|
American Horse Appaloosa Horse Arabian Horses For Sale Brown Horse Buckskin Horse Dressage Equestrian Horse Float Loading Friesian Horse Horse Horse Art Horse Barns Horse Boarding Horse Books Horse Breeders Horse Breeding Horse Health Horse Hoof Horse Illustrated Horse Images Horse Information Horse Jumping Horse Magazines Horse Names Horse News Horse Pedigree Horse Products Horse Race Horse Riding Horse Saddles Horse Sales Horse Shows Horse Stables Horse Stories Horse Stuff Horse Trailers Horse Trainers Horse Training Horse Transportation Horse Video Horse Whisperer Jumping Horses Largest Horse Miniature Horses Morgan Horse Natural Horse Training Natural Horsemanship Paint Horses Painted Horse Palomino Horse Riding Horses Spanish Horse The Horse Thoroughbred Horse War Horse Work Horse |
| Home | Resources | Horse Art | The Rodeo Queen's Flagship Event: Barrel Racing By: Art Gib When you hear the word "rodeo," it probably conjures up images of bull riders holding on for dear life or broncos bucking boldly to knock off their riders. Many see rodeos as a cowboy's stomping ground. Despite masculine associations, rodeos also provide opportunities for cowgirls to strut their stuff. For these women the main event is barrel racing, one that demands the incredible skill and precision of both horse and rider. The event is simple to understand: three barrels are set in a triangle in the middle of the arena. The rider enters at a gallop and must run a cloverleaf pattern through the barrels. The rider enters from the bottom of the triangle between barrels to their left and right. After circling either the left or right barrel they must circle the other and then proceed to the barrel at the top of the triangle. After circling this last barrel the rider gallops to the same place where they entered the arena. The whole event is timed. Time begins when the rider crosses a line established at a fixed distance from the first two barrels which form the base of the triangle. Each of the distances between the different barrels usually follows prescribed guidelines which affect how fast a rider can complete the pattern. The WRPA (Women's Professional Rodeo Association) has established the following standards: A distance of 90 feet between barrels one and two (those that form the base of the triangle); A distance of 105 feet between barrels three and one and the same distance between three and two; and a distance of 60 feet from barrels two and one to the timer line. These standards have also been adopted by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. While the WRPA's regulations are set, the variable size of each arena makes it impossible to maintain the same distances in every single arena. As a result minimum distances between barrels and the fence of the arena take precedence over the distances between the barrels. Due to the variable nature of each arena the only reliable rule is that the fastest time wins. Should the rider clip a barrel then a time penalty is assessed making it virtually impossible to win a competition if the horse runs into a barrel. Also, running the cloverleaf pattern erroneously results in immediate disqualification. Given these conditions both rider and horse must work with hairpin precision to score the fastest time. Article Source: Articles Engine Charmayne Horse Match (http://charmaynehorsematch.com) provides online horse classifieds for anyone seriously interested in buying a top quality horse. Art Gib is a freelance writer. |