When it comes to horse riding activities, the number one thing that I love to do is barrel racing. Barrel racing is racing around three barrels in a clover shaped pattern. While doing so, you strive for the fastest time out of the other competitors. While barrel racers may make this sport seem easy, you don't know the level of difficulty until you have tried it. I will take you on a journey behind the scenes so that you can learn more about the sport and think differently about the people competing in it.

Lets start with the rider that is competing. When it comes to the rider, you have to know the technique on the horse you are riding. Not every rider can do this and the ones who get the fastest times have spent hours in the saddle, getting their pattern down to a point. They might also have someone video tape their race, so they can review it late and fix mistakes for the next run. Riders must be able to control the horse and have it trained to run barrels.

Horses are the same as the rider: you cannot just jump into a saddle on any horse and think they will know how to properly maneuver around the barrels. No, they do not just automatically know the pattern needed to successfully barrel race, the horse is trained to run the pattern. The rider will start out slow, getting the horse to control itself around the barrels, before picking up speed and eventually getting to top speed. To find the perfect horse for competition, you need to look at every aspect of the horse, because they may not be able to run the pattern for physical conditions. Horses who aren't physically able to correctly run the pattern can become injured upon an attempt to train them.

One common misconception is all horse riders are somehow best friends. That is not the case when it comes to barrel racing. You might be friends with someone, but when it comes to the competition, that particular person is not your friend. You are trying to beat each other. People could try to come and harm your horse before you are going to run the barrels, so you always want to keep a close eye on him/her. There is also a big deal between English and Western riders. Some of them do not get along, even though with the right training, you could easily ride both styles.

Of course, there are risks to barrel racing. People have fallen off their horses and gotten smash or stepped on. You can get slammed into the fence and crack ribs. Your tack can break, then you lose control of your horse. You can slam into the barrels and mess up your knees. These are just some of the injuries that can happen to someone that is riding. You will see someone hanging by the horses neck, just so their feet do not touch the ground. The moment your feet touch the ground, you no longer get a time for your ride.

There is more to barrel racing than people know and these are just some of the components to the sport. You can find much more on the subject via Google or by clicking here. While I don't make barrel racing my entire life focus like some, I enjoy doing it when I am able. These are just some of the things that I have learned during my time barrel racing.