The Evolution Of Harness Racing

The sport that became a public obsession in the Roman empire were the chariot and mounted horse racing. The actor Charlton Heston in the Quo Vadis film skillfully portrayed the skills needed of a chariot rider. He maneuvered the vigorous strong horses to win for his life and fellowmen and a favor the kings and spectators. Caligula named his horse Consul in the Roman Empire. However the racing of horses disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire.

In the 18th century, modern harness racing became a popular rural pastime in amerce. Race trotting horses proliferated in all country roads so that a need for tracks for harness racing was built in the 19th century. By 1825, country fairs always brought along an event in horse racing.

Does the name MESSENGER mean anything to a horse racer? It is the founding sire in all thoroughbreds in England. This horse is a horse bred especially for racing under harness. The horse was brought to the United States. In 1788 the horse was bred to both pure thoroughbred and mixed breed mares. The descendants were rebred until offspring were born out of these mating to produce a breed with a built for anatomy, disposition, and endurance suited to racing under harness pressure.

In harness racing, alight vehicle called a sulky is pulled by a thoroughbred. The sulky is made of wood or metal and has a little more than two wheels and a seat reserved for the driver. The pacer is by far the most popular racer in almost 80 percent if all united states harness racing. Synchronized pacing is important to ensure that the legs on one side of the horse move in unison, that is: right front with right rear.

The gears need to control the hors and to protect it from getting bruised or hurt. Take note that the pacer horse is dressed in its head portion by the following: a head member, a shadow roll, a head pole, and from its mouth to his tail are: the reins, checkreins, the hobble hanger, the hobbles (which allow the handholds). The legs are wrapped in knee boots, coronet boots, and quarter boots. Finally the sulky with the seated driver.

America always had major fairs and it is at these fairs that harness racing was always a treat and a great time for wagers. When the automobile came into existence and urbanized in the United States, harness pacing lost patronage in the 1900 was revived under the introduction of the pari-mutual netting by Roosevelt Raceway in New York in 1940.

Harness racing has certainly survived a lot of its ups and downs and is currently a stable sport many people love.