December 8th, 2017 | Updated on April 6th, 2024
Horse Racing Basics – Various Types of Horse Racing Events
Horse racing is an enjoyable sport in which men and animals come together to fight and win races. There are various types of racings, conducted by the nature of contenders, kind of tracks, and the rules related to it.
This is important information to know when betting on horse racing. If it’s not something you want to research then sites like The Winners Enclosure will provide daily tips like each way double bets and naps for all of the biggest race meetings.
Four major types of racing events are:
- Flat racing – In this, horses simply gallop between the start and end points, usually on an oval or straight track.
- Jump racing – Similar to the steeple chasing for human, the horses need to jump over obstacles to race to victory line.
- Harness racing – Horses pace or trot while the rider is pulling in the sulky.
- Endurance racing – In this, the horse travels across the country by covering a significant distance (usually 50 to 100 miles).
Horse breeds
Various breeds of horses are used for each type of races based on their stamina, body habitus, breed, strength, and special training they get.
- Major flat racing breeds are Thoroughbred, Arabian, Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, and Paint, etc.
- Jump racing special breeds are AQPS and Thoroughbred.
- Standardbreds are experts in harness racing in New Zealand, Australia, and North America. In Europe, French Trotter and Russian Trotter race alongside Standardbred in harness racing.
- All types are used in endurance races after getting specific training.
Let’s discuss in a bit more detail about the three major types of racing events now.
1. Flat racing
This is the most common type of racings across the globe. The tracks are oval generally as in case of breeders cup 2018, although there are figure or eight and straights tracks too at some places. The track also surfaces vary largely as even though turf is the most common variety; there are dirt and synthetic too at various places.
Fat races are usually run over a distance of about 440 yards up to 2.5 miles. There are short races, which are called ‘sprints,’ and the longer ones are called ‘routes’ or ‘staying races’ at different places. Fast acceleration and quick response is the key to race these races and sprints are considered to test the speed.
2. Jump racing
Jump is a common term in Great Britain and in Ireland and some other places it is known as National Hunt racing. There are subdivisions of jump racing as hurdling and steeplechasing, based on the nature of obstacles set on the track. Steeple chasing generically represents many types of jump racing in the United States.
3. Endurance racing
These long distances races are not as popular as track racing. The endurance and stamina of the animal are more critical in these types of races. Some of the endurance races are short covering 10 to 20 miles, and there are some other even as long as hundred miles or more. There are different categories of endurance racing too as:
- Pleasure rides (between 10 to 20 miles)
- Trail rides (21 to 27 miles): non-competitive, competitive, and progressive trail rides.
- Full-fledged endurance rides (50 to 100 miles), single day or multiple days.
If you are hobby horse race enthusiasts, then you may get more information about advanced horse racing aspects through the various dedicated websites online.
Author Bio: Silvia Watson is a freelance content writer. She has written many good and informative articles on different categories such as technology, health, fashion, education, career, and travel etc. She is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry and currently associated as a blogger with tvg.com
