Being an equestrian sport, it involves racing between two horses ridden by jockeys. Even though many countries have come up with different traditions regarding this games, its rules have never changed for centuries. It is one of the ancient type of sports and at its core, it aims at crowning the horse that is fastest over a certain distance. The way this competition is handled has not changed with the course of time, and as a matter of fact, people still bet on which horse they think is going to win the race. Many variations have been developed in different countries. It includes running against obstacles or even different track surfaces and gaits. In the past, horse racing has been utilized purely for sports. However, the current time’s betting has ascribed some economic meaning to this type of competition and as a matter of fact, many bookmakers are availing horse racing betting as an option. In the year 2008 alone, horse racing generated about $115 billion.
Types of Horse Racing
Flat Racing
It is the most prevalent type of racing. Traditional horse flat racing tracks are oval and are level grounds. In Great Britain and Ireland, there is a different type of flat racing. It packs some 8 figure tracks just like the Windsor. These tracks come with harsh gradients and alternation of racecourses. Many horse racing tournaments tend to change the type of surface, and in some instances, many European courts have turf on their tracks, in North America, one is more likely to find dirt. In Asia, horse racing has gone to yet a newer level, and it involves some of the most edge cutting surfaces such as Tapeta and Polytracks.
Jump Racing
You might find that in some countries, it is known as national hunt racing. This could be because it includes flat races and taking on jumps at some points. Jump horse racing typically include steeplechasing and hurdling. The two vary in the type and number of obstacles that the jockey has to jump in the process of racing. Please note that racing jurisdictions may differ from country to country, and in the United States, Steeplechasing refers to just any jump race. In this type of horse racing, horses are made to jump through much bigger obstacles as they run for an increased number of years. Typically, rookies start as a juvenile and then move on to hurdling as time goes.
Endurance Racing
Endurance racing tests that ability of the horses to run for longer distances. With endurance racing, there are different lengths of intervals that the horse has to cover. Some are as short as ten miles while some are as long as even hundred miles. In endurance races, there are pleasure rides, competitive trails rides, progressive trail rides and endurance rides.
Breeds
In many races, racing might be restricted exclusively to a specific kinds. This means the racing horse’s sire and dam must be approved by the authorities as fit to indulge in that race. One perfect example is the typical harness races where the racing horse’s sire and dam must be Standardbreds.