Originally a sport created 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 many years now. This is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed.
The race is quite simple 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 always to gain the fastest speed by circling the 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies normally 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 use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting is applicable to all competitors.
The game 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 that racer if he would not come straight on to it. A complete turn must be accomplished around the first barrel before moving to the second one.
A 2nd turn, but this time around 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. Following a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.
Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We shall help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would try to advise a couple of things to discover a solution on it. Please read on.
The first barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This may cause the most difficult turn since the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Remember that the main aim of the game is to take it as fast as you possibly can. This really is probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure 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 due to not enough rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st 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 called “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 taking some time off the track and giving your horse a rest from the barrel routines. One ideal way of doing this is usually 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 on it. Solution to this 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.
