What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sport developed 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 in existence for many years now. It is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed.
The race is quite straightforward to watch. It is actually played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the goal of the racer is to gain the quickest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may 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 also 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. On this, the rider must enter at a slight angle since its much simpler for the racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete turn has to be accomplished around the first barrel before moving to the second one.
A 2nd turn, but this time an opposite one, will need to be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will need to race towards 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 back to the starting line, and that is considered as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has 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 read on.
The 1st barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This may cause by far the most difficult turn since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the primary purpose of this game is to take it as fast as you possibly can. This really is probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it away, you’re certain to be out from the game right away and if you passed over it, you will have the opportunity to take a little cash with you.
The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to not enough rate. Since the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency for being 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 recognized to have rooted from running a lot in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a rest from the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding.
Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you mustn’t allow your horse to run unless control is gained on it. Fix for your 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 ability to halt.