What is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity 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 around for quite a while now. This is basically a sport event that aims to display speed.
The race is quite straightforward to watch. It is actually played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where 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 barrel, governing bodies as a rule have various preferences on how far each barrel needs to be set from one another racing for free.
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 for the first barrel. For this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not come straight onto it. A whole turn has to be accomplished on the first barrel before moving towards the second one.
A 2nd turn, but this time 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. Following a complete loop, the rider will need to accelerate to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.
Like a number of other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We will help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would attempt to suggest a few things to discover a solution about it. Please keep reading.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as being 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 this game is to take it as quickly as you possibly can. This really is the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out of the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will get the chance to take some cash with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel on account of lack of rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency to become 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 cases like this, the horse is referred to as “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is recognized 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 rest from the barrel routines. One ideal method of doing this is usually to do trail riding horse sales.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you must not let your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Fix for your 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 as well as its capability to halt.