I need to make a set of barrel stakes for races I’m producing this summer.

if I make permanent ones with a buried base, what are you using for a base and how deep are you burying them?  What are you using for a base? I’ve heard horseshoes work?  How are you attaching the rope/hose?  I want about 6”-8” of hose sticking up so it should avoid the tractor but not be in the way for other events at the arena.

My other option is to do hammered in stakes.  I would dig out a bit and hammer in below grade with a similar rope/hose set up and hope they didn’t get jerked out.  If you do it this way, how long are your stakes?

Dad's stakes for rodeos are a long i bolt with about 6 inches of chain hooked to it and then a yellow rope tied to the chain. That way you can bury the stake a ways and still find a rope after a drag. If your rope gets dingy, put some bright electric tape,  duck tape, or flagging tape on the end of it so you can see it in the dirt.

I would never do anything permanent. I've never heard of permanent ones. What happens if the ground gets bad where it is? the ones you pound in can be moved to where the ground is better for the next race. 

i found old seed plate or planter closing wheels (halfs).  i put a bolt thru the center then hose clamp my desired length of hose on the bolt. 

We have an arena with a sheet under it so we are limited on how deep we can bury a stake.  i have never had a stake pull this way however we do have to replace the hose every couple of years.  we use 1/2" hyd hose.

we use about a 2 foot piece lariat rope tied to a horse shoe and bury it about a foot

I had that thought too.  When I say permanent I mean semi permanent.  We aren’t like concreting them in, but we’d need a shovel to dig them up and move them vs just pulling them up.  It also makes it harder for the tractor to tear them out.

That's how KS01 used to set the stakes at Lawrence....dig about a 10-12" deep hole, put the horseshoe in, and fill the dirt around it then stomp it all down as hard as you can. Lariat rope would work well but I'd be tempted to spray paint it a bright color so its easy to find after drags.

I loathe holes dug so horseshoes fit. Then what happens is you get a torrential downpour and the dirt sinks and compacts causing a hole that can easily break a leg. Even when you pull them up, the issue still exists. Get a very long and heavy duty drill bit. Drill a hole in the ground. Get a long, heavy bolt that can just fit into the hole. Tie whatever type of rope you decide on to the bolt. Put it in the hole and tamp it all the way down to the bottom. Then fill.