Originally a sport created 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 around for quite a while now. This is basically a sport event that aims to display speed.
The race is quite simple to watch. It is played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where the intention of the racer is always to gain the fastest speed by circling the 3 barrels within a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards as to the distance of each barrel, governing bodies as a rule 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 use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting applies to all competitors.
The action begins once the racer enters the arena for 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 whole turn must be accomplished on 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. After a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate to the starting line, which is also regarded as the finish line.
Like many 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 try to advise a few things to find a solution about it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as being the “money barrel”. This may cause by far the most difficult turn because the horse has to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the main purpose of the game should be to take it as fast as you possibly can. This really is the most tricky barrel because if you knock it away, you are sure 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 due to not enough rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the first barrel off or they may 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 this case, the horse is called “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is recognized to have rooted from running a lot in the arena or during practice. This can be resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a break in the barrel routines. One ideal method of doing this is to do trail riding.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you mustn’t let your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Solution to this problem can begin 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 capability to halt.