The Different Forms of Horse Races
- Filed under: Horse Racing
- Date: Jan 23,2010
For as long as humans and horses have had a relationship, there have been horse races. Looking back in history, one sees records of both individual and chariot races. In some periods, there were formalized rules, as in the chariot races of Rome and Byzantium, but it took a century or so for the same thing to happen in the early United States. Now you can read various horse racing news sources to see just how organized this sport has become. Several types of races have been developed, each with their accepted breed and specific rules.
Racing with thoroughbreds is a subset of a kind of race known as flat racing. This is where, as the name suggests, the races are run on a flat surface, normally made either of dirt or turf, and in turn the turf can either be natural or is occasionally artificial.
The flatness of the tracks, however, doesn\’t mean that they are automatically straight as well. Most are in fact created to be oval in shape, and have no banking on the corners.
On the other hand, harness races, while also taking place on an oval track, are not raced flat. In this type of race, the horse pulls a lightweight sulky behind it, in which a driver is seated, and the horse is required to use certain prescribed gaits as it runs. If it\’s a trotter, that means the horse\’s diagonal legs step forward together, whereas if it\’s a pacer, then both legs on the same side of the body move forward at the same time. In these types of horse races, the turns on the track are banked to help the horses get more traction.
A third type of racing is the steeplechase. This involves a course that has obstacles such as small pools or other jumps. Sometimes these races are run as cross-country races, while others take place on planned, prepared tracks. Even though these horse races are also found in North America, they occur much more often in Britain. The US, on the other hand, leans more toward harness racing and other forms of the flat race, while horse racing in France is divided equally among all three types. Even though the races most recognized by the general public are those run on flat tracks, many other types exist, and thrive all over the world.
Online betting for horse racing is great but there is something missing. If you simply monitor the horse racing results, you do not get to experience what a horse race is all about. You do not get to see the horses parade past you as they march towards the starting gate. Horse racing is very fun to watch even if you never bet a dime.