The Rodeo Queen's Flagship Event: Barrel Racing

Online Since March 13th, 2006

Recreation and Sports

Author: Art Gib
Date posted: Jan 23, 2009
Article views: 141
Wordcount: 406
Re-Publish

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.

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.

Please rate this article:

Currently /10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Rating: /10 (0 votes cast)

FRIDAY
SEP 3rd.

[+] Contact us
[+] Terms & Conditions
[+] About us
Make money writing articles

82,142 people on Articles Engine now.

Follow Articles Engine on

Your ad here

Submit articles Signup / Forgot your password?

Newsletter Archives