Is it bad to barrel race in a pasture?

Question

I might buy this horse that can barrel race, but where i keep my horses, I don't have an arena, I have a 6 acre pasture though. When I ride my mare, I ride her in the pasture, but we do pleasure. Would it be bad to barrel race or pole bend in the pasture since it is grass/dirt and not sand. I do gallop with my mare, but we don't do the tight turns, obviously.

Answer 1

no it is perfectly fine to barrel race at home on the grass/dirt i do it and i have been barrel racing for 10 years just dont do it when the grass is wet and dont do it of the eaily morning when there is dew. so yes you can do that with no problems and any of them that say you cant dont know what there talking about i have been barrel racing for 10 yrs and most of the people on here dont know anything about horses

Answer 2

As long as the pasture is well maintained (no holes, hills etc) I cant see why not. I do all my jumping and exercises in an open grass paddock. Deal with what your given right? lol

Answer 3

I personally don't like to run my horses in the pasture because the ground can be uneven, have holes, rocks ect., and it's too easy for them to get hurt.  

Answer 4

well, i have a field at home and it has tree's in it, that i can pretend are barrels. my dad is a farrier, and he thinks it is fine, my horse is a 21 year old mare great feet and doesnt find it hard. i guess it would depend on your horses condition. if she has great stability and balance, good feet and joints, i dont think it would be a problem, just my opinion...

tttyl

Answer 5

You shouldn't actually run the barrels at home anyway..do the pattern at home, but save the running for competition.

Answer 6

I'd ride the pattern at a walk and trot in one particular FLAT place.  As you work the pattern, the grass will wear down and you will actually have a spot to use over and over again.  Years ago before there were a lot of arenas around, we would work a circle for our flat horses out in the middle of the pasture.  

Answer 7

As long as the grass is well established and cut short you should be fine. Don't do anything tight or run the turns early in the day (dew can turn the grass super slick), and be conscious of the footing after rain and the like. The topsoil can loosen quick and you'll end up with slick spots or divets. I'd also be sure to work her consistently on her balance at larger turns on the trot and canter and that will make her less likely to slip or slow up when it comes to making them tighter. If you're really concerned about footing you can also buy studs for when you ride in the pasture, like cleats, it will give her a bit more hold.

Answer 8

The only major concern i would have is the if grass is wet, it is very slippery, and the horse or you could get hurt.

Answer 9

as long as the ground is relatively hard you should be fine!

i don't have a sand-school either, and usually just ride around the paddock when schooling my mare.

if the grass or ground is too wet or slippery, just ride around (walking, trotting) and don't do any barrel racing/jumping.

make sure you buy the horse some boots to protect it's legs from being damaged by it's hoofs!

good luck!

Answer 10

yeah i wouldnt do that because then once you try to actually barrel race with her, she'll be expecting grass and not the sand so she may get confused!

but it all depends on how the previous owners did it with her.

(: