What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Encountered
Originally a sport created by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now turned into a sport event where everybody can join.
Barrel horse racing has been around for quite a while now. It is basically a sport 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 on which the goal of the racer is always to gain the quickest speed by circling the 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each barrel, governing bodies as a rule have various preferences regarding how far each barrel should be set from one another horse racing.
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. On this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much easier for that racer if he would not come straight on to it. A whole turn has to be accomplished around the first barrel before moving towards the second one.
A second turn, but this time around an opposite one, will need to be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will need 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 need to accelerate to the starting line, which is also considered 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 some of the most common problems and would attempt to advise 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 by far the most difficult turn because the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the main aim of this game is to take it as quickly as you possibly can. This is also probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out of the game in no time 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 on account of lack of rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the 1st barrel off or they could pass over it. This problem is usually 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 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 from the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is to do trail riding read full article.
Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you must not 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.