Although many people who are not knowledgeable about the world of equestrian sports believe that all kinds of horse races are identical, in fact horse racing is a fairly varied sport which dates back many centuries and which has evolved and changed over time. Today, there are several different formats for horse racing and each type has its own regulations and rules. Although there is no need to follow all of them if you want to become involved with betting on horse races, you can always benefit from knowing about the differences between them. The two most popular forms of horse racing are jump racing and flat racing, and both of these types attract a lot of interest from punters who are keen to place a bet. If you are thinking of betting on horse races, you should become familiar with both of these racing types. Here you can find out more about them as well as some other classes like quarter horse racing and harness racing.
Flat Racing
Flat racing is the most popular format for worldwide horse racing, with most of the most famous and oldest races being run on the flat. The United States, UK, Australia and several other countries run an extensive programme of flat racing and as you may guess from its name, this type of racing is carried out on a flat track with no hurdles or jumps. Usually, flat racing is for thoroughbreds and it may be run on several surface types. Although turf is traditional, dirt tracks are also common and synthetic surfaces are found at some race courses, especially in the United Kingdom where poor weather often results in the cancellation of race meetings. The UK has four race courses with synthetic surfaces (or all weather tracks). Southwell, Kempton Park and Lingfield Park have both a synthetic and a turf track while Wolverhampton's track is only synthetic.
Jump Racing
Usually, jump racing is for thoroughbreds and it is a lot more dangerous than traditional flat racing because the horses have to jump over obstacles on the track. These may be in the form of ditches, fences or hurdles. In some countries, this type of racing has now been mostly stopped due to the risks to the jockeys and horses, although it is still popular in France, Ireland and the UK as well as the USA where it is called steeplechasing. The formal name for jump racing in Ireland and the UK is National Hunt racing and it has two codes – steeplechases and hurdles. For hurdles, the obstacles must be more than 3.5 feet in height and the race has to be a minimum of 2 miles in length. For steepchasing, the obstacles may be open ditches, water jumps or plain fences.
Endurance Riding
Endurance riding involves racing over a longer distance and is open to all breeds of horses. Usually, however, Arabian horses tend to be used for this race type as they have better stamina naturally. Although this kind of race is not as popular as flat or jump racing, it is recognised by the FEI as a sport in its own right, having been introduced in America in 1955 and then spreading to Europe. Endurance races can be any distance, although 50 or 100 miles is traditional. They may also take the form of multiple day races. The precise rules for this race type will vary depending on their location in the world, however the main principle is that the winner is the first horse to cross the finishing line. Horses are usually required to stop at certain points in order to be checked by a vet and assessed for their fitness to continue.
Quarter Horse Racing
This type of racing usually only takes place in America where it was introduced in the 1940's. These races take place over short distances, generally a quarter of a mile and the horses used are of the American Quarter Horse breed which is known for its excellent sprinting ability. These high speed races often result in close finishes.
Harness Racing
In harness racing, the horses pull a sulky which is a 2 wheeled cart harnessed to the horse. This fairly popular sport takes place in America, Australia, Canada and in some European areas. There are two kinds of harness racing – pace races and trot races, both of which are usually run by Standardbred horses.
Point to Point Racing
This class of racing takes place in Ireland and the UK. Best described as an amateur kind of steeplechase, point to point racing features thoroughbred horses who are either preparing to compete in a National Hunt race or who are approaching their retirement from the sport. Although these races are rarely televised they tend to attract big crowds at the race course.