Horse racing is divided into two main categories: trotting and gallop racing.
As a reminder, we have already distinguished the different paces in our previous article: Why is understanding the gait of horses important?
Trotting is a very popular equestrian discipline in many countries, including France, Scandinavia and North America. Trotting races represent 60% of all horse races playable on the ANJ network.
The purpose of this article is to focus on trotting races only, we will detail the gallop in a future article. Trotting races can be harnessed trotting races or mounted trotting races. We will analyze the differences between these two disciplines.
Table of Contents
- The harness trot: understanding the two types of start to better appreciate the race
- Mounted trotting: how the jockey and the horse work together to achieve victory
- Conclusion
The harness trot: understanding the two types of start to better appreciate the race
Harnessed trotting is the most popular, representing 75% of all trotting races.
In trotting, the horse pulls a two-wheeled cart (called sulky) in which the driver (name given to the rider) sits behind the horse and guides it with reindeer that are connected to the horse's jaw.
In harness trotting, there are two types of starts: the autostart and the volte.
The autostart corresponds to a start given behind a large motor vehicle (type 4×4) which has folding mechanical wings behind which the horses are positioned in one or two lines depending on the number of starters. The car accelerates little by little to give the horses a running start, then the wings fold down and the car disappears from the race to leave room only for the horses.
The volte start is characterized by the fact that the drivers position themselves perpendicular to the track and, once in place, make a quarter turn to run on the track in a synchronized manner. If this device is not respected, there is a false start and it must be repeated.
In trotting, the race of the year is the Grand Prix d'Amérique which takes place on the last Sunday of January at the Vincennes racecourse.
Mounted trotting: how the jockey and the horse work together to achieve victory
Mounted trotting represents 25% of trotting horse races.
In the mounted trot, the jockey (the name given to the rider), who sits directly on the horse's back, must have an excellent position to allow the horse to trot efficiently while ensuring its own stability and safety. The saddles used for mounted trotting are specially designed to allow the rider to have a good position. In mounted trotting, only one type of start is possible: the volte.
Contrary to what one might think, mounted trotting horses run slower than harnessed trotting horses. In fact, in mounted trotting, the jockey is placed very close to the horse's head and is almost lying on the animal. The significant weight of the jockey on the back makes it more difficult for the horse to keep up with the pace because the horse is trotting with its back.
Trotting is a demanding sport that requires a great deal of coordination and communication between rider and horse. Trotting races are often very fast and competitive, with complex racing strategies and varied tactics.
In mounted trotting, the race of the year is the Prix du Cornulier which takes place on the penultimate Sunday of January, one week before the Grand Prix d'Amérique, at the Vincennes racecourse.
Conclusion
Both disciplines have the same disadvantage for bettors, namely that the horse must remain at the trot or risk disqualification.
The horse is disqualified if it takes too many strides during one of the periods described above:
- 12 irregular strides at the start
- 10 strides during the course
- 5 strides to the finish line
It should be noted that on average 18% of the horses are disqualified.
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