Cross Breeds

Which kind of horse racing is harder harness racing, flat thoroughbred racing, or steeplchechasing?

To me it seems like it would be steeplechasing cuz its probably harder for the horse to make the jumps.

Public Comments

1. I'd say steeplechasing...combine speed with jumps...very nasty crashes.
2. steeplechasing is more difficult with greater degrees of danger. Harness racing however can be as bad if a horse goes down he take several others out with him. Also, a harness horse used to run three races a day if in a futurity or such.
3. I'd say steeplechasing, the horses have to jump around 13 fences going 30 mph and carrying 150+ pounds. ( reasons why I don't support steeplechasing)
4. Flat thoroughbred
5. Its not really a question of harder, just like those horses would not win against other horses that were not trained to be as good as they are in the field they race in. Steeplchechasing, to me is a silly sport, and it will never catch on in northamerica, its only good for the olympics and pro tours. It should be banned from racing when the horses have to run more than 1 or two furlongs, even that may to much. which is 1/8th or 1/4 mile. It seems stupid to ask a horse to jump over an obstacle when riding for any great length of distance, and they only do it because the operators of these events can make money on the betting, and the fans are too stupid to understand its silly to ask a horse to run like that. :)
6. id say this, steeplechasing is by far the most dangerous for the horse and rider. its known for unbelievable crashes and spills. which more often than not results in pile ups when the horses behind the falling horse make the jump. its not safe. and alot of the horses are injured. they used to very rarely run them at belmont park and i thought it was disgusting. all three are dangerous sports but i think steeple chasing is just alot more dangerous than the rest.
7. I'd say jumps racing (steeplechase). I realize that the horses are very good jumpers but there's just something problematic about making a horse run as fast as it can and leap over a 4 foot fence in a pack with 10 other horses. Falls are extremely common and although a fall does not necessarily result in an injury, it's a problem because (1) the other 10 horses in the race are jumping at the same time and don't see the fallen horses on the the other side of the jump until it's too late, thereby exacerbating the problem and (2) if the horse is not injured, usually it gets up, keeps racing, then causes more problems for the other horses who are still racing (I once saw a loose horse leading the race... when he got to the jump, he decided he didn't want to jump, he'd go around the jump instead, so he took a sharp right, directly in front of another horse and the two nearly collided). I hate seeing horses fall, regardless of whether they actually get hurt. Making a horse do an activity that results in that many falls would not be acceptable in any other discipline and I find it ridiculous that it's ok in jumps racing merely because it's traditional.
8. Each is as difficult for the horse as the other. In each case, they are giving all they have; you can't ask for more than that. Steeplechasing probably results in the highest percentage of fatalities, but I think flat racing may result in more injuries simply because of the age of the horses. Racing 2 year olds, trained early, have so many problems that steeplechaser who generally race at 4 and up do not face - from open knees to early arthritis. Flat racing careers usually end at 3 or 4; Steeplechase careers begin at 3 or 4 and last many more years. I would think harness racing results in the fewest immediate fatalities, but post-racing careers are few on the ground for standardbreds. They'll Amish them out (where generally they're worked hard on paved roads and treated as so much transportation) and the occasional one will go for riding use, but far more go to slaughter. Count those as fatalities due to racing, and this may, percentage wise, be the deadliest of the three events.
9. Each discipline of racing has it's pros and cons - flat racing tends to be fairly safe for both jockey and horse, training a horse to run fast on a track does not require that much skill from a horse (getting used to starting gates is the most difficult - and also where most accidents occur). Horses are very young and immature when they start flat racing, sometimes this can lead to problems in later life (bleeders, heartmurmurs) However, most horses seem to enjoy running!! Steeplechasing requires the horse to be a proficient jumper. Sadly, some greedy owners or trainers enter horses that might be fast but no good at jumping - this often results in serious injuries or fatalities. Horses start steeplechasing at an older age, often they already had a carrier on the flat. A lot of reasonably successful flatracers get retrained for steeplechasing - with mixed results. My ex racehorse TB raced six times over hurdles, fell twice, got pulled up twice, damaged tendon and end of career. It makes sad reading when I looked into it...question was, WHY?? Harness racing can be very dangerous if a mishap occurs - pile-ups affecting other horses are not uncommon, and a lot of horses injure themself when panicking, trying to get up but finding themselves tied down by harness, etc. Harness racing is quite unatural for a horse, they are not allowed to canter, even though they are supposed to go at speed. Pacers face even worse. Most ex-harness racers make difficult riding horses on retirement - in my personal experience. They just haven't had the ridden training and tend to be very hyper. To answer your question, I consider steeplechasing the hardest type of racing requiring the most skill and stamina from the horses (as well as the jockeys), and harness racing is the most unatural type of racing for the horse.