1. Balance. Passion. Confidence. Steps to becoming a good barrel racer By: Angelica Bautista

2. Balance “Balance is a necessary characteristic for barrel racing because you have to keep balance on the saddle or you’ll fly off” -Alexsandria Poveda The quote says it all. If you don’t have balance you’ll fly off your horse; you and your horse will get hurt and it’s not fun… AT ALL. Oh, and just because you’re clumsy on your feet, that doesn’t mean that you can’t keep balance on a saddle or a horse. I would know. (: Good balance will get you closer to becoming a professional barrel racer.

3. Passion! –You have to have passion for anything you do to become successful, if you don’t have passion for it than why are you doing it? –Barrel racing requires passion because the equipment and traveling prices aren’t that cheap. I’m pretty sure if you didn’t have passion for something you wouldn’t pay a lot of money for it.

4. You have to have passion for anything you do to become successful, if you don’t have passion for it than why are you doing it? Barrel racing requires passion because the equipment and traveling prices aren’t that cheap. I’m pretty sure if you didn’t have passion for something you wouldn’t pay a lot of money for it. Passion!

5. Confidence is definitely necessary because if you don’t have confidence you’ll just give up. Barrel racing is one of those sports that takes a lot of practice. It’s not easy, but with confidence on your side, you can do it! (:

6. Background Knowledge Barrel racing is a timed rodeo event, in which you have to lead your horse around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. The winning time for a beginner barrel racer is about 20-23 seconds. For a professional the winning time ranges from 14-18 seconds. It all depends on the arena. Have you ever heard the quote “It takes money to make money?” That’s how it is with barrel racing. You might spend a couple hundred dollars on equipment, but you might earn some of that money back depending on how high you place. Even though Barrel racing is considered a “complicated sport” by some people, it is really fun!

7. Thank you rodeo.about.com, allabouthorses.com, Alexsandria Poveda, and Jean LeBelle for helping me with the information on barrel racing and thank you to Mrs. Arevalo for letting us do this research paper. (: