The sight of horses racing is undoubtedly a spectacle to behold. Many people like to take part or observe horse races. Races are held in many countries, and spectators gather to watch such races. (Image Credit: Pixabay)
A brief delineation of horse racing
In a simple way racing of horses can be defined as a performance activity or sport which generally involves the use of at least two or more horses which are controlled by jockeys. The races are conducted for a certain distance which has been specified before the beginning of the competition. However, there are also some horse races that involve the horses and no jockeys.
The imitation of this sports dates backs to ancient times where the speed of horses over a certain distance was tested.
All modern races still adhere to this basic theme where the ability of the horse to complete a certain distance before the other horses is taken as the main premise. Acceleration is undoubtedly required to gain victory in both short and long races, but in case of short traces the speed is tested while on the long races stamina is tested
Know the muscle structure of specific horse breeds
There are different kinds of races involving horses which are being conducted around the world. The traditional form of the sport is also different according to each country. There are many variations which are seen like the restriction of horse breeds that are allowed to race, the kind of obstacles used for racing, the distance covered in a race, the surface of the track on which the race is conducted, etc. At TVG, information about different kinds of horse racing can be gained.
The restriction with horse breeds is dependent on the muscle structure of the horses to a great extent. Muscles can be delineated as contractile fibers which form bundles and are attached to the skeletal structure and tendons. The fibers that compose these bundles are different in shape and function.
The evolution of horses over the ages has led to the production of different quantities of muscle fibers. The type II muscle fiber is known as fibers that have a fast twitch. The function of these fibers is to enable the quick contraction of the muscles. This function leads to greater speed and agility. The Type I fibers, on the other hand, are responsible for enabling long-term muscle work without causing quick fatigue.
The Type II- A muscle fibers are a combination of type I and type II and thus allow great speed and tremendous endurance of the muscles. Type II-A muscles are present in high amount in Thoroughbred horses while the Quarter and Arabian types of horses have a comparatively low quantity of type II-A fibers. Therefore Thoroughbred horses are considered for most races as these horses can sprint at a very good pace and maintain that pace for a long distance while quarter horses are for sprint races and the Arabian horses for endurance racing.
Therefore, horses having the right kind of muscle structure should be bred for using them in suitable races.
