A harness race is a race involving people riding in sulkies behind
horses. A sulky is a light, open two-wheeled vehicle accommodating
only the driver that is drawn by a horse.
 Harness racing is contested
on two gaits, the trot and the pace. A gait is a horse’s
manner of walking or running on foot. Trotters move with a diagonal
gait;
the left front and right rear legs move
in unison, as do the right front and left rear.
Pacers, on the other
hand, move their legs on one side of their body in tandem: left
front and rear, and right front and rear.
This action
shows why pacers are often called "sidewheelers." Pacers
account for about 80% of the participants in harness racing, and
are aided in maintaining their gait by plastic loops called hobbles,
which
keep their legs moving in synchronization. Trotters are more popular
in Europe while pacers are more popular the North America.
The Standardbred
is the fastest horse in harness, and is the most popular trotting
/ pacing breed. The standardbred horse was founded
on Messenger,
a thoroughbred that was imported from England in 1788. However,
he didn't race in harness. The foundation sire was an in-bred
descendent of Messenger named Hambletonian 10 who was foaled in 1849.
The first harness races were held along city roads, with men challenging
their friends to see who had the swifter steed. Often the streets
of major cities were cleared and races held. Hence, so many American
cities have a Race Street. Harness races later became a popular attraction
at many county fairs.
Today, there is a large concentration of harness
racing tracks in the Northeast and Midwest United States. Virtually
every major population
center in these areas boasts one or more harness tracks. The sport
is also popular in Florida, California, and throughout Canada.
Each
year in North America, over 30 million people attend harness racing
events.
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