Barrel racing is a sport of timing and team chemistry. The rider must know what she is doing, but you also need a suitable horse. The horse and rider pair need team chemistry to excel to victory.
If you are getting into barrel racing, the horse you compete with is an important decision. There are different breeds that are known to be good barrel racers.
- Quarter horse
- American paint horse
- Thoroughbred
- Arabian
- Appaloosa
- Mustang
- Australian stock horse
- Pony of the Americas
- Grade horse
- Clydesdale
- Friesian
Read about each horse breed below to make the best decision for your winning partner in barrel racing!
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1. Quarter Horse
An American Quarter Horse is the most popular horse breed for barrel racing. Almost every professional barrel racer sits on top of a quarter horse. An American quarter horse is the fastest horse, running up to 55 miles per hour. They average their speed at 27 miles per hour.
Speed is good in a race, but a good barrel racer needs to make quick turns. The agility of a quarter horse is another reason they dominate the barrel racing world. Their agility allows them to make tight turns, shaving off seconds from the overall time and finishing first in barrel races.
Quarter horses are athletic animals that have compact bodies with strong muscles. Their powerful hindquarters allow them to reach high speeds in a short distance. Their calm temperament and ability to listen and learn makes them easy to train.
2. Appendix Quarter Horse
Another good option for barrel racing is an appendix quarter horse. Appendix quarter horses result from a registered quarter horse breeding with a registered thoroughbred. The foal is called an appendix quarter horse and is perfect for barrel racing.
This mix of powerful barrel racing horses results in another breed of horse perfect for running the barrels. The athletic genes from both quarter horses and thoroughbreds come together to make this fast horse.
Appendix quarter horses have more versatility in size and color than quarter horses. They can be tall horses, which may cause a loss in time around a tight turn. Despite this size difference, appendix quarter horses are still in the top eleven breeds of barrel racing horses.
3. American Paint Horse
The American paint horse is rightfully named for their majestic and wondrous coat colors. They look like they are splashed with different colors of paint. Paint horses were the pride of Native American tribes.
Paint horses are known for their intelligence and speed. The combination of these two traits makes an American paint horse a good option for barrel racing. They pick up speed in a short distance and quickly train to make tight turns.
American paint horses are easily trained for other duties, too. They are famous for ranch work and pleasure riding along barrel racing.
4. Thoroughbred
The thoroughbreds are ancestors of many of the athletic horse breeds today. They are famous for their stamina and speed, which makes them perfect for barrel racing. They are lean, tall, and athletic horses that experienced riders use to barrel race.
Inexperienced riders might have trouble barrel racing on a thoroughbred horse. Thoroughbreds can be hard to handle. They have a lot of heart, which is great for barrel racing when the rider knows how to channel it.
If you are an inexperienced horse handler, do not try a thoroughbred for barrel racing. The hard work has to be harnessed to the race so everyone stays safe.
5. Arabian
The ancestors of the athletic thoroughbreds trace back to the Arabian breed. This ancient horse breed has been used for thousands of years in races and in battles. Today, Arabian horses are naturally good racers.
The Arabian breed has a light frame that allows it to turn quickly. If a horse can only run fast and not turn quickly, they are not great for barrel racing. Their speed, agility, and high endurance qualify the Arabian as a good barrel racer.
Arabian horses can be hot-headed at times, so a beginning rider might have trouble with them. The temperament depends on the horse for Arabians. They are intelligent animals that are easily trained.
6. Appaloosa
Appaloosas are beautiful horses to behold. Their powerful demeanor and spotted coats bring a sort of majestic feel to them. No two appaloosa horses have the same pattern, making your appaloosa easy to find in a crowd.
At the end of the 19th century, appaloosa was bred with quarter horses to prevent extinction. This cross led to an even better barrel racing horse. The beauty and versatility of an appaloosa with the athletic ability of a quarter horse resulted in the perfect barrel racer.
7. Mustang
A mustang is not the first horse breed to come to someone’s mind when they think of barrel racing. A mustang is a free-roaming horse living in the Western United States. Mustangs descended from horses brought overseas by the Spanish.
These feral horses are descendants of domesticated animals. Horses are highly intelligent creatures that respond well to authority. Once broken, a mustang is the perfect barrel racing horse.
They are strong and agile animals that have a friendly temperament and are ready to learn. Mustangs are small horses that are swift and agile, getting around barrels in a flash.
8. Australian Stock Horse
An Australian stock horse has the same ancestors as an American quarter horse. European stock horses were bred throughout the years to produce Australian stock horses and American quarter horses.
Australian stock horses display many of the same traits as an American quarter horse. They have a calm temperament, high endurance, agility, and speed, and are trainable. They are often called Australian quarter horses. All of these traits are perfect for barrel racing.
9. Pony of the Americas
When you think of a fast horse for barrel racing, you do not think of a pony. Ponies are small horses that have short legs and, therefore, not very much speed. When a Shetland pony stallion accidentally bred with an Appaloosa mare, the pony of the Americas breed was born.
As a smaller horse, the pony of the Americas displays impressive speed and stamina. The speed of an appaloosa and the endurance and strength of a pony produce a horse with an average height of around 51 inches.
Pony of the Americas is commonly used by young and aspiring barrel racers because of its smaller size. It is the perfect horse to get someone started on barrel racing.
10. Grade Horse
A grade horse is a horse without traceable lineage. Their breeding is not documented, and they are not registered with an organization or registry. This leaves a lot of room for a grade horse to have good or bad genes for barrel racing.
The lineage of barrel racing horses does not have to be documented, unlike other rodeo events. If a grade horse has traits from breeds like quarter horses or Arabians, they will be great barrel racers.
Horse Courses by Elaine Heney
- Listening to the Horse - The Documentary by Elaine Heney & Grey Pony Films
- Shoulder In & Out Training for better balance, bend & topline development with your horse
- Over 110+ Polework Exercises & Challenges to Download
- Dancing at Liberty & Creating Connection with Your Horse (11 lessons) - Grey Pony Films
Every grade horse is different. If you have a grade horse, working with it and seeing what kind of agility, speed, and temperament will determine if it is a good barrel racing horse.
11. Friesian
Friesian horses are known for their long manes and beautiful demeanor. Although typically used as show horses, Friesians are great barrel racers too.
A Friesian has an unusually high willingness to learn. With this training ability and an athletic build, a Friesian horse can be trained to be a great barrel racer. They have resilient bodies that hold up to injuries and vigorous training.
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