About Barrel Horse Racing And Some Common Problems

Barrel horse racing was originally invented by rodeos for the wives and girlfriends of participants. It has now become quite popular and anybody, including occasionally men, can participate in it. It has been around for a long time and it is basically an event that displays speed.

Barrel horse racing features one rider on a horse called a barrel racer who runs a cloverleaf pattern around 3 barrels set in a triangular arrangement. This is to be achieved at the highest possible speed, without knocking over the barrels. Touching the barrel however, is permitted. It looks very simple, but requires good horsemanship to participate. Different venues have different standards for the distance between the barrels. Starting from 60 feet to 100 feet, the most common distance is 90 feet.

The clock starts ticking once the racer enters the arena. She takes a slightly angular approach to the first barrel, circles around it and proceeds towards the second barrel. Upon reaching the second barrel, she will circle the barrel from the opposite direction from the one taken at the first. On to the third but circling from the same direction as the second barrel, the rider will return to the starting line, which is also the finishing line. Each individual is timed and the one to achieve the lowest time to complete the event is declared the winner. Five seconds are deducted from each barrel knocked over.

Although it appears simple, horse barrel racing has some problems too, which are listed below along with some suggested solutions.

The money barrel is what they call the first barrel. How successfully you navigate this barrel will determine the final outcome. The horse approaches this at a high speed to gain the maximum momentum to start with. If you knock it off, the chances are that you will not win the event. If you succeed in making the loop, the chances are that you will carry away the cash prize. That is why this is called the money barrel.

The problem is in the training of your horse for this first barrel maneuver. Since it is at high speed, the horse's natural tendency is to be aggressive and so, it may either knock the barrel over or pass over it, instead of making a loop around it. With proper training however, this can be overcome.

Some horses resist entering the arena. Such horses are called �barrel sour� or �ring sour�. This is usually due to excess exposure to the arena for practice. The problem can be resolved by taking time off from practice and diverting the horse's attention by other routines like trail riding.

Some horses do not have the ability to halt at all. In this case, till mastery is gained, the horse should not be allowed to run. Starting from slow gaits till progress is achieved, they should be exposed to barrels only when they learn how to halt quickly.