What is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity created by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has turned into a sport event where everybody can join.
Barrel horse racing has been around for many years now. It is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed horse racing calendar.
The race is pretty simple 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 always to gain the fastest speed by circling the three barrels within 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 is applicable 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 that racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete 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 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. After a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate to the starting line, and that is considered as the finish line.
Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We shall enable you to distinguish many of the most common problems and would try to advise a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This may cause by far the most difficult turn because the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Remember that the primary aim of the game should be to take it as fast as you possibly can. This is also the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out from the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will get the chance to take some money with you.
The problem 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 to become too aggressive. Thus, they may 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 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 too much in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through a little time off the track and giving your horse a break in the barrel routines. One ideal way of doing this is usually to do trail riding resources.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks whatsoever. In such a case, you must not allow your horse to run unless control is gained on it. Solution to this 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 ability to halt.