What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Encountered

Originally a sport created 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 many years now. It is basically a game event that aims to display speed.

The race is quite simple 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 in a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards as to 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 typical distance is 90 feet from each barrel. However, some may also 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 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 on to it. A whole turn must be accomplished on the first barrel before moving to 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 towards 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 back to the starting line, which is also regarded 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 many of the most common problems and would attempt to advise a few things to discover a solution on it. Please keep reading.

The 1st barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes by far the most difficult turn because the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the main purpose of this game is to take it as quickly as you possibly can. This is also probably 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 have the opportunity to take some money with you.

The problem 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 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 cases like this, 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. This can be resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a break from 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 must not let your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Solution to this problem can start with running at slower gaits until progress is achieved. Run your horse on barrels only when you happen to be confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.