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Home : Animals used for Work, Sport, Recreation or Display : Racing Animals

Racing Animals

Horse Racing

Thoroughbred horse

Photo: Courtesy P Whetnall

Horse Racing dates back to when nomadic tribesmen began to race domesticated horses in central Asia, northern Africa, and eastern Europe. Breeding to improve speed, stamina, and strength began in ancient Greece. Today horse racing is popular throughout the world and people have come to love and respect the horse's beauty, speed, power, stamina, and grace.

  • Thoroughbred racing has the horse and rider or 'jockey' galloping over a flat track at distances from three-quarters of a mile to two miles.
  • In hurdles, horses jump lightweight brush 'fences'
  • In steeplechase the horses jump solid fences.
  • Standard bred or 'harness' racing has the horse pulling a two-wheeled bike or 'sulky' with a driver, over a one-mile course. Two different gaits are used in harness racing: pacing and trotting. In pacing both left legs move together then both the right legs. In trotting, the left front and right hind move together and then the right front and left hind. Horses are specifically bred and trained for one gait or the other.

The Thoroughbred horse can reach speeds around 70 km per hour, whereas a Standard bred can trot or pace around 55 km per hour. Both the Thoroughbred and Standard bred breeds have bloodlines that can be traced to their original sires and dams (fathers and mothers).

More information on Horse Racing.

Dog Racing

Dog racing was a favourite of the Egyptian Pharaohs who adored the speed, stamina, grace and loyalty of the dogs. The sport of racing dogs migrated with the great camel trains and traders to other lands such as Russia, Greece and Rome, and it reached the far outposts of the vast Roman Empire, including Britain. The first greyhound to arrive in Australia stepped ashore alongside Captain Cook and Sir Joseph Banks at Botany Bay in 1770. Modern greyhound racing still retains all the traits that made it so popular throughout the centuries although the sport of chasing on a race track is a very recent development with the invention of the mechanical lure in 1912. In Australia, mechanical lure racing commenced in 1927 at Epping in New South Wales.

More information on Dog Racing.

Pigeon Racing

The racing pigeon is the fastest racing animal and the sport is enjoyed by more than two million fanciers throughout the world. In Australia, many thousands of fanciers compete in races of distances ranging from 50 to 1,200 km. Homing pigeon racing was first developed in Belgium between 1790 and 1870. Homing pigeons were used by the allies in both world wars to carry urgent messages and information. In South Australia approximately 25 races are held each year in the winter and spring months with distances ranging from 200 km to 1,320 km.

More information on Pigeon Racing.