signals that the correct response has been achieved and the turn can proceed.