As a sport, barrel racing developed from cowboy contests in determining who had the best cow ponies that could dodge around sagebrush at breakneck speed to out-maneuver the most wayward cow. Eventually three barrels replaced the sagebrush, cowgirls replaced the cowboy, and the cloverleaf pattern of racing became the standard. This sport is generally found at Rodeos, and in performance classes at breeds shows for the Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, and Paint.
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