The choices for barrel racing equipment are pretty simple, aren’t they? A saddle and a bridle? What more do you need?
While it’s true that those are your two essential needs for barrel racing – as with almost anything in life – it’s not quite that easy – or simple. There are a multitude of choices for each of those items – and making the correct choice for you and your horse can mean all the difference in control, timing… and winning.
A bridle can range from a simple rope bosal to a fancy, high-port curb bit – a large part of your choice here will depend on what your horse is used to and what he or she responds to best.
Not all horses react to the same equipment the same way – that’s part of the reason there are so many variations and options on the market today – it offers horse owners a full range of choices, from gentle to severe, of control of their barrel racers .
You might end up with a horse that is either extremely well-trained or has never been ridden with a bit – meaning they have an exceptionally soft mouth and will probably be highly responsive using the lightest of bosals.
Or the opposite might be true – that you end up with a horse that fights you every step of the way until you get in the arena – then kicks in the afterburners and smokes the competition – but up to that point you need everything but the kitchen sink to maintain control.
When choosing barrel racing tack – or at least the headgear portion – ask the person you’re buying the barrel racer from what that particular horse is used to wearing – ask to see the horse in action with the previous owner aboard – and closely examine what equipment the horse is used to wearing.
If you’re simply changing tack on your own horse because you don’t like the results you’re getting – it may take some experimentation until you find a combination that works.
Think of your headgear in this fashion – a bridle is your means of communication with your barrel racer – through it you can tell your horse where to go and how to get there, how fast to approach, how to set up for the next turn – in short, it’s your communications central.
If your commands aren’t getting through, you’re adding time to your run – and that’s not a good thing if you’re looking for a barrel racing championship.
So if your bridle is communications central – your saddle is the driver’s seat – literally. From your saddle you issue commands to run the course, speed up, slow down, make flying lead changes to shave seconds off your run time, etc.
Oh, and it keeps you in place so that when your horse crosses the finish line, you’re still aboard. A minor little point.
It would be nice if you could run the barrels at the top levels of competition sitting bareback – that would give you the ultimate contact and communication between you and your horse – but unfortunately, that’s not allowed.
So the next best thing is a barrel racing saddle – that keeps you balanced, centered and most importantly, aboard your horse for the full run.
Barrel racing saddles are designed to do just that – built for speed, it’s smaller and lighter than a typical Western saddle, with smaller skirts and the interior “tree,” or main support structure, is small and lightweight – often made of a substance called Ralide – a composite material that is light, durable and extremely tough.
A barrel racing saddle usually has a relatively flat seat, giving you a little maneuvering room so you have better balance as you blast around those turns – while at the same time it has a slightly higher cantle and pommel, giving you a better feeling of security while completing your run.
Stirrups generally have a narrow profile – since it’s easier to keep a boot in a narrow stirrup.
The idea here is to choose a barrel racing saddle that fits not only you – but your horse as well. If your horse isn’t happy with the fit of your saddle, I’ll guarantee he won’t be running the best race possible. And if you’re not happy with the fit of the saddle, you won’t be commanding the best race possible. Take your time when choosing a saddle – it’s an important equipment choice that can mean the difference between winning and losing.