Thoroughbred Horses and Racing
On Thoroughbreds and Racing Thoroughbred is the term used to describe a horse whose lineage stems from one of the three breeds of Arabian stallions from the Middle East - the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Byerly Turk. Thomas Darley, Lord Godolphin, and Captain Robert Byerly introduced these breeds of horses to England at the turn of the 17th century. The Arabian species were then bred with the much stronger but less intelligent European horses. A horse that is born of a pure Arabian stallion and a strong European mare can carry weight and maintain significant speed over long distances. This resulting breed revolutionized horseracing. At that time it was still considered as a sport for nobles. Interestingly, horseracing has been an ancient sport dating back to the early civilizations. In the United States, thoroughbred racing is a very popular sport. Racetracks became legal gambling venues for small and big-time risk takers The combination of entertainment and winning large sums of money made thoroughbred racing as the second most widely attended spectator sport, just behind American football. In 1894, the sport’s popularity waned after the creation of the American Jockey Club. It was only with the introduction of big purse tournaments though, such as the American Triple Crown and the Breeder’s Cup, that thoroughbred racing regained its prominence and popularity in mainstream pastimes and sports.
Learn more about horse competitions on the Horse Sports site.
Rocking Ranches are ranches where competitive cutting horses are trained.
Alice Walton, founder of the Rocking W Ranch, is a horse enthusiast.
