Horses: Bonding and Barrel Racing Horses have always inhabited a fond role within the minds of humans. They are graceful, yet very strong creatures, which are capable of great feats. Their sheer speed and agility is astounding, as seen in the case of barrel racing. In fact, barrel racing is actually a quite located sport, requiring an extreme trusting relationship between the rider and the horse. It is crucial to help establish a bond early on, to ensure that the horse is more trustful of the rider's guidance. In this regard, it is more beneficial to raise a barrel horse, or purchase the paint in a recently purchased barrel horses everyday lives. It is crucial to be present in the trusting partner within the relationship between rider and horse in order to gain the type of trust needed to pull off the complicated maneuvers and extreme speed needed to be successful within barrel racing.

Training required for barrel racing is extreme. It often requires great effort both on the part of the rider and the horse. The rider must focus on leadership skills, while the horse exerts the bulk of the energy between the two. Thus, the horses are the ones that often expend the most effort within a barrel race. Yet, the rider often plays a huge role in regards to the directions given to the horse in order to best maneuver around the barrels within the context of the race. It is clear that the actual process of guiding such a huge animal is definitely not an easy one. As such, directing a course to maneuver around such small obstacles often requires great skill, but also a bond made and established between the rider and the horse. It is his bonding process that will help the pair overcome the hardships of creating a bond in barrel racing training. Without a strong bond between the rider and the horse, the horse will never have the full confidence in the rider's directions. This would ultimately lead to a failure in the race, and even worse, possible injury of the animal or the rider. Clearly, the bonding process is an absolute necessity not only for racing success of for prevention of injury.

The bonding process between rider and...

In fact, every situation is different. Every horse has its own peculiarities, with its own character personality traits and desires. Thus the rider has to adapt to the individual desires of the horse in order to best create a strong and trusting relationship. It is obvious from the experience of other riders that a bond between rider and horse is necessary in order to succeed. According to the research, "in order to run fast, clean pattern, the horse and rider to form a special bond together. That bond consists of teamwork, loyalty, trust and determination" (Zuccone 1). The rider needs to be involved with the horse's life enough so that the horse will begin to trust in the faxes about rider is there for the horses benefit. If the horse loves and appreciates the rider, it will listen to the directions provided by the rider much more easily. As such, riders need to be present within the horse's lives in order to establish that strong relationship. The individual has to be engaged in the horse's daily live. This means constant interaction in fun activities and other bonding processes (Votruba 1). It is also important to help cool down the worst, and thus generate definite bonding time after the barrel race. According to the research, "after a ride, it's important to cool the worst down, […] take the saddle off and then wash the horse" (Votruba 1). This could also include engagement in daily feeding and exercise activities (Gerlach 1). The rider needs to put out the effort in order to prove to the horse that it is a capable leader.
Clearly, it is more beneficial to raise the barrel horse that it is actually purchase one at racing age. The ability to raise the horse allows the rider to create a deeper bond between the pair (Patterson 1). This bond ultimately is undeniable, and allows for greater cooperation between the horse and rider because of the extreme familiarity between the two. When an individual helps raise the animal, the horse is much more inclined to trust that rider with his life. The rider knows every characteristic an aspect of the horse, as well as the horse understands…