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 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 display speed.

The race is quite 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 quickest speed by circling the 3 barrels within a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies as a rule 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. On this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much easier for that racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete turn has to be accomplished around the first barrel before moving to the second one.

A second 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 for the third barrel. The third 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 back to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line. horse racing sites usa

Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We shall enable you to distinguish some of the most common problems and would attempt to advise a few things to find a solution on it. Please read on.

The first barrel is generally termed to as the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn because the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of this game is to take it as quickly as you can. This really is probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it away, you are sure to be out from the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take some money with you.

The challenge 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 has the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st barrel off or they could pass over it. This issue is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.

Some horses generally have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is called “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is recognized to have rooted from running too much 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 accomplishing this is to do trail riding.

Some horses tend to have no breaks whatsoever. In this case, you mustn’t let your horse to run unless control is gained on it. Fix for your 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 ability to halt.