barrel race

¹

[bar-uhl reys]

noun

Manège.

1. a rodeo event, usually for women, in which a horse and rider must race in a zigzag pattern around three barrels, competing for the fastest time.

barrel-race

²

[bar-uhl-reys]

verb (used without object)

barrel-raced, barrel-racing 

1. to compete in a barrel race.

Other Word Forms

• barrel racing noun
• barrel-racer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of barrel race¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The 56-year-old woman had just finished competing in a barrel race at the Baker Rodeo on Saturday when she was thrown from the galloping horse on an exit ramp and struck a pole, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in an email.

Read more on Seattle Times

Demaris Alcon, a 14-year-old Ojo Feliz resident, is not faint-hearted or weak-minded, but she was injured during the Copper Springs junior barrel race in Andrews, Texas, last month.

Read more on Washington Times

A popular rodeo attraction is the barrel race, much like the pork-barrel race of practical politicking.

Read more on Washington Post

In a barrel race, the rider and their horse burst straight out of the gate, kicking up thick, russet clods of dirt.

Read more on The Guardian

Simonson jokes around with her aunt, Billie Jo, and her mother, Judy, while waiting for her brother’s run at the Copper Springs Ranch barrel race.

Read more on The Guardian