What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Experienced
Originally a sport created by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has now become a sport event where everybody can join.
Barrel horse racing has been around for many years now. This is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed.
The race is pretty straightforward to watch. It is played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the intention of the racer is to gain the quickest speed by circling the 3 barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards as to the distance of each and every barrel, governing bodies as a rule have various preferences on how far each barrel needs to be set from one another horse racing.
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 as soon as 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 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 need to accelerate to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing does have its common problems too. We shall enable you to distinguish some of the most common problems and would try to suggest a few things to discover a solution on it. Please keep reading.
The first barrel is usually termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn because 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 quickly 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 have the chance to take some money with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to lack of rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency for being too aggressive. Thus, they will often either knock the 1st barrel off or they may pass over it. This issue can be resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally 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 accomplishing this is to do trail riding check here.
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. Solution to this problem can start with running at slower gaits until progress is achieved. Run your horse on barrels only when you are confident enough of its speed and its ability to halt.