What exactly is Barrel Horse Racing and Typical Problems Experienced
Originally a sports activity developed by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has become 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 pretty simple to watch. It is 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 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 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 at a slight angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not come straight onto it. A complete turn has to be accomplished on 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 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. Following a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate 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 advise a couple of things to discover a solution about it. Please read on.
The 1st barrel is usually termed to as being the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the main aim of the game should be to take it as quickly as you 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 chance to take some cash with you.
The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel on account of lack of rate. Since 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 could pass over it. This problem is usually resolved through conditioning your horse to perform the turn perfectly.
Some horses generally have problems entering the arena. In cases like this, the horse is referred to as “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 a little time off the track and giving your horse a break in the barrel routines. One ideal method of accomplishing this is to do trail riding.
Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In such a case, you must not let 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 once you happen to be confident enough of its speed as well as its capability to halt.