Guide to Horse Racing

There isn`t a home in the country that hasn`t at some time had everyone sitting in front of the television and shouting their favourite home in the world`s most famous race, the Grand National. For most it ends there, with a selection in the office sweep or choosing a name that resembles that of a family member or pet. For some, however, it triggers off an interest in finding out more about the Sport of Kings.

A first visit to a racetrack can be quite daunting and the terms that are heard thrown around the course and the bookies` enclosure are not usually found anywhere else. A `tongue tie`, for example sounds like an instrument of torture. It is, in fact, a pair of ladies tights used to secure a horse`s tongue to its lower jaw to prevent it rolling it back above the bit during the race and causing breathing problems. Blinkers are often referred to by old hands as `blinds`. These are the pieces of hood-like equipment that horses wear to make them look forward and concentrate. Horses are incurably curious creatures and are often more interested in the crowd than the four-foot-six birch fence in front of them, with potentially disastrous results.

Jockeys wear `colours`, also referred to as silks. These are registered with the British Horseracing Board and are unique to each owner, as are the horse names. No horse currently racing can have the same name as another living thoroughbred. Certain names are protected for history, so there will never be another horse called Red Rum. Any name that sounds too similar will have to be changed so that there can`t be any confusion with the great horse himself. All horses that race in Great Britain are thoroughbreds and have pedigrees that go back hundreds of years to the four foundation stallions, who were in fact Arabians imported for their speed and elegance.

One of the most recent additions to the racing calendar is pony racing. These miniature thoroughbreds race on the flat, not over fences and provide a starting point for many of the sport`s up-and-coming stars. This sport is open to anyone and many equestrian shops now sell miniature colours and specially designed <a href="http://www.tackheaven.co.uk/products.jsp?cat=50">childrens riding gloves</a> to get the next would-be champion jockey on the road to success. A day at the races is in fact a day out for all the family, with alternative entertainment such as funfairs and live music provided for those who are less interested in watching the horses.