Barrel Racing Article

Barrel racing is a western sport commonly seen in rodeos. The riders are typically female, with some boys competing at the younger levels. The horses are run in a clover-leaf shaped pattern around three barrels and out the gate. It is a timed event where speed matters most. A knocked down barrel adds seconds to the final time. The winner is the horse and rider pair with the least amount of time on the clock.

In order to be fast the horse must be able to make tight turns around the barrels and have a burst of speed coming out of the turn. The horse must be agile enough to make flying lead changes between barrels. Mental attitude, willingness, as well as having a level temperament are other keys to success in a barrel racing horse. Some breeds are more suited to being barrel race horses than others.

-The Quarter Horse-

This is the premier breed for the barrel race event. These horses were bred to be able to turn quick and launch themselves into full speed from a stand still. The Quarter Horse was bred to be fast over the short distance, and that is pretty much what is needed in this sport.

The Quarter Horse also has very solid legs making it powerful enough to make sharp turns without causing injury to itself. Their sloping hind quarters allow them to get their rear legs under themselves in the turns and aid in their ability to race out of a turn. With an average height of around 15 to 15.2 hands these horses are neither too big to be competitive around the barrels, nor too small to be fast.

Quarter Horses also have the mental drive to be willing to engage in such a sport, without being thought of as flighty. Quite simply put, many Quarter Horses enjoy the challenge of barrel racing themselves.

-The Paint-

The Paint Horse is a breed derived from the Quarter Horse, and has the qualities of the Quarter Horse with the added factor of color. In other words, a paint is basically a more colorful Quarter Horse. As Paints are relatively the same as Quarter Horses they also are selected as a promising breed for a barrel racing candidate.

Barrel racing was an event created by women to challenge one another. They would use their husbands' fastest roping horses and go around big oil drums which were set up in a cloverleaf pattern. The one who completed the course the fastest was the winner.

Barrel racing is a timed rodeo event, where the fastest time is what matters most. Cowgirls compete in the arena against each other and the clock.
Barrel racing is about cooperation between horse and rider.
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 full speed, quickly rounding each barrel in a cloverleaf pattern and then exiting where they entered. A stopwatch or timer is used registering down to a hundredth of a second.
Speed is what it is all about in this event. The riders steer their horses as close as they can to the barrels trying to shave precious seconds off the clock. For each barrel they knock over (which happens sometimes) a 5 second penalty is assessed to their total time. Leaving the barrels standing and ripping through the course is every barrel racers goal.
13 to 14 seconds is generally a winning time in this event, but this will vary according to the size of the arena, as all rodeo arenas are not created equal.

In order to be fast the horse must be able to make tight turns around the barrels and have a burst of speed coming out of the turn. The horse must be agile enough to make flying lead changes between barrels. Mental attitude, willingness, as well as having a level temperament are other keys to success in a barrel racing horse. Some breeds are more suited to being barrel race horses than others.