Originally a sports activity created by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has turned into a sport event where everyone can join.
Barrel horse racing has been in existence for quite a while now. This is basically a game event that aims to showcase 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 goal of the racer is always to gain the fastest speed by circling the three barrels within 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 once the racer enters the arena towards 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 onto it. A whole turn must be accomplished on the first barrel before moving towards 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 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 need 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 many of the most common problems and would try to suggest a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This may cause the most difficult turn since the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Remember that the main aim of the game is to take it as fast as you possibly can. This is also the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out from the game right away and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take some cash 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’s got the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally 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. This can be 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 at all. In this case, you must not let your horse to run unless control is gained on it. Solution to this 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.