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 around for quite a while now. It is basically a game event that aims to display speed.
The race is pretty straightforward to watch. It is played upon 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 could be standards as to the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies normally have various preferences regarding how far each barrel should be set from one another.
The typical distance is 90 feet from each barrel. However, some may use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting applies to all competitors.
The game begins as soon as the racer enters the arena for the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much simpler for that racer if he would not come straight onto it. A whole turn has to be accomplished around the first barrel before moving towards the second one.
A 2nd 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 towards 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 regarded as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We shall help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would attempt to suggest a few things to discover a solution on it. Please keep reading.
The first barrel is generally 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. Keep in mind that the primary aim of the game is to take it as quickly as you possibly can. This really is probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it away, you are sure to be out from the game right away and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take a little cash 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 has the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem can be resolved through conditioning your horse to do the turn perfectly.
Some horses often have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is referred to as “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 taking some time off the track and giving your horse a rest in the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is to do trail riding.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks whatsoever. In such a case, you mustn’t let your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Solution to this problem can begin with running at slower gaits until progress is achieved. Run your horse on barrels only once you happen to be confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.