What is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sport developed 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 in existence for quite a while now. This is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed.
The race is pretty straightforward to watch. It is actually played upon an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern where the intention of the racer is to gain the fastest speed by circling the 3 barrels within a cloverleaf pattern. While there could be standards regarding 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 general 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 for the first barrel. On this, the rider must enter with 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 around the first barrel before moving to the second one.
A second 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 have to accelerate to the starting line, which is also regarded as the finish line.
Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We shall enable you to distinguish many of the most common problems and would try to advise a few things to discover a solution about it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the primary aim of the game should be to take it as fast as you possibly can. This is also probably the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out from the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take some cash 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’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 perform the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is referred to as “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is known to have rooted from running too much in the arena or during practice. This can be resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a break in the barrel routines. One ideal way of doing this is to do trail riding.
Some horses are apt to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you mustn’t allow your horse to run unless control is gained upon it. Solution to this problem can begin with running at slower gaits until progress is achieved. Run your horse on barrels only when you are confident enough of its speed as well as its ability to halt.