Can someone explain this to me???? I understand you want your horses to be in specific order but you can do that on the entry form by simply listing the order you want them to go in. Lately everyone in my area has been entering this way and I don’t see how it is fair. Some of them sell horses for a living so they can just make the results whatever they want. 

If they run their personal 1D horse as Horse 1 and a consignment 3D horse as Horse 2, they could easily say that 3D horse placed in the 1D when in reality it was the 1D horse. 

Am I the only one that thinks it is ridiculous and getting out of hand? Producers should not let folks do this, especially when people are really trying to get their horse's $$ on equistat. 

When I was running I had a huge problem with this but not for the reasons you stated.  By not assigning a name it gave people with multiple horses the golden opportunity to put their best horses in the most favorable drag position.  If you have a 1D horse and a 4D horse and they draw the top of the ground and the bottom "gee" I wonder which horse you're going to put on the top.

Ground position is why most people do it.

large producers absolutely shouldn’t allow it.  If you’re entering 3 horses and you don’t know which 3 of your 6 you are going to be, you should be required to declare before the draw.  If it’s a pre draw IMO they should be required to declare names at the time of entry.  They may make a horse change to an entirely different horse but may not move an entered horse (for example if you entered A B and C you can swap B for D, but C can’t change places with A - letters represent actual names horses.

at our smaller shows people draw chips when they show up - we do allow people to sort through and pick by horse, usually because they want to run a certain order and we are a small 30-40 head jackpot.  So when I run I want to run my colt near the start since we just did exhibitions and my good horse last since he only requires a quick warmup and that way I don’t need to swap saddles around twice.  Simple enough and being more of a local seasoning option we allow it.  But usually in the drawing process numbers get skipped, so sorting usually doesn’t guarantee a position on the ground.

i would have a really hard time continuing to support a producer who allowed this to go on.

I don’t agree with this at all either. Sure you want the best chance u can get but that’s the roll of the dice if it’s done fairly. One show you may be bottom of ground but next u may be top, that’s just how it goes. I’ve had horses that I’d rather have bottom of the ground on than top it just depends but I’m not going to try to disguise my horses to get the upper hand. Also people want to move them around to give meds/supplements and make a huge deal about it, esp locally. I’m sorry but that’s not an excuse either, estimate your time and give what u need to give and quit stressing about it! It’s not like at 2 hrs 1 min and 5 seconds the meds aren’t going to work anymore! That’s a big pet peeve of mine, and yes, Incase you’re wondering I’ve had several through the years that needed to be given something and I’ve made it work. I mean think about it....on the racetrack those horses can’t have something administered right before they run....sorry I’ll get off my soapbox now ????‍????

IMO it's a way people have found to cheat the system. 

BOTTOM LINE.... its a OPEN 4D (5D whatever) barrel race!!! OPEN...... so anyone should be able to enter whatever horse they want, when they want. Only time you need a name is in the aged ( Futurities) categories, novice etc. AN open barrel race is an open barrel race. I always use names but I could care less if people enter horses as 1,2,3 etc... Everyone in the open runs the same pattern. 

I don't know what difference the word "open" has to do with it.....it has to do with fairness.  

I agree with Flit. Around here, OPEN means there are no rules. So say I have two horses....Jack and Jill....Jack gets draw #5 and Jill gets draw #21. I can run Jill at #5 and Jack at #21 and no one can say a thing to me. Doesnt bother me if people want to sign up like this. To each their own. At jackpots around here you dont even have to declare a horse's name. Now at sanctioned shows, you have to declare your horses name and it has to be run in the draw it was given or you get DQed. 

It does if you are representing one horse as the other. It matters to potential buyers and it matters to people who abide by the rules in the spirit they are intended. Open is open to all. That's not the point of this topic.  It doesn't mean you can't enter any horse you wish. It means the horses you enter should be identified and be the horses you represent them to be.  Otherwise random draw means nothing and the actual results mean nothing. It's like the wild west.  

There always “rules”  at barrel races, they are just unspoken, understood “rules”. So when you decide to sell your horse and you are known for entering horse 1, 2 and 3, don’t be upset if buyers don’t want to pay 1D money for a horse with unverifiable 1D times because not all 3 of the horses you run are 1D horses and they don’t trust your word. Granted, at the big races they do use names, but I know for a fact horses still get switched with nary a word said. People don’t want to be the snitch. Not all who run under horse 1,2,3 are untrustworthy, but a lot are. 

yep

The problem with that is there's a well known barrel racer who did that recently, but instead of running under "Horse #1" and "Horse #2," she ran her horse she made the NFR on under the name of her young horse, and then claimed that that horse was running in the 1D.  She could then go on to sell that horse for a bunch of money if she wanted to since it "had 1D stats," when in reality, it was her NFR horse that made that run.

.........and how well I remember a  horse trader barrel racer (when there were novice barrel races not divisional) who would appear with a horse that was by no means a novice and enter it in the novice classes.  Of course she would win, she was entering a veteran barrel horse against green horses. Again, it's a simple matter of fairness to other competitors.  Just because they didn't know the horse didn't mean they couldn't spot a seasoned horse when they saw one.

Hmmmm I wonder who that could have been.... scratching head.... I believe that one was resolved by the producer tho. And a big fat slap on the wrist only... tsk tsk 

I just don't see how anything can be UNFAIR in an OPEN barrel race. 

News flash people!!!  A person who wants to screw others over will find a way to get it done.  And all the wadded panties or sleepless nights or whining will not make one bit of difference.   IMHO the time could be better spent worrying about one's own business. 

Amen sister!

For the record, I always enter my horses names and run them as such. 

Nooooo, actually when you have tons of time and money invested in barrel racing or any other sport for that matter you like to think you can get a fair shot at a win..... and helping to weed out the cheats is everyone's concern.

How would Haily Kinsel entering " Sister" at an open barrel race as " Sister" or " Horse #3" affect your ability to win that race? Now I can see if someone was selling a horse and said they ran in a division they didn't , but then again, thats why you need to do your homeowork and ask around to the locals who horse " Number 2" actually is. LOL 

Subject of the thread was directed at those who enter multiple horses.  

Ive seen someone run a horse under his name and then enter horse 2 and run again on same horse.  Thats whole another can of worms  but didnt win a dime so no one said anything. and no it is not me lol

Wow, that's pretty brassy.   

Likewise, it could potentiallly affect other people trying to sell horses. A horse running a half second of of Haley Kinsel and "Sister" is a lot more impressive than a horse running a half second off of "Horse #2". I keep photos of results and log everything, and when Horse #1 or Horse #3 wins the barrel race it's frustrating to not be able to show those results to a potential buyer because who knows whether that horse is a real true 1D horse, or a "local 1D" horse. 

Some of you completely missed the purpose of the post. I never stated it was an Open show. Obviously, it would not matter at an Open or a rodeo who rode what. When you have multiple horses running at a 4D barrel race you should not be entering your horses as Horse 1, Horse 2, Horse 3, Horse 4. This becomes an easy way to manipulate the results. Like for example: How am I supposed to keep track with what horse someone ran as Horse 1 last weekend? If you do not live local there is no way you can keep track to make sure the results are accurate. I realize you may want a certain horse to be top of ground or bottom- but isn't that the luck of the draw? I don't have my panties in a wad but I am saying producers should stop allowing this. This is definitely something people should reconsider if they are selling because I sure will not trust anyone entering their horses like this. Entering them like this also saves the horse's reputation because no one knows who Horse 1 is but they do know Horse 1 ran really bad this past Saturday.

Holy cow. I wouldn't have the guts to do that. 

Why do people have to be so danged dishonest? 

There are a few in north Texas that do this on a regular basis.  The purpose is so they can run their best horse in the best draw position they receive.  If there is not a rule stating you must use your horse's registered name, I don't care.  However, when the rules read, "Use your horses registered name," and the rule is not followed or enforced it's another story.  Rules seem to be overlooked for a few in this area.

Oh, and "open" doesn't mean "no rules" in the area I live in.  Open simply means a horse/rider of any age is eligible to compete in it.  Every divisional/open race I compete in has rules displayed in writing.  When an organization has rules, I expect them to be enforced.

Just ridiculous and lazy, a way to cheat the system. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to snitch on someone earlier this year.