Frequently Asked Questions

I have never barrel raced before, does that matter? Definitely not! We all started somewhere, right?! These barrel days are the perfect environment to come out and give it a go, have some fun, ask some questions and get some inspiration!

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Do I have to have a western saddle? Nope, any gear is fine, as long as it’s safe!

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What do I have to wear? Long sleeved button up shirt, jeans, riding boots and either a western hat or a helmet. This goes for those running in the lead line and assisted as well. As per the ABHA Rulebook.

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Can I barrel race on a TB? You sure can! You can barrel race on anything from Shetlands to Clydesdales, Quarter horses to Arabs. Previously we have even had awards for the fastest Thoroughbred or Standardbred!

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Do I have to compete in all of your events/days? No, you don’t. You can compete in 1, 2 or all 3 days if you wish. You do however have to compete in all of the days to be eligible for buckles and prizes for series we run. (Pssst our prizes are always AMAZING! You’re definitely going to want to compete in all 3 days at our series).

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What's the difference between a series and a jackpot? A series is an event held over a certain number of days, usually 3, where we have "end of series prizes". to be eligible for these prizes, competitors must compete in all of the days.

A Jackpot is a barrel racing day that usually has no prizes available, just prize money which is paid out at the end of each jackpot, if there are prizes available, they will be given out at each event.

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Do I have to be a member? Yes you do. Memberships are done through ABHA. You have to be a full member to be eligible for end of series buckles and prizes.

Day membership is $22 gst inclusive (limited to 3 affiliate days per calender year)

Senior $100 gst inclusive

Junior $70 gst inclusive

Non-Competitive $33 gst inclusive

Junior members are allowed to enter open events

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What does 1 run option mean? At our events you usually get to run twice in the Open, Rookie & Junior Divisions per day. Your time is then worked out based on your average over 2 runs. You can nominate to only run once and that time will be your average time for the day. 1 run option must be nominated at time of entry. Once entries close, your nomination can’t be changed.

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What does Divisional mean? A Divisional Barrel Race (1D, 2D, 3D, 4D etc) is a barrel race that has a number of divisions in the same class. The first division (1D) is set by the fastest clean time ran in that class, for example if the fastest Open time was 17.256, Then the divisions would be as follows:

Open 1D - 17.256 to 18.255

Open 2D - 18.256 to 19.255

Open 3D - 19.256 to 20.255 and so on.

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Is camping available? Yes! Camping is available but you need your own yards.

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Why do I have to pay a ground fee? A ground fee helps us cover costs of running our events. it costs D2D approx. $2000 to run one event, this includes, but not limited to: Arena Hire, Water Truck, Toilet Hire, ABHA Fees etc. A ground fee is usually $10 per entrant. 

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I have a young/green horse, can I enter on him/her? And what class do I enter? This is a great place to bring young and green horses! As an adult, unless you yourself, are a beginner/not confident rider, you would enter the Open 4D class. If you are a junior you could enter the Juniors and the Opens.

Horses 6/under can also enter the Futurity. Horses 9/under can also enter the Maturity.

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Do I need to register my Maturity and/or Futurity Horse? Yes, Aged horses will need to register through the ABHA Aged Horse Register (the link is on our information page) there is a one-off payment made to the ABHA, but once your horse is registered it means you will no longer have to bring your horses paperwork with them on the day to be verified, you will receive an Aged Horse Registration Number, which needs to be submitted in your entries.

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What is an exhibition run? This is your chance to get your horse in the arena with the barrel pattern set up before the competition starts! Entry fee is $5, you get a set time to do whatever you want. Most people use it to walk/trot the pattern and let their horses have a look around the arena. Exhibition time limit will be announced once entries are closed.

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Can I enter more than 3 horses? Fill the truck up and bring them all!

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Can my child enter the Leadline and the Assisted? As long as they are safe, they sure can! We are all about encouraging and supporting our kids! *Please note Leadline riders must be able to hold on and sit in the saddle by themselves to compete. You can’t have an adult holding them and 1 leading them.

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Can my child enter Assisted and the Junior? The rules are different for the assisted and the Juniors, but yes they can, again as long as they are safe.

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What are payouts? Payouts are the cash we give the competitors who place from 1st - 4th in each class, at the end of every day. The Leadline and Assisted are non-competitive classes, so they will all receive an equal payout amount at the end of each day.

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What is Add Back? Add Back (AB) is the amount of money we take from your entries and put into the prize pool. AB is 70%

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Can we share horses? The Leadline and Assisted kids can all share horses but, those competing in the Rookie/Beginner class, Open 4D and the Junior 5D cannot share a horse in the same division. You can however share a horse if you aren’t competing in the same division. For example ….

•Only Mum can ride Rocco in the 4D

•Only Sarah can ride Rocco in the Juniors

•Only Jane can ride Rocco in the Rookie

•Kate, Tom and James can all ride Rocco in the Assisted and Leadline.

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Are spectators allowed? The more the merrier. Entry into our events to spectate is FREE!

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Anything we haven't covered? Let us know by getting in touch!

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Alternatively, you can go back to our information page and read the ABHA Rulebook.

 

Make sure you are following our Facebook page, as we post all relevant information for our upcoming events.