set_bit(BarriersNotsupp, &conf->mirrors[mirror].rdev->flags);
                set_bit(R1BIO_BarrierRetry, &r1_bio->state);
                r1_bio->mddev->barriers_work = 0;
+               /* Don't rdev_dec_pending in this branch - keep it for the retry */
        } else {
                /*
                 * this branch is our 'one mirror IO has finished' event handler:
                                }
                        }
                }
+               rdev_dec_pending(conf->mirrors[mirror].rdev, conf->mddev);
        }
        /*
         *
        if (atomic_dec_and_test(&r1_bio->remaining)) {
                if (test_bit(R1BIO_BarrierRetry, &r1_bio->state)) {
                        reschedule_retry(r1_bio);
-                       /* Don't dec_pending yet, we want to hold
-                        * the reference over the retry
-                        */
                        goto out;
                }
+               /* it really is the end of this request */
                if (test_bit(R1BIO_BehindIO, &r1_bio->state)) {
                        /* free extra copy of the data pages */
                        int i = bio->bi_vcnt;
                md_write_end(r1_bio->mddev);
                raid_end_bio_io(r1_bio);
        }
-
-       rdev_dec_pending(conf->mirrors[mirror].rdev, conf->mddev);
  out:
        if (to_put)
                bio_put(to_put);
                         * Better resubmit without the barrier.
                         * We know which devices to resubmit for, because
                         * all others have had their bios[] entry cleared.
+                        * We already have a nr_pending reference on these rdevs.
                         */
                        int i;
                        clear_bit(R1BIO_BarrierRetry, &r1_bio->state);