In harness racing, the horse trots or paces, they must not
gallop. If a horse begins to gallop, it will be disqualified if not quickly
restrained. This requires the horse to have a great mental ability as well
as physical strength. Pacing is not natural for a horse and therefore the
horse must be trained to do so.
Harness horse racing can involve up to 14 horses, racing on an
oval-shaped track. The races can begin with either a Standing Start or a
Mobile Start.
With a Standing Start, horses are lined up behind elastic tapes which are
stretched across the track, and released to start the race. This option is
used when holding handicap races. The horses are not handicapped by carrying
weight, they are handicapped by being placed a distance behind the standard
release point.
With a Mobile Start, horses trot/pace slowly behind a moving vehicle
which has gates fitted on it. These gates reach across the track at starting
position, and upon release, the vehicle (known as "the mobile") accelerates
away and the gates fold back, which allows the race to start.
Harness horse racing is popular all over the world, including North
America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
For more information on Harness horse racing, you can visit the following
sites:
The United States Trotting
Association (USTA) website offers plenty of information on American
harness racing.
The Harness Horse Youth Foundation website
offers information to the younger generation to educate them about harness
racing.
For harness racing results click here.
