What 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 everybody can join.
Barrel horse racing has been in existence for quite a while now. It is basically a sport event that aims to display speed.
The race is quite simple to watch. It is actually played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the intention of the racer is to gain the quickest speed by circling the 3 barrels within a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards as to the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies normally have various preferences on 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 is applicable to all competitors.
The game 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 that racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete 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 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, and that is regarded as the finish line.
Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We will help you distinguish many of the most common problems and would attempt to suggest a couple of things to discover a solution on it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn because the horse has to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the main purpose of this game should be to take it as fast as you can. This really is probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it away, you are sure to be out of the game right away and if you passed over it, you will get the opportunity to take some money with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel on account of not enough rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the first barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem 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 referred to as “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is recognized to have rooted from running too much in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a break from the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding.
Some horses tend to have no breaks whatsoever. In such a case, you mustn’t let your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Fix for your problem can begin with running at slower gaits until progress is achieved. Run your horse on barrels only when you are confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.