What is Barrel Horse Racing?

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

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

The race is pretty simple to watch. It is played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the intention of the racer is to gain the fastest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may 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 at a slight angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not come straight on to it. A complete turn must be accomplished on the first barrel before moving to the second one.

A second turn, but this time an opposite one, will be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will have to race towards the third barrel. The third barrel then will be circled around in the same direction as the second one. After a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate back to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.

Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We will help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would try to suggest a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please read on.

The first barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the main aim of this game is to take it as fast as you can. This is also the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out of the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take some money with you.

The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to lack of rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the first barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem can be resolved through conditioning your horse to do the turn perfectly.

Some horses often have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is called “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is known to have rooted from running too much in the arena or over practice. This can be resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a break from the barrel routines. One ideal way of doing this is to do trail riding.

Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In this case, you must not allow 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 when you are confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.

Barrel Horse Racing

The race is pretty simple to watch. It is played on an arena with three barrels arranged in an isosceles triangle pattern on which the intention of the racer is to gain the fastest speed by circling the three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. While there may 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 at a slight angle since its much easier for the racer if he would not come straight on to it. A complete turn must be accomplished on the first barrel before moving to the second one.

A second turn, but this time an opposite one, will be made on the second barrel. And again, the rider will have to race towards the third barrel. The third barrel then will be circled around in the same direction as the second one. After a complete loop, the rider will have to accelerate back to the starting line, which is also considered as the finish line.

Like many other horse racing events, horse barrel racing has its common problems too. We will help you distinguish some of the most common problems and would try to suggest a couple of things to find a solution on it. Please read on.

The first barrel is usually termed to as the “money barrel”. This makes the most difficult turn since the horse has to approach it at full speed. Remember that the main aim of this game is to take it as fast as you can. This is also the most tricky barrel because if you knock it off, you are sure to be out of the game in no time and if you passed over it, you will have the chance to take some money with you.

The problem though comes with the horse that normally passes over this barrel due to lack of rate. Because the horse is charging at top speed, it has the tendency to become too aggressive. Thus, they may either knock the first barrel off or they may pass over it. This problem can be resolved through conditioning your horse to do the turn perfectly.

Some horses often have problems entering the arena. In this case, the horse is called “barrel sour” or “ring sour”. This is known to have rooted from running too much in the arena or over practice. This can be resolved through taking some time off the track and giving your horse a break from the barrel routines. One ideal way of doing this is to do trail riding.

Some horses tend to have no breaks at all. In this case, you must not allow 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 when you are confident enough of its speed and its capability to halt.

Quarter Horses today

The Quarter Horse is well-suited for the western disciplines.

The American Quarter Horse is best-known today as a show horse, race horse, reining and cutting horse, rodeo competitor, ranch horse, and all-around family horse. Quarter horses compete well in rodeo events such as barrel racing, calf roping and team roping;  and gymkhana or O-Mok-See.
Other stock horse events such as cutting and reining are open to all breeds but also dominated by American Quarter Horse. Large purses allow top competitors to earn over a million dollars in some of these events.

The breed is not only well-suited for western riding and cattle work. Many race tracks offer Quarter Horses a wide assortment of pari-mutuel horse racing with purses in the millions.

Quarter Horses have also been trained to compete in dressage and can be good jumpers. They are also used for recreational trail riding and in mounted police units.
The American Quarter Horse has also been exported worldwide. European nations such as Germany and Italy have imported large numbers of Quarter Horses. Next to the American Quarter Horse Association (which also encompasses Quarter Horses from Canada), the second largest registry of Quarter Horses is in Brazil, followed by Australia^.

  With the internationalization of the discipline of reining and its acceptance as one of the official seven events of the World Equestrian Games, there is a growing international interest in Quarter Horses. Countries like Japan, Switzerland and Israel that did not have traditional stock horse industries have begun to compete with American Quarter Horses in their own nations and internationally.

The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States today, and the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest breed registry in the world, with over 3 million American Quarter Horses registered worldwide.

 Breed characteristics

A halter-type Quarter Horse

The modern Quarter Horse has a small, short, refined head with a straight profile, and a strong, well-muscled body, featuring a broad chest and powerful, rounded hindquarters. They usually stand between 14 and 16 hands high, although some Halter-type and English hunter-type horses may grow as tall as 17 hands. 


There are two main body types: the stock type and the hunter or racing type. The stock horse type is shorter, more compact, stocky and well muscled, yet agile. The racing and hunter type Quarter Horses are somewhat taller and smoother muscled than the stock type, more closely resembling the Thoroughbred.

 Stock type

See also: Stock horse

Reining and cutting horses are smaller in stature, with quick, agile movements and very powerful hindquarters. Western pleasure show horses are often slightly taller, with slower movements,smoother gaits, and a somewhat more level topline – though still featuring the powerful hindquarters characteristic of the Quarter Horse.


  Halter type
Horses shown in-hand in Halter competition are larger yet, with a very heavily muscled appearance, while retaining small heads with wide jowls and refined muzzles. There is controversy amongst owners, breeder and veterinarians regarding the health effects of the extreme muscle mass that is currently fashionable in the specialized halter horse, which typically is 15.2 to 16 hands and weighs in at over 1200 pounds when fitted for halter competition. Not only are there concerns about the weight to frame ratio on the horse's skeletal system, but the massive build is also linked to HYPP.

 Racing and hunter type

A quarter horse competing in an open hunter show

Quarter Horse race horses are bred to sprint short distances ranging from 220 to 870 yards. Thus, they have long legs and are leaner than their stock type counterparts, but are still characterized by muscular hindquarters and powerful legs. Quarter horses race primarily against other Quarter horses, and their sprinting ability has earned them the nickname, "the world's fastest athlete." The show hunter type is slimmer, even more closely resembling a Thoroughbred, usually reflecting a higher percentage of appendix breeding. They are shown in hunter/jumper classes at both breed shows and in open USEF-rated horse show competition.


  Colors

Main article: Equine coat color

Quarter Horses come in nearly all colors. The most common color is sorrel, a brownish red, part of the color group called chestnut by most other breed registries. Other recognized colors include bay, black, brown, buckskin, palomino, gray, dun, red dun, grullo (also occasionally referred to as blue dun), red roan, blue roan, bay roan, perlino, cremello, and white.^[23] In the past, spotted color patterns were excluded, but now with the advent of DNA testing to verify parentage, the registry accepts all colors as long as both parents are registered.

Miniature horses

Miniature horses are found in many nations, particularly in Europe and the Americas. The designation of miniature horse is determined by the height of the animal, which, depending on the particular breed registry involved, is usually less than 34–38 inches (86–97 cm) as measured at the last hairs of the mane, which are found at the withers.

While miniature horses are the size of a very small pony, many retain horse characteristics and are considered "horses" by their respective registries. They have various colors and coat patterns.



Miniature horses are friendly and interact well with people. For this reason they are often kept as family pets, though they still retain natural horse behavior, including a natural fight or flight instinct, and must be treated like an equine, even if they primarily serve as a companion animal. They are also trained as service animals, akin to assistance dogs for people with disabilities.

While miniature horses can be trained to work indoors, they are still real horses and are healthier when allowed to live outdoors (with proper shelter and room to run) when not working with humans.


They are generally quite hardy, often living longer on average than some full-sized horse breeds; the average life span of miniature horses is from 25 to 35 years.