Man has been known to make use of horses for racing since this specie was first domesticated. Historical evidences uncover that as early as 4500 BC, the actual nomadic people of Central Asia has already developed techniques of horse racing. Actually, the Greeks are known to have incorporated horse racing in the Olympics since 638 BC.
Both the chariot horse racing and the mounted horse racing were well-liked during these ages. These types of later became an obsession among Romans once they have adopted the activity.
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 reproduction between Arabian as well as English horses were made. These 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 superb pace. Thus, breeders maximized the potentiality of a racehorse and put them into tracks. This particular breed is the Thoroughbred that we know of today 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 to 1685.
By the 16th century, the English had been known to produce a number of racecourses. Queen Anne who founded 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 in horse racing. This particular business was the very first legion of jockeys which established the actual comprehensive rules and regulations including the standards as covered by the sports activities. Thus, these people grew to become the overseers of the sports as well as sanctioned horse racing events.
The Jockey Club was also the initiator for the legislation of breeding among race horses. Thus, James Weatherby, an accountant of the Jockey Club during those times, traced back the family lines of all racing breeds in England. His researches brought forth the publication of the General Stud Book, that was basically, the basis of authority in terms of the breeds that may be put to race. Based on the General Stud Book, only those pedigrees that have descended from 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 activity arrive in America for which the very first racetrack was seen in the Long Island. Although it has turned into a favorite past time among Americans, no one initiated the formalization of horse racing until after the Civil War. Due to the already-established obsession plus the industrial development, and widespread betting on horse races, the sport grew largely by the year 1890 when 314 operating tracks are considered to be on regular operation in the country.
Because of 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 Jockey Club in England.
Nowadays the sport has reached various countries around the world. Governing bodies were also formed to regulate the horse racing occasions.
