The origins of horse racing

Let's not think about horse racing tips for a second and talk about the history of horse racing instead. At some point in time, man discovered that horses were good for carrying his burdens and lightening his load.

Then one fine day, as we are natural competitors, we began to use the horse, to race against others.

Then men began breeding horses with the purpose of excelling in speed and endurance. With the newer developments the sport began to evolve.

But in olden days it was only the nobility, or royalty, who could afford the expense of breeding horses. Hence it came to be known as the sport of the kings.

There are early picture records of horse racing that were found in the caves of the prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Middle Asia.

They first domesticated horses around 4500 B.C.

The first written records of the sport came much later, after horse racing was already an established sport in large parts of the world ranging from Central Asia to the Mediterranean.

Horse racing became a part of the Greek Olympics around 638 B.C. and the Roman Empire was obsessed with the sport.

Modern racing has its roots entrenched in the 12th century. It was the Knights of the British Empire who imported Arabic horses on their return from the Crusades.

Many of the Arab stallions were crossbred with English mares to obtain a highly desirable combination of speed and endurance. This breed of horse became known as the Thoroughbred.

As the sport evolved during the reign of Queen Anne in the early 18th century, the one-on-one races gave way to events in which a number of horses competed.

The Racetracks in those days offered purses, or prize money to the winner of the events which grew larger in order to attract the best horses.

Today there are other forms of horse racing in the UK which include:-

1. The steeplechase, in which the horse is required to clear such obstacles as brush fences, stone walls, rail fences, and water jumps.
2. Hurdle racing which is similar to the steeplechase, but much less demanding. It is often used as a training method for Thoroughbreds who later compete in steeplechases.

3. Point-to-point races that are generally run by amateurs.

4. Harness racing, which was once very popular during the Roman Empire.

What was once exclusively the Sport of Kings has evolved over the years to encompass people of all lifestyles and income.

It still remains a sport that is quite often associated with those who can afford the vast expenditure involved.