Originally a sport developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now turned into a sport event where everybody can join.
Barrel horse racing has been around for quite a while now. This is basically a game event that aims to display speed.
The race is pretty straightforward to watch. It is actually played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where the goal of the racer is to gain the quickest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards as to the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies normally have various preferences regarding how far each barrel should be set from one another.
The typical distance is 90 feet from each barrel. However, some may also use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting applies to all competitors.
The action begins as soon as the racer enters the arena towards the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not come straight on to it. A complete turn has to be accomplished on the first barrel before moving to the second one.
A 2nd turn, but this time around an opposite one, will need to be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will have to race for the third barrel. The third barrel then will need to be circled around in the same direction as the second one. Following a complete loop, the rider will need to accelerate to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We will help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would attempt to advise a few things to find a solution about it. Please read on.
The first barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of the game is to take it as quickly as you can. This really is the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you’re certain to be out of the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will get the chance to take a little money with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to lack of rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the 1st barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem can be resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.
Some horses often have problems entering the arena. In cases like this, the horse is referred to as “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is recognized to have rooted from running too much in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a rest from the barrel routines. One ideal method of accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding.
Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you mustn’t let your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Fix for your problem can start with running at slower gaits until progress is achieved. Run your horse on barrels only once you are confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.
