Equine Teaching

Scurry Driving is a fast-paced equestrian event where a pair of dual- harnessed ponies pull a pair of drivers around a course or track on a small buggy or carriage to compete for the fastest time. The general age of an animal to compete varies by how training progresses. Since it is a driving pair, they are usually around the same age. The average age of competing equines is around 10 years old, while some of the youngest pairs are 4 and 5 years old; the oldest pairs are still competing around 16 years of age. Younger horses tend to perform better in the sport.

Barrel racing is an equine competition that takes place all around the U.S and in different parts of the world. This event is based on how fast a horse can run around 3 barrels set in a clover leaf pattern and run back, past the finish line. This clover leaf pattern is represented in Figure 1.  According to the National Barrel Horse Association “The first two barrels must be a minimum of 15 feet off the side of the fence. There needs to be a minimum of 30 feet between the third barrel and the fence. Lastly there needs to be a minimum of 3 feet between the timeline and the first barrel (NHAB,2020).” This event only lasts as long as the time it takes for the horse and rider to cross the start timeline, run the course, and cross the finish timeline.

Among the numerous events within the Equine Industry, a very popular one is Barrel Racing. Often seen in rodeos, it is a western style equine sport that is accompanied by other working horse events such as reining and cutting. The horses selected for the competitions are usually of Quarter Horse breed origin and are relied on for their bursts of speed and limber movements around the barrels. Training programs developed for this sport would involve high impact and macrocycle conditioning