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 display speed.
The race is pretty simple 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 fastest
speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern.
While there may be standards as to the distance of each barrel,
governing bodies normally have various preferences on how
far each barrel should 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 applies
to all competitors.
The game begins once the racer enters the arena towards
the first barrel. On this, the rider must enter at a slight
angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not
come straight on to it. A complete turn must be accomplished
on the first barrel before moving to the second one.
A second turn, but this time an opposite one, will be made
on the second barrel. And again, the rider will have to race
towards the third barrel. The third barrel then will be circled
around in the same direction as the second one. After a complete
loop, the rider will have to accelerate back 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 help you distinguish
some of the most common problems and would try to suggest
a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please read on.
The first barrel is usually 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 main aim of this
game is to take it as fast as you can. This is also 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 have the chance to take some money with you.
The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes
over this barrel due to lack of 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 problem can be 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 over 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 doing this is to do trail
riding.
Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In this 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 when you are confident enough of its speed and its capability
to halt.
About the Author
Information on fish facts can be found at the Animals
Facts
|