Cross Breeds

How long should a barrel racing horse compete for?

My dad thinks its time for me to retire my horse but I think she can go till the end of the rodeo season. She is 5 and a half years old and has been racing for almost three years. I have a younger horse in training right now, do you think I should compete on the new mare or the old one?

Public Comments

1. a five yr old horse is not old at all. i have been to the rodeo in Vian Oklahoma called the wild west stampeed . its the best rodeo in the area and alot of the horses are as old as 15 and still compeat and do very well. i have seen a lot of older horses win in barrel racing. make sure your horse keeps training working out on a regular basis to keep him/her toned and in shape. it wouldnt hurt to train on both but dont retire the 5 yr old till the end of the season if thats what you want to do. you are the only one that knows what she can handle and if she isnt performing to her max and you feel she is tired then her health may be a factor. i had a horse i bought just to get him out of a bad situation he was in at the time. i paid way to much for him but it was worth it to try and save him. he was starving sickly and malnurished and in a few months i brought him out of it and he was dubbed healthly again by our vet. 1 week after the vet gave him a clean bill of health i started riding him just iin the paduct 5-10 min a day and within a few days i found him behind my barn dead. the vet said that all he could think of was storm had been taken such good care of for that few months his heart couldnt handle it as he had never gotten that kind of treat ment before. i was so sad he died but i was happy too cause he didnt starve to death but died with dignity and looking good. storm was so beautiful i burried him only a few yards from where he died and left him a great head stone so everyone who saw it would know he was a great and beautiful animal. the point is that if you think just a bit that your horse may be tired then retire her, but again i do know that horses that are well taken care of and in training on a regular basis can compete for a long time. hope this helped cheers josie
2. age doesn't mean a whole lot unless the horse is up to like it's mid teens, and still that's not TOO old..... it depend on your horses health. You told us nothing about her health so I'll asume that she is in good, strong health...... a five year old in good health should have no problem barrel racing for another long while....I mean race horses (which takes alot more out of the horse then barrel racing) aren't retired till their like seven and eight..... and I used to know a local barrel racing champ and her horse was like tenish. if your horses is in good health I would keep her racing, cause that will help her stay in stroong condition.... and if your really worried, talk to your vet!
3. yOU NEED TO STOP RACING THE HORSE AND HAVE A BARBEQUE THEN EAT THE HORSE END OF PROBLEM
4. Alright, I leased a horse that barreled race for 4 years and he was 6 when I got him. And he ended up with back spurs from barrel racing at too young of an age. I would stop and wait till your horse is about 7 to start racing. I do not ride westers but the horse I had did but then was trained to do english.
5. if the horse is healthy and the horse is still having fun why stop. you just don't want to sour your horse to the thought of going back into the arena. I wouldn't race your horse after 10 though i have a friend who raced too much in one rodeo year and her horse after that never wanted to go back into the arena
6. I'm wondering if there is a typo on the age. If infact your horse is only 5.5 years determining the age, the horse hasn't even reached its prime yet, he is still very young. If the horse was started at 2 years, running barrels, that is pretty young but 3 years of barrel racing is not too much unless: the horse has acquired an injury and physically or mentally can not handle the sport. Why does your dad think the horse should retire? If the new horse you are speaking of, the one in training, is infact young too, I would recomend a good year of light riding, hit the trails and then introduce the pattern to the horse at a walk, your slow work in the beginning is your building blocks for the future of your horses career. Let the horse mature mentally and physically before introducing high stress sports to them. So, if your 5 year old is sound and capable of continuing to run, stay with it. There is no way to reverse any affects of starting her early. If the horse has gotten too hot, or you are running into problems (if this is the reason your dad says retire), go back to the basics and work on any issues that have surfaced. It takes years to get a solid, good barrel horse. I'd love to hear more about the reasons of the potential "retirement" and see if there is something I have learned over the years that might help. Email me if you want to discuss it more. Take care
7. Unless she is broken down from starting her so young, ex: joint problems, back problems, stiffness etc, I see no reason to retire her. If she still enjoys her job and is successful, go for it. I don't understand why ppl push 2 yr olds especially in high impact areas, whats the harm in waiting till they are 3 and more mature?
8. You started barrel racing at 2 years old? You may have done some serious damage to that horses joints-I would barely even let them lope until they are 3. To answer your question, my mare is 19 and we do some for fun barrel racing events every now and then.
9. I retired my old barrel horse last year at the age of 25, although a neighbor's child in 4-H is still riding him and running barrels on him to learn until she gets her own horse. He's sound, healthy, in fantastic condition, and greatly enjoys having a 'job.' If your horse is sound, enjoys her job, and is good at it, there is no reason to retire her. Most barrel horses can compete well into their late teens or early 20's depending on their care and maintenance. If your mare is too 'hot', soured on racing, or sore from being started too early, you need to go back to basics and fix the holes in her training and have her vet checked. Why does your dad want the mare retired? I am concerned that your mare is so young and has been racing for 3 years already. Barrel racing is a strenuous activity, and most trainers will not start a horse on barrels until late in their 3 y.o. year, if not later. Horses started too early tend to break down, have structural problems due to the stress their joints take before they are fully grown. If you've been running your older mare on barrels for 3 years at her young age, she probably already has some serious joint damage because of it. Do you have a trainer that allowed this? If so, you may want to look into a trainer that either knows more about horses or cares more about horses than in money. The longevity you will get out of waiting to run a horse at speed on the pattern for a couple of years will pay dividends down the road. My gelding was not started on barrels or run hard in roping until he was 5, and he's never taken a lame step in two decades of hard use. Why not ride both mares? Having a 'back up horse' is always a good idea. Additionally, your younger horse should not be competed on the first few seasons you run her on the pattern. Take her to the competition, warm her up, and run a 'time only' pattern at a slow speed her first few years. Get her used to competition and help her learn that she doesn't have to get 'hot' in the ring. Then actually compete on your older horse.
10. Five is not old at all. I know someone who's best rodeo horse is around twenty-five. If your horse is in good condition, it should be fine for quite a while.
11. Most horses competing in the NFR and the WPRA are over 7 and usually compete until about 18. Your horse is still considered a futurity horse. Also, several people will not start a horse on barrels until they are about four since the cartilage is usually not developed fully until around four. Tell your dad to check out some of the big barrel racing sites http://www.barrelhorseworld.com Barrel horses that are 10+ are selling for well over $30,000 because they horses are generally more seasoned and have learned their sport to a T. Your mare has a ton more time unless she has some sort of medical issue! Age has nothing to with the longevity of a horse in barrel racing it all has to do with soundness and mental capability. Hope that helps!
12. I think you can keep racing her as long as she is fit, healthy and happy. the only problem may be the fact that you have been racing her since she was 2 and a half ish, its not that good for their backs at that age, so maybe just get her back checked over and then just enjoy, she'll stop if she doesn't want to do it anymore! Happy riding!
13. If your horse is still healthy and doing well, I would go to the end of the season, that way you can put more training on your younger horse, I know some people who run barrels on horses older than that, so if she is doing well, I would keep running her.