Importance of Rider Position for Barrel Racing

Rider position for barrel racing is important because it really affects the weight distribution for when the horse is running and turning. Make sure you have great positioning when barrel racing with advice from a horseback riding instructor in this video on barrel racing.

Hi, I'm Teri Carter of Saddlebrook Stables in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, and I'm going to talk to you today a little bit about the importance of rider positioning in barrel racing. It is very important to have correct positioning in barrel racing, because you're moving at a high rate of speed, and where you're positioned on the horse's body really helps the weight distribution as far as the horse when it comes to moving fast and turning. When you're going fast on the horse, you want to lift yourself up out of the saddle so that the horse can use its rear end and its back and its rear legs properly to push forward in order to gain the high rate of speed that's going to get you your fastest time. When you get to the barrel, you want to sit back and turn the horse, slowing the horse so that it doesn't anticipate the barrel and knock it over. That would result in a five second penalty. Keeping cadence with your horse's rate of speed will help increase your time and help promote a safe barrel pattern. If you're out of balance with the horse when the horse makes a tight turn, you could suffer a fall, which could result in injury to you or the horse. And that is the importance of rider positioning while barrel racing.