Horse racing is a popular game. It is a game full of energy and enthusiasm. It is not less than the adventure. The running horses fascinate even those who are not actually participating in the race. These races all look the same but there is difference between them. They can be differed on the basis of the tracks, length of the track, and the stunts or actions while running on the tracks. The popular types of the Australian thoroughbred Bloodstock that take place all over the world every year are the following:
Flat racing is the simplest form of the horse race. Race field in this kind of racing is in oval shape. They are kept leveled. Some of the tracks in this kind of racing are in the shape of the number 8. The surface of the tracks used in different parts of the world is also diverse. Usually they are covered with the turf, sand, or dust depending on the weather conditions of the area. These days besides using popular natural track covers there are a number of artificial materials in use too. The popular among the latter are polytrack and the tapeta. The maximum length of these race tracks is over a 2.5 miles.
Jump racing features the obstacles and the hurdles that are placed along the flat race tracks. The horses have to jump over the hurdles without making them fall or trip. The popular forms of this kind of race are the steeple chasing and the hurdling. The size of the hurdles varies from race to race. The size of the heights is altered with the age of the horses. The young ones have to cross over the low height hurdles while they are higher in case of the older animals.
Harness racing as the name indicates includes a sulky and a drier that are harnessed to the horse and it has to drag it along the track. In this kind of race it is the team work of the two horses. It is the leg movements of the two horses that make the difference. The two horses in the team are referred as the trotters and the pacers. They are trained in such a way that the trotters move their legs in to and fro motion while the trotters have to move their diagonal legs alternatively.
Saddle trot race is a popular horse sport in Europe as well as in the Newzealand region. The horses are fitted with a saddle and the jockey on the back handles their movements and speed. Therefore, the entire result of the race rests on how well the jockey controls the four legged animal.
Endurance race as the name indicates is the test of the endurance of the horses. The track length is varying. Depending on the different lengths of the tracks the endurance race is classified into five different categories. The minimum length is 10 miles while the maximum is 250 miles. Due to the extensive length of the maximum track length the final type of the race is spread over days and not hours.