What is Barrel Horse Racing and Common Problems Encountered

Originally a sports activity created by rodeos for their wives and girlfriends, barrel horse racing has become a sport event where everybody can join.

Barrel horse racing has been around for many years now. It is basically a game event that aims to showcase speed.

The race is quite 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 to gain the quickest speed by circling the three barrels within a cloverleaf pattern. While there could 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 with a slight angle since its much easier for that racer if he would not come straight on to it. A whole turn must 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 around the second barrel. And again, the rider will need to race for the third barrel. The 3rd 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 back to the starting line, which is also regarded as the finish line. calculate horse racing odds payouts

Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We will enable you to distinguish many of the most common problems and would attempt to advise a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please keep reading.

The 1st barrel is generally termed to as being the “money barrel”. This may cause the most difficult turn because the horse has got to approach it at full speed. Keep in mind that the main purpose of this game should be to take it as fast as you can. This is also probably 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 a little cash with you.

The challenge though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to not enough rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it’s got the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the 1st barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem can be resolved through conditioning your horse to do 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 known to have rooted from running too much in the arena or during practice. Sometimes it is resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a break in the barrel routines. One ideal way of accomplishing this is usually to do trail riding.

Some horses are apt to have no breaks whatsoever. In such a case, you mustn’t allow your horse to run unless control is gained upon 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 capability to halt.