Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now become a sport event where everyone can join.
Barrel horse racing has been in existence for quite a while now. It is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed.
The race is quite straightforward to watch. It is actually played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the intention of the racer is always to gain the quickest speed by circling the three barrels within a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each barrel, governing bodies as a rule have various preferences on how far each barrel should be set from one another.
The general distance is 90 feet from each barrel. However, some may also use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting is applicable to all competitors.
The action begins as soon as the racer enters the arena for the first barrel. On 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 must be accomplished around the first barrel before moving towards the second one.
A second turn, but this time an opposite one, will need to be made around the second barrel. And again, the rider will need to race for the third barrel. The third barrel then will need to be circled around in the same direction as the second one. After a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate back to the starting line, and that is regarded 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 try to advise a couple of things to find a solution about it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes by far the most difficult turn because the horse has to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of this game should be to take it as quickly as you possibly can. This is also probably 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 have the opportunity to take a little cash with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to not enough rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the first barrel off or they could pass over it. This issue 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 a lot in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a rest in the barrel routines. One ideal method of doing this is 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 happen to be confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.