What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Encountered

Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has turned into a sport event where everyone can join.

Barrel horse racing has been in existence for quite a while now. It is basically a sport event that aims to showcase speed horse breeding.

The race is pretty simple to watch. It is actually played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where the goal of the racer is to gain the fastest speed by circling the 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards regarding the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies as a rule have various preferences on how far each barrel needs to be set from one another.

The typical distance is 90 feet from each barrel. However, some may use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting is applicable to all competitors.

The action begins once the racer enters the arena for the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter with a slight angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete turn has to be accomplished on the first barrel before moving to 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 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. After a complete loop, the rider will need to accelerate to the starting line, and that is regarded as the finish line.

Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We will enable you to distinguish some of the most common problems and would attempt to advise a few things to discover a solution on it. Please keep reading.

The first barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes by far the most difficult turn because the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the main aim of this game should be to take it as quickly as you possibly can. This really is the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you’re certain to be out from the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will get the opportunity to take some money with you.

The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel on account of not enough rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st barrel off or they could pass over it. This problem is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.

Some horses generally have problems entering the arena. In cases like this, the horse is referred to as “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is known to have rooted from running too much 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 accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding source.

Some horses tend to have no breaks whatsoever. In this case, you must not allow your horse to run unless control is gained on 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 as well as its ability to halt.