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Barrel Racing
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Published: August 17, 2006
Barrel racing is an elite sporting event where subjectivity has no place.
Barrel racers have no judges to impress or fancy uniforms to wear; they have only the need to swiftly and deftly run the cloverleaf barrel pattern in the fastest time. The stopwatch is a cowgirl's only competitor in the arena.
As with other equestrian sports, barrel racing is about cooperation between horse and rider. However, this cooperation must be completely fluid because of the sport's intense speed. All riders have an unmistakably strong connection to their horse, and this connection could come at the cost of up to $50,000 for a top-of-the-line barrel horse.
According to Julie Voight, the National Professional Rodeo Association champion barrel racer from 1997 to 2003, an ideal barrel racing horse is often in the 15-15.2 hand range. Voight, who trains all her own barrel horses, says they come in plenty of shapes and sizes. As long as the barrel horse has a sound conformation and a love for running, it should make a fine competitor.
For the barrel racing event, the arena is cleared and three barrels are set up at different marked locations. The riders then enter the arena at top speed to round each barrel in a cloverleaf pattern as fast as possible, exiting where they entered. It is not as important for the horse to recognize the pattern as much as he should have apt skills for listening to his rider's cues. A stopwatch is used to register times down to a hundredth of a second.
This event is entirely about speed, making the Quarter Horse a popular barrel horse. When rounding each barrel, the rider steers her horse as close as she can to the barrels in an effort to shave precious seconds off the clock. Quarter Horses provide the necessary speed, as they are the fastest horses to run a quarter of a mile, and are excellent cutters. Rounding the barrel on a dime is no sweat.
In addition to speed, agility is of key importance because a five second penalty is added to the total time for each knocked-over barrel. Leaving the barrels standing and ripping through the course is every barrel racer's goal. A winning time is generally between 13 to 14 seconds, but this will vary according to the size of the arena, as all rodeo arenas are not created equal.
Barrel racing is a predominantly female sport. It is enjoyed by both the riders and the spectators. The number of barrel racing events steadily grows and is becoming an extremely popular and lucrative sport in the Western world, giving English sporting events a run for their money!
Barrel racers have no judges to impress or fancy uniforms to wear; they have only the need to swiftly and deftly run the cloverleaf barrel pattern in the fastest time. The stopwatch is a cowgirl's only competitor in the arena.
As with other equestrian sports, barrel racing is about cooperation between horse and rider. However, this cooperation must be completely fluid because of the sport's intense speed. All riders have an unmistakably strong connection to their horse, and this connection could come at the cost of up to $50,000 for a top-of-the-line barrel horse.
According to Julie Voight, the National Professional Rodeo Association champion barrel racer from 1997 to 2003, an ideal barrel racing horse is often in the 15-15.2 hand range. Voight, who trains all her own barrel horses, says they come in plenty of shapes and sizes. As long as the barrel horse has a sound conformation and a love for running, it should make a fine competitor.
For the barrel racing event, the arena is cleared and three barrels are set up at different marked locations. The riders then enter the arena at top speed to round each barrel in a cloverleaf pattern as fast as possible, exiting where they entered. It is not as important for the horse to recognize the pattern as much as he should have apt skills for listening to his rider's cues. A stopwatch is used to register times down to a hundredth of a second.
This event is entirely about speed, making the Quarter Horse a popular barrel horse. When rounding each barrel, the rider steers her horse as close as she can to the barrels in an effort to shave precious seconds off the clock. Quarter Horses provide the necessary speed, as they are the fastest horses to run a quarter of a mile, and are excellent cutters. Rounding the barrel on a dime is no sweat.
In addition to speed, agility is of key importance because a five second penalty is added to the total time for each knocked-over barrel. Leaving the barrels standing and ripping through the course is every barrel racer's goal. A winning time is generally between 13 to 14 seconds, but this will vary according to the size of the arena, as all rodeo arenas are not created equal.
Barrel racing is a predominantly female sport. It is enjoyed by both the riders and the spectators. The number of barrel racing events steadily grows and is becoming an extremely popular and lucrative sport in the Western world, giving English sporting events a run for their money!
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