What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Encountered

Originally a sports activity created 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 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 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 three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may be standards regarding the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies normally have various preferences regarding how far each barrel needs to be set from one another.

The general distance is 90 feet from each barrel. However, some may use 60 feet up to 100 plus feet. The setting is applicable to all competitors.

The game begins once the racer enters the arena for the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter with 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 on the first barrel before moving to the second one.

A 2nd turn, but this time around an opposite one, will need to be made around 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. Following a complete loop, the rider will need to accelerate to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.

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

The 1st barrel is generally termed to as the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the primary aim of this game should be to take it as fast as you possibly can. This is also 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 money with you.

The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel on account of not enough rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the first barrel off or they could pass over it. This problem can be resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.

Some horses often have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is called “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is known to have rooted from running a lot in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a break from the barrel routines. One ideal way of doing this is to do trail riding.

Some horses tend to have no breaks whatsoever. In this case, you mustn’t allow 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 are confident enough of its speed as well as its capability to halt.