FlyingHigh1454 - 2016-03-26 1:02 PM Ok, I didn't read all of the comments because it started irritating me with politics being brought in (seriously? So STUPID). I used to run a solid paint horse (horse in my profile picture), the first real barrel horse I'd ever rode, and I was training her myself (ZERO barrel anything before we got her). She was a 4yo, rough past, with a new rider. I'm sure people thought it was hilarious watching us try to get around the pattern at a slow lope. But I didn't care, I was happy enough to place in the 4D, even if it was only $15 at times. Flash forward 4 years, and this same horse and rider won a state top 10 award in the 2D, I was just as proud of my horse to be winning in the 2D as I was when she was placing in the 4D. Sure, the money was better up there, but it wasn't the point. If you are in these 4D races for the money, you are in the wrong part of the sport. That's not the point of the 4D race. I've been to over 200 barrel races with this horse, and I can count the amount of times I've made my money back on two hands (7, to be exact). But that doesn't matter to me. If it mattered, I'd be running a top papered, bought trained $20,000 horse - not the horse we traded a western pleasure reject for, who had no training at all, and who has papers that has literally no barrel horses anywhere. What is the point to this monologue, you might ask? The point is, why do people feel that the amount of money you earn is indicative of being better than anyone else? I would never say that the people in the 1D were better than us just because they win more money. We worked harder than them to be there, we worked harder than them to stay there. Saying someone is worse than someone else just because they earn less money? That is just wrong. It takes zero effort to jump on a trained horse and win. Anyone can do that. It's those horses that are hard to ride, who don't just do it themselves, those prove the real riders. It's those guys who can be asked to get on a problem horse they have never rode before, and make a nice run on it, those are the real riders. Money should not be the sole reason you barrel race. If it is, I'm afraid that you are in the wrong area at the 4Ds.

chasendacash - 2016-03-28 12:36 PM I love equal payout.  I don't have a 1D horse right now but I have won/placed in several in the past.  My take on it is exactly as some have said before, there wouldn't be any decent payout if the 3D and beyond didn't show up.  Can you imagine the uproar if the payout was based per the number of qualifiers in each D?  Or if we had to get 'numbers' like the teamropers and were ranked before we ever got to the race?

And for those that demean the riders that aren't 'working their butts off' to become 1D - you guys are missing out on a whole lot of the FUN part of horses and barrel races.  That's like saying you shouldn't snow ski unless your goal is to ski all blacks, shouldn't play golf unless you improve your handicap each year, shouldn't fish unless you catch more every time.  Lighten up, this is supposed to fun. 

 

rodeomom3 - 2016-03-24 12:47 PM

Socialist would be a better term. I am a 3D rider, my daughter can get on the same  horse and pull a 1D check, that ability and skill should be rewarded. It is no different than in the work place, those that can "produce more" get paid more.   It is what you produce, not what got you there, like in all areas of life.

MS2011 - 2016-03-27 10:37 PM


Excuse me , but it takes zero effort to ride a 1D horse???? Anybody can do it?????

Umm tell that to all the people who have shelled out big bucks for 1D horses and then cannot ride them to their ability. It would be mostly those same 1D riders getting on problem horses and making them look good.

I had a lot more pride when they offered novice classes when I started way back when for both riders and horses, where you competed against horses/riders of similar experience. To me personally there was a lot more pride and bragging rights saying that I had the fasted time against other novice horses/riders than bragging that I was consistently 2 seconds slower than the fastest horse. I just ran a new, young horse for the first time this past weekend, only entered for the chance to exhibition a couple more times, not to actually "compete". lo and behold I was second in the 3D in a class of 13 on 1st in the 3D in a class of 50 with almost a one second faster run. Should I have made equal money as the horse who ran the fastest time? Absofreakinlutely not, IMHO. But then again, that is MHO. I will take the money to help defray cost but there is no way, if and when this horse gets in to the 1d I will go out of my way to go a divisional race, ESPECIALLY an equal pay one. Why waste a good horse?

I started form the bottom with no lessons, there WERE no clinics to attend and heaven forbid anyone would help you. It was 7 years before I made a dime at a jackpot. If that happened with today's "competitors" most would quit. Now tell me that I didn't "earn" my way anywhere near the top.

I am sorry but a 3D horse just is NOT worth the same amount as a consistent, true 1D horse no matter how you slice it, no matter how much money, time
and love you spend on it. And when those true 1D horses don't show up it lowers the curve.

TXBO - 2016-03-28 11:41 AM Somebody explain to me how equal payout among divisions is socialist but the 4D itself is not. 

kwanatha - 2016-03-28 5:04 PM I just can't believe that there are riders that think 3d and 4 d are welfare recipients when all the money comes from them. Las Vegas doesn't call the slot machine "gamblers" umm "winners" Wefare recipeints, even though they can't play cards for S#!t. Those big beautiful hotels are built by "losers" and Vegas is smart enough to treat the "losers" with some respect so they keep coming back.

kwanatha - 2016-03-28 5:04 PM I just can't believe that there are riders that think 3d and 4 d are welfare recipients when all the money comes from them. Las Vegas doesn't call the slot machine "gamblers" umm "winners" Wefare recipeints, even though they can't play cards for S#!t. Those big beautiful hotels are built by "losers" and Vegas is smart enough to treat the "losers" with some respect so they keep coming back.

rockette - 2016-03-28 12:11 PM I think that is a great idea! This way nobody has to complete with mediocre socialists. Have payouts of each D determined by how many qualified.