Horse racing is one of the most attended spectator sports in the world. This is partly due to its nature as a gambling event. Many people, when they hear about “horse racing” often think about one of the principal forms of horse racing. In case you are surprised by this, you need to know there is more than just one form of horse racing. Here are some of them:
1) Harness racing – this horse racing form evolved from the chariot races of old. Usually, this form of horse racing involves the horses pulling the jockey on a two-wheeled cart. Another distinction of this horse racing form is the fact that the horses are raced in a specified gait. Unlike thoroughbred racing, this horse racing form calls for more strategy than speed. Since all horses move with the same gait, tactics are needed to win.
There are two types of this horse racing form based on the gait used:
a) Pacing – in this gait, the horse moves its legs laterally. This means that the right front and right back hooves strike the ground simultaneously. Pacing consists of the majority of harness races today. It is more popular because of the fact that pacing is the more exciting variety of this horse racing form.
In pacing, the horses are able to run faster and the gait comes more natural to them. Because of this, there are lesser pauses during a race. When a horse breaks the stride or starts to gallop, it must be slowed down until it can regain the gait.
b) Trotting – in this variety of the horse racing form, horses move the legs diagonally, which means that the right front leg and the left hind leg strike the ground simultaneously.
2) Thoroughbred racing – of course, we need to cover this most popular of all horse racing forms. Thoroughbred racing is often referred to as the sport of kings. Many people attend races with hopes of betting their cash on the right horse and winning a lot more money.
Thoroughbred racing is the most popular of all horse racing forms because of the fact that it is the most exciting. Although the “initial” excitement is provided by the fact that the horses competing in this horse racing form are faster than others, it is expounded by the fact that there are higher amounts at stake. This increased amount of cash is actually caused by the fact that people like to watch thoroughbred racing more than any other horse racing form. Do you see the cycle here?
There are, of course, subcategories within this horse racing form. People can’t just take a random sample of the thoroughbreds available and then let them loose in the track. Administrators need to make the race as even as possible in order to encourage betting.
A maiden race is a variety of this horse racing form which is participated by horses which have yet been untried in a race. Many people choose to bet in these events because of the fact that maiden races have nearly even odds.
Another popular variety of this horse racing form is the Graded stakes race. This variety of the horse racing form involves high class horses and high class prizes. A lot of cash changes hands at these events. Horses which compete in these events are often in the same class, gender and age. This means that all competitors are evenly matched in this horse racing form.