Barrel Racing Horses
Below are barrel racing horses for sale from finished horses to prospects. Look for a horse to buy, or advertise your own horse for free.
Cloverleaf Barrel Racing vs. Straight Barrels
Like we mentioned above, the event best known as "barrel racing" is actually "cloverleaf barrel racing." That's because there is also an event called "straight barrels" (more names for this event are below).
- Cloverleaf barrel racing (aka simply "barrel racing") has a barrel pattern of three barrels set in a cloverleaf (triangular) pattern.
- Straight barrels (aka "straight away barrels" or "speed barrels"), on the other hand, has a barrel pattern of three (or six) barrels set in a straight line.
Of the two events cloverleaf barrel racing is the better known, so it is often simply referred to as just "barrel racing."
Below: A cloverleaf barrel racing pattern. This image shows a right-handed pattern. The horse and rider may also ride a left-handed pattern (turn the left barrel first).

About Barrel Horses
Most barrel racing horses are Quarter Horses (aka horses registered with the American Quarter Horse Association, or AQHA). Quarter Horses are known for their exceptional bursts of speed and powerful hindquarters. This makes them excellent candidates to sprint to each barrel, dig in for a fast, powerful turn, then sprint to the next barrel.