What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now become 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 display speed.
The race is quite simple to watch. It is played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where the intention of the racer is always to gain the fastest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards regarding the distance of each and every 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 as soon as the racer enters the arena towards the first barrel. On this, the rider must enter with a slight angle since its much simpler for the racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete turn has to be accomplished on 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 have 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 have to accelerate back to the starting line, and that is considered 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 attempt to advise a few things to find a solution on it. Please keep reading.
The first barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This may cause by far the most difficult turn since 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 fast as you can. This is also probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you’re certain to be out from the game right away and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take a little money with you.
The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to 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 may pass over it. This issue can be resolved through conditioning your horse to do the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally 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. This can be resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a break in the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks at all. In this case, you must not allow your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Fix for your problem can start 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.