Barrel Saddles ( Barrel
Saddle )
The National Barrel Horse Association,
headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, is the
largest barrel racing organization in the
world. In 1992, the NBHA revolutionized the
barrel racing industry by pioneering the
divisional format, which allows riders of
all skill levels a chance to win money and
prizes in barrel racing competition.
NBHA has more than 23,000 members of all
ages across the United States and affiliates
in five countries: Canada, Italy, France,
Panama and Brazil.
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. Because of the competition
and money involved, finding a good horse is
very important to the competitors. A top of
the line barrel horse can cost up to
$50,000.
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.
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