What is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Encountered

Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has turned into 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 pretty straightforward to watch. It is actually played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where the intention of the racer is to gain the fastest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards regarding 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 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 www.newhorseracing.com for the racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete turn must be accomplished on the first barrel before moving to 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 3rd barrel then will need to be circled around in the same direction as the second one. After a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate to the starting line, which is also regarded as the finish line.

Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has 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 about it. Please keep reading.

The 1st barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This may cause by far the most difficult turn since the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the main aim of the game should be to take it as fast as you can. This is also the most tricky barrel because if you knock it away, you are sure to be out of 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 on account of lack of rate. Since 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 issue is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to do 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 known to have rooted from running a lot in the arena or during practice. This can be resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a break from the barrel routines. One ideal way 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 on it. Solution to this 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 as well as its capability to halt.