Originally a sports activity developed 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 quite a while 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 on which the intention of the racer is always to gain the quickest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards as to the distance of each 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 is applicable to all competitors.
The action begins once 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 onto it. A whole turn has to be accomplished on 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 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 need to accelerate back to the starting line, and that is regarded as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We shall help you distinguish many of the most common problems and would attempt to suggest a few things to discover a solution on it. Please keep reading.
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. Remember that the main aim of this game should be to take it as quickly as you can. This really is 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 chance to take a little cash with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to lack of rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st 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 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 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 this 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 when you happen to be confident enough of its speed and its ability to halt.