Horse racing is a classic sport, which involves jockeys; riding on the back of horses, for a decided distance, the main purpose of this sport is deciding which horse will be the fastest. This is one of the earliest purposes for which this sport was and is still played. Gambling is done specifically for this sport and bets are placed on horses as to which one will be the winner.
There are many variations in the method of playing this sport. Different countries play this same sport with different rules. For example, some countries arrange the competition of the horses of the same breed; some make them run on tracks of different surfaces etc.
Flat racing is a type of horseback racing. It is one of the most common types and it has an oval track for horses to run on. The breeds of thoroughbred, Arabian, Appaloosa etc are some of the best types of breeds of horses brought up specifically for this purpose. In order to test the speed of the horses, sprints are held, which require the horses to run for a short distance whereas routes or staying races, check the stamina of the horses as they require them to run for longer distances.
Another type of horseback racing is Jump racing which requires horses to run over some kind of obstacles and hurdles. The AQPS and thoroughbred horses are best for these types of races. These races are often referred to as National Hunt races in Britain and Ireland. The steeple chasing and hurdling are also a part of these races.
The Arabian horse is a famous breed of horses. They tend to have a lot of stamina so that they can run past their enemies. These were brought up by Bedouin people in the Middle East. Now the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities, IFAHR, is in charge of the Arabian horse racing.