Barrel Racing in the Raw
What would you do if you were told that the only activity that you truly love is cruel? In society today, barrel racers are being bashed for cruelty of their horses. I have been barrel racing for eight years now and I can confirm that the sport of barrel racing, if performed correctly, is not cruel to the animal in any way. However, it is quite the opposite. Riders take special care for their horses, it is difficult to cause a horse pain, and there are rarely any body functioning issues that caused by barrel racing that cannot be corrected. It is my goal as a barrel racer that everyone is informed and believes that barrel racing is not a cruel sport.
To introduce, barrel racing is a sport that tests the abilities of the horse and rider together as one. Riders are asked to turn three sharp barrel turns as fast as they possibly can. The racers race at breakneck speeds, all desiring to win the prize money in the end. With any sport that speed is a key factor, more aggression will be used that comes from adrenaline. However, this aggression does not …show more content…
However, horses are rarely injured from this sport. “ Studies have shown that in barrel racing the most common injury has to do with incorrect shoeing, which can be corrected by a farrier” (Prezi.com). Correct shoeing plays an important role in barrel racing. Barrel racers usually have a professional farrier shoe their horses. With the correct shoeing, horses will be able to run pain free. Many make the claim that OCD in the hock joint is caused by barrel racing. OCD must be corrected with hock injections. I have at some point had to have hock injections for a horse of mine for OCD. A barrel horse that I used to own, Sandy, had OCD. However, she had this as a filly. She had this hock issue long before she was barrel racing. There are few body functioning issues caused by barrel racing that cannot be
What would you do if you were told that the only activity that you truly love is cruel? In society today, barrel racers are being bashed for cruelty of their horses. I have been barrel racing for eight years now and I can confirm that the sport of barrel racing, if performed correctly, is not cruel to the animal in any way. However, it is quite the opposite. Riders take special care for their horses, it is difficult to cause a horse pain, and there are rarely any body functioning issues that caused by barrel racing that cannot be corrected. It is my goal as a barrel racer that everyone is informed and believes that barrel racing is not a cruel sport.
To introduce, barrel racing is a sport that tests the abilities of the horse and rider together as one. Riders are asked to turn three sharp barrel turns as fast as they possibly can. The racers race at breakneck speeds, all desiring to win the prize money in the end. With any sport that speed is a key factor, more aggression will be used that comes from adrenaline. However, this aggression does not …show more content…
However, horses are rarely injured from this sport. “ Studies have shown that in barrel racing the most common injury has to do with incorrect shoeing, which can be corrected by a farrier” (Prezi.com). Correct shoeing plays an important role in barrel racing. Barrel racers usually have a professional farrier shoe their horses. With the correct shoeing, horses will be able to run pain free. Many make the claim that OCD in the hock joint is caused by barrel racing. OCD must be corrected with hock injections. I have at some point had to have hock injections for a horse of mine for OCD. A barrel horse that I used to own, Sandy, had OCD. However, she had this as a filly. She had this hock issue long before she was barrel racing. There are few body functioning issues caused by barrel racing that cannot be