Race Horse History: From Royal Pleasure To Modern Organized Gambling
Any study of horses would most certainly be incomplete without first touching on race horse history that deals with a sport that has been followed with keen interest by peoples all around the world and from the very earliest times as well. In fact, race horse history dates back to the times even before nomads walked the earth, especially in places such as the Central parts of Asia where the horse was first tamed and ridden in about the year 4500 BC.
Number Two Most Watched Spectacle
To be sure, early race horse history shows that this form of horse has flourished in its early heydays mainly because nobility and royalty enjoyed horse racing. Of course, it is not the way that modern man looks at race horses and horse racing in general. Today, of course the idea is to gamble and win money by backing a winning horse and it is less to do with the love of horses. In fact, modern race horse history needs to be considered in a different light, especially as horse racing today is considered the number two most watched sport (at least in the U.S.) and it only trails baseball in this respect. So race horses are always in the limelight as opposed to its early days when it ran a race and was soon forgotten.
Many people have even developed a great passion for horses that has led them to buy horse farms, which are without a doubt some of the most exciting real estate properties that you can ever buy. In fact, as you drive onto a horse farm you cannot help but be amazed by the picturesque sights that meet you, including the usual red brick house along with barns and the wide open spaces that make such properties a very attractive proposition indeed.
To be sure, any study of race horse history would be incomplete without mentioning the immensely popular Thoroughbred horse that is raced over flats and at a distance not exceeding two miles. Other popular forms of horse racing which are also mentioned in every chapter of race horse history include harness racing as well as steeplechase and Quarter horse racing.
From the times before horse racing began to be recorded in writing, according to whatever information regarding race horse history is available, it was a most disorganized sport and thus not much is known about the early race horses. It was only after records of horse racing began to be kept that the sport became organized. This is when it also spread from the central parts of Asia to the Mediterranean and beyond. Though, it was also once a part of the Olympics in 638 BC in the form of chariot racing as well as in mounted form and so the development of the race horse has seen many changes.
Thus, race horse history has had a long and interesting story. From horse racing in the twelfth century when it was a sport practiced by English knights who liked to see imported Arabian horses being pitted against local stock, up until the present time when it is being widely followed and watched by billions of people in all parts of the world race horse history is ever changing. Horse racing only became a professional sport sometime between 1702 and 1714, more particularly in the time of Queen Anne. This is when the general population also began to lay wagers. Today, there would be very few people that have not witnessed at least one horse race in their lives.
