Horse racing is a major part of many cultures and stems from ancient sports from civilizations that reigned thousands of years ago. It is one of the most thrilling sports in the world and is a great way to be money. Perhaps no other sport or form of gambling is as thrilling and exciting as horse racing! But few gamblers understand the rich traditions of this sport and how it have evolved through the ages.
While no one is sure where the first datos carreras americanas hoy race was held we do know that people have been riding horses for a long, long time. The early evidence of domesticated horses comes from Ukraine circa 4000 to 3500 BCE. Other evidence suggests that early settlers in Kazakhstan started to ride horses sometime between 3000 to 3500 BCE. It is entirely possible that the races were present in these early cultures given humankind’s competitive spirit though we will never really know.
We do know that this sport was practiced in many ancient cultures, such as Egypt, Greece, and Persia. These three cultures are essentially considered the fore-bearers of modern Western culture. Many of these early races involved a horse pulling chariot and while saddled horse races now dominate you can still find chariot horse races, perhaps even at your local track!
We also know from early records and accounts that these races were extremely popular. Citizens would gather around the race track, which would sometimes be held on city streets, and watch as their favorite champions battled with one another. Many of these citizens would bet against one another and early gambling houses even started to take bets, laying the groundworks for future generations. These races were plagued by death and serious injury but that just riled up the crowds even more!
Most modern horse races are called “flat” races. Horse races are no longer conducted through city streets or out on open plains but instead at specially built race tracks that feature all of the modern amenities and also make betting much easier. In most modern races jockeys are saddled up on the horse and guide it to the finish line.
In the 16th and 17th century three stallions imported to England from the Middle East would revolutionize this sport. These three stallions would mate with local horses and produced extremely quick and strong horses, establishing the thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbred horses quickly spread through the British colonies and across Europe. The breed quickly came to dominate horse racing and today nearly all modern races feature only thoroughbred horses.