What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now become 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 quite straightforward to watch. It is 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 three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each barrel, governing bodies normally have various preferences on 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 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 simpler for that racer if he would not come straight onto 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 on the second barrel. And again, the rider will have 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 to the starting line, which is also regarded as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We will help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would try to suggest a few 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 since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the primary 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 away, you are sure to be out from the game right away and if you passed over it, you will get the chance to take a little money with you.
The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to not enough rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the 1st barrel off or they could pass over it. This issue is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is called “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 taking some time off the track and giving your horse a rest from the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is to do trail riding.
Some horses tend to have no breaks whatsoever. In such a case, you must not let your horse to run unless control is gained on it. Fix for your problem can begin 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 capability to halt.