Horse Racing Throughout the History
Man has been known to use horses for racing since this specie was first domesticated. Historical evidences uncover that as early as 4500 BC, the nomadic people of Central Asia has already developed systems of horse racing. In fact, the Greeks are known to have incorporated horse racing in the Olympics since 638 BC.
Both the chariot horse racing and also the mounted horse racing were well-liked during these ages. These types of later on became an obsession among Romans when they have adopted the sport.
For thousand of years that followed, this kind of sports was known to be performed only for the noble men and royalties.
Contemporary racing is believed to have started in the 12th century when the first breeding between Arabian and English horses were made. They were sparred by the return of the noble knights to the mother land after the Crusades. These are known to possess produced sturdy horses with excellent pace. Thus, breeders maximized the potentiality of a racehorse and put them into tracks. This particular breed is the Thoroughbred that we know of these days which is still typically the most popular breed in the United Kingdom.
King Charles II was known to have held horse races in his private courses throughout 1660 in order to 1685.
By the 16th century, the English have been known to produce a number of racecourses. Queen Anne that started the Ascot in 1711 is known to have made horse racing an official sport.
Halfway in 1700�s, the Jockey Club was made through the initiation of the elite figures involved with horse racing. This organization was the very first legion of jockeys which established the actual comprehensive rules and regulations including the standards as covered by the actual sports activities. Thus, they grew to become the overseers of the sports and sanctioned horse racing occasions.
The Jockey Club was also the actual initiator for the regulation of breeding among horses. Thus, James Weatherby, an accountant of the Jockey Club during those occasions, traced back the family lines of all racing breeds in England. His researches brought forth the book of the General Stud Book, that was basically, the basis of authority when it comes to the breeds that could be put to competition. Based on the General Stud Book, only those pedigrees that have descended in the line of the “foundations sires” are considered as Thoroughbreds. The building blocks sires are the: Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Arabian.
Only in 17th century did the sport arrive in America for which the initial racetrack was seen in the Long Island. Although it has become a favorite past time among Americans, no one initiated the actual formalization of horse racing until after the Civil War. Because of the already-established obsession plus the industrial development, as well as widespread betting on horse races, the activity grew largely by the year 1890 when 314 operating tracks are known to be on regular operation in the united kingdom.
Due to the lack of a governing body, this sport had become purely dominated by criminal elements. In 1894 though, the most notable and high-ranking stable owners met and organized the American Jockey Club which was patterned on the system as used by the actual Jockey Club in England.
These days the sport has reached various countries across the globe. Governing bodies were also formed to regulate the horse racing events.
