BARREL RACING? Not sure your horse can do it? Would you like to know more about N.B.H.A and MA 01? You need to take a look inside, then hop on that horse and ride! Barrel racing was originally started way back in the hey days of the cowboy. The cowboys would get together to have some fun and of course their lady friends started to say "Hey, what about us?" So in order to please everyone the cowboys put three cans out and the cowgirls would run their trusty mounts around them while being timed to see who was the fastest.

At first the barrels were placed in straight lines and the riders would weave around them or just go up and around one barrel. Some time later the clover leaf pattern was introduced and thus the art of barrel racing was born.

Now, of course, this sport has come along way since then and believe me, it's much more technical than most people think. Nowadays an electronic timer is used at most events including N.B.H.A. sanctioned events. The object is to make a clover leaf pattern around the barrels with out knocking any down. A knocked down barrel in N.B.H.A. means a "no time" for the rider. There are three divisions in the N.B.H.A. format. Open, which anyone can ride. Youth - you must be 18 years or younger. Seniors - over 50 years. Now of course, if you are a youth or a senior you can also ride in the open. If you don't fall into either of these categories you have got to ride with us plain folks in the open.

 Our shows in MA 01 are spread out over the Southeastern part of MA. But we do co-sanction with other districts along side of us several times during the show season. We use a 4-D format which gives even the beginner rider a chance at the money. This means the fastest time in the class sets the pace for the 1st division. Then you drop down 0.5 second and that starts the 2nd division. Another 0.5 seconds begins the 3rd division. Add 1 second and here we have the 4th. We have also started a class called the "Lil Wrangler". This class was designed for the little cowpokes that are not quite ready for the youth division.

So think you might want to give it a try? Just give the District Director a holler and we will set you up with a show schedule, Information on Barrel Workshops and clinics, and general information you might need. So don't be shy, give it a try! You may be pleasantly surprised!