The cowboys and -girls who participate in rodeos give us a glimpse of the beauty of horse and human partnerships when they ride — in both riding events and in watching the support riders as they follow participants in events like bareback and bull riding. The horses and riders are an elegant team that we don’t often get to see in this kind of action. In barrel racing riders and horses race full speed in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels and then sprint out of the arena.
Barrel racing is performed on American Quarter Horses. Riders trip an electronic eye as they enter and leave the arena, so the race is fast from start to finish. This race lasted just over 17 seconds.
The horses are well trained and it’s fascinating to see their focus mirror that of their riders as they go through their paces in the race.
The Clallam County Fair offers a rodeo on two different days. Tomorrow: Bull Riding.
Fantastic pictures! These are some of the best barrel racing pictures I’ve seen, especially the top two.
Great action shots! It is amazing how fast they have to get around the three barrels which can also be dangerous if the horse stumbles.