HISTORY141 - Horse Racing
The idea for this blog came to me while watching the Kentucky Derby on television Saturday. I lived in Louisville, Kentucky - home of this famous annual horse race - for 20 years as a young person, and have long been a fan of the spectacle. I realized while watching this year’s race that I didn’t know much about the history of horse racing … which led me to writing this article. After a snapshot of the long evolution of the horse and an introduction to horse racing, I will discuss the history of horse racing from ancient times to the present, and then conclude with a look at the possible future of the sport. As usual, I will list my principal sources at the end. Evolution of the Horse The first horse was a small, multi-toed, dog-sized creature that lived roughly 55 million years ago in North America. As North American environments changed from forests to grasslands, horses evolved into larger animals with single hoofs, longer limbs, and grazing teet...