What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Experienced

Originally a sport 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 actually played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the intention of the racer is always to gain the fastest speed by circling the 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards as to the distance of each 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 also use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting applies to all competitors.

The action begins as soon as the racer enters the arena for the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter with a slight angle since its much simpler for that racer if he would not come straight on to it. A complete turn must be accomplished on the first barrel before moving towards the second one.

A second turn, but this time an opposite one, will need to be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will need to race towards 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 need to accelerate to the starting line, and that is considered as the finish line. top horse racing websites

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 find a solution about it. Please read on.

The first barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since 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 is also probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you’re certain to be out from the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will get the opportunity 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. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the first barrel off or they could 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 taking some 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 whatsoever. In this case, you mustn’t allow your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Solution to this problem can start 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.