Racing is perhaps one of the most well known
and popular equestrian sports. Every state has tracks, and fans can often watch and bet on races
from other tracks and other states.
Most well known is Thoroughbred racing, although many other breeds also have 'breed only' racing,
such as Paints, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and Arabians. In order to create a standard for
racing, since many races are held for horses only of a certain age, all horses are automatically
given the birthdate of January first of the year they were born. If a foal is born January second,
it will actually be a year old. However, if a foal is born December 31, then the next day when it
is two days old, it will officially be a year old for racing eligability. This is why breeders
attempt to have foals born as early in the year as possible.
Racing is called the 'Sport of Kings'. It is often considered a sport for the rich only, since
owning and training racehorses is very expensive. Good breeding is essential, and foals descended
from famous racehorses can demand a lot of money.
Young horses are started early, and are being ridden and trained at two years old. Some of the
most famous races for Thoroughbreds are for three year olds only. Among these are the three races
that compose the Triple Crown, considered the pinnacle of three year old races. The first race is the
world renowned Kentucky Derby, run in Kentucky in May. This is the shortest of the three races.
Next comes the Preakness, run in Maryland a few weeks later. This middle race is often considered
the most difficult because of the sharp turns of that particular racetrack. Last is the Belmont,
run in New York. It is the longest race of the three. Horses that win all three races have considerable
prestige. However, only a handful of horses have done so, and the most recent was decades ago.
Horses tend not to run more than a few
years. The best are retired to stud or for breeding purposes. The rest can have many different fates,
hopefully having a second career as a riding horse.
Quarter horse races began years ago when the breed developed. They were called 'quarter horses'
because they were initially raced over a quarter mile track. People bred these sprint horses
to be bulky and fast, able to gallop from a standstill and have explosive power. These attributes
are still in the breed today. Although far less known that Thoroughbred racing, Quarter Horse races
are fast and highly competitive sprints where a slight misstep at the start can lose a race.
Racing is perhaps one of the most well known
and popular equestrian sports. Every state has tracks, and fans can often watch and bet on races
from other tracks and other states. 
Racing is called the 'Sport of Kings'. It is often considered a sport for the rich only, since
owning and training racehorses is very expensive. Good breeding is essential, and foals descended
from famous racehorses can demand a lot of money. 
Horses tend not to run more than a few
years. The best are retired to stud or for breeding purposes. The rest can have many different fates,
hopefully having a second career as a riding horse.