What is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now turned into a sport event where everyone can join.
Barrel horse racing has been in existence for many years now. It 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 on which the goal of the racer is to gain the fastest speed by circling the 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each barrel, governing bodies normally have various preferences regarding how far each barrel should be set from one another horse sales.
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 once the racer enters the arena towards the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much simpler 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 around an opposite one, will need to be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will have 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, 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 enable you to distinguish some of the most common problems and would try to advise a couple of things to discover a solution about it. Please keep reading.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes by far the most difficult turn because the horse has got 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 can. This is also 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 a little cash with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to not enough rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st barrel off or they may pass over it. This issue is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to do the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally have problems entering the arena. In this case, 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. This can be resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a rest in the barrel routines. One ideal method of accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding new horse racing.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks whatsoever. In such a case, you must not 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 once you are confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.