Sports: Barrel Racing

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Barrel racing is categorized under the sport of rodeo and is most likely to be associated with the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and the National Barrel Horse Association. The sport of rodeo also includes bull riding, team roping, and tie down roping and can be mostly associated with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Even though the sport of rodeo in mainly dominated by men, barrel racing is the biggest outlet for women to show their skills in such a male dominated sport.
Even though any breed is allow to participate in barrel racing, the American Quarter horse is the most predominate breed in the sport mainly because it is the most versatile of all breeds and has the speed and agility to bend around the barrels. When it comes to types or bloodlines of the horse it is more of a personal opinion. A competitor can choose a horse that is more for racing in order to provide a faster horse or a cutting horse that is will provide more maneuverability and a smaller bend around the barrels. One good ideal is to pair racing and cutting bloodlines in order to produce a horse with the ideal combination of speed and agility.
The saddle is the one very important piece of equipment this is used to barrel race. The saddle must be tailored to the horse and most of the time the rider chooses a saddle that is up to a full size smaller than he or she would normally use. Saddle pads and cinches must me chosen to fit the horse properly. Even though the saddle is important, the bit is most likely the most important piece of equipment to the rider in barrel racing. The bit is most often chosen based on the two concepts of a bit with a longer shank allows for a quicker stop due to the additional leverage on their mouth and a bit wit...

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...odeo Association originally recognized women bronc riders, ropers and barrel racers. Now, barrel racing is the only sport that women participate in other than pageants at the National Finals Rodeo. Rodeo, as a sport, is judged overall though a point system. So even if you don’t win a single event you can still have enough points to get all around cowgirl if an individual participates and places in all events within a circuit.
Since this sport is considered the biggest adrenaline rush for women in rodeo, I would love to participate in a barrel race. I think that the women that compete have a lot of guts to let a horse got at its top speed and still manage to maneuver around three barrels. The amount of athletic ability that is require from the horse is incredible and I give much respect to the women that excel and have the money to invest in such an amazing horse.

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