Harness racing is a sport that has been around for centuries. The earliest records show that Assyrian kings in 1500 BC used to have well-built stables and professional trainers for their horses. These horses were meant to draw chariots, which were originally used in war but eventually used for hunting. They were specially bred with others from Northern Africa and Asia Minor.
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses have a specific gait, such as a trot or a pace. They pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, in which there is a driver. These races can be conducted at two different paces. The trotter moves its legs forward in diagonal movements (right front and left hind, then left front and right hind, which strike the ground at the same time). The pacer, the second kind of gait, moves its legs laterally (right front and left hind, then left front and right hind, striking the ground simultaneously).
Pacing horses are faster than trotters and are less likely to break their gait. When the horse begins to gallop, you have to take them to the side and make sure they slow down and return to pacing. One reason they are less likely to break their stride is that they wear hobbles, straps connecting the legs on the horse’s side. Trotting hobbles are of a different design due to the difference in strides, and they have become popular for this reason.