What is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity created by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now turned into a sport event where everyone can join.
Barrel horse racing has been around for many years now. It is basically a sport event that aims to display speed.
The race is pretty simple to watch. It is played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the goal of the racer is always to gain the quickest speed by circling the three 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 regarding how far each barrel needs to 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 applies to all competitors.
The action begins as soon as 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 on to it. A complete turn has to be accomplished around the first barrel before moving towards the second one.
A 2nd turn, but this time an opposite one, will need to be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will need to race for the third barrel. The 3rd barrel then will need to be circled around in the same direction as the second one. Following a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate back to the starting line, and that is considered as the finish line.
Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We shall enable you to distinguish some of the most common problems and would attempt to advise a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please read on.
The first barrel is generally termed to as 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 the game is to take it as quickly as you can. This is also 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 opportunity to take some cash with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel on account of lack of rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the first barrel off or they may 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. This can be resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a rest in the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is to do trail riding.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you mustn’t allow 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 when you happen to be confident enough of its speed as well as its capability to halt.