Barrel racing is an event famous among cowboys where a horse rider has to complete a pattern set around barrels. The scores of the race are calculated in terms of the time span that has been used in completing the cycle. Barrel racing is a recreational and professional sport that can be conducted at different levels. In most cases, barrels are placed at the center of the arena and the horse rider has to utilize their maneuvering skills combined with the horse’s athletic capacity to complete the race at the fastest time. Therefore, this race is based on skills and energy on the animal’s side. Barrel racing has become famous in the contemporary society and different social groups have been formed to help in making the sport a famous tradition. The Facebook group “everything barrel racing,” brings a clear perspective on the sport and activities that help with promotion of the sport. The rhetorical analysis will look into the Facebook group and the online discourse that the members of the club have. The Facebook group has been instrumental in bringing together enthusiasts of barrel racing also in promotion of the sport.
The online discourse in the group has a great influence in promotion of the sport. The Facebook group has a membership of over 20,000 individuals who are spread all over the United States and Canada. The language applied on the group pertains to horseracing and the health of horses that could be used for the rodeo event. The Facebook group also uses language that promotes the aspect of horseracing and barrel racing in the community. Promotional posts in the group highlight on upcoming events and announce on the status of events that are collectively organized on the group. The genre of the online discourse is majorly sport based. The participants of the group talk about sport events that come up within their local regions, purchase of sport related gears and preparation of their animals for the sport. The Facebook group has a provision for the sale of horses that could also be used for the sport. This is an influential model that the group engages the enthusiasts of the sport on the game as they seek to better their performances. The Facebook group applies a great use of linguistic analysis and genre to ensure the promotion of barrel racing within their local communities.
The group has a strict audience, which includes of barrel racing participants and fans. The group also has a slight audience to animal health specialists and traders who sell products and animals that are specific to the game. The audience of the online group makes a great determination of the posts and communication that they make. The group recognizes organization of sport events within different regions all over USA and Canada. These organizers seek to promote the game from one region to the other. The online group has a strict aim of promoting interaction between barrel racers and horse keepers. The online group targets the two individuals (the rider and the horse) as they will enhance the marketing activities for the game. Most importantly, the online group promotes sale of horses and game gears that could help in ensuring a better game within each time. “Everything barrel racing” also aims to increase the interaction between lovers of the game and participants in the game. These aims are properly curated to ensure that barrel racing could be promoted, horse health can be taught to the keepers and better comprehension of the codes of the game. The online group is instrumental in the growth of better perception towards barrel racing.
The Facebook groups helps in shaping the content and influences the audience in different ways. Primarily, the group is controlled and limited to materials, which are only related to the sport of barrel racing. The group also has moderators and administrators who ensure that all of the members have knowledge about barrel racing and talk about relevant materials to the sport. Therefore, this forum shapes the content of the community by engaging them in different issues related to their animals. For instance, the group talks of the best gears that they should have when preparing for a race and the best health practices to apply on their animals. On the other hand, the audience is influenced to follow expert and specialist guidelines in preparing for races and taking care of their animals. The use of these aspects helps in making the animals better for the sport, also in promoting the sport in various communities.
The online group applies critical steps towards encouraging barrel racing. The group champions the creation of events where barrel racing could take place. Educational and sensitization initiatives are also undertaken in the online group to help in promotion of the sport to an agreeable level within the community. These factors create a significant way to appeal to the barrel racing enthusiasts.
