Horse racing is very popular in England. And also in the Netherlands we hear about great English racing competitions such as the Derby. However, there is some doubt about the origin of horse races. Did the English invent the sport themselves? Or was it the Greeks and Romans after all? In this article you will find the answer. Enjoy reading!
The first text
Three jockeys, or sometimes just two, are preparing for the game. The horses, in turn, are not without competition; they tremble and they are impatient, and they are in constant motion. Finally, when the starting gun is fired, they dash away, devouring the track, and run on at unrelenting speed. The jockeys, inspired by the applause and hoping for victory, chase their willing horses with blows, brandishing their whips, and encouraged by their screams.
This primary text is one of the first texts written about horse racing in England. It was written during the time when Henry II reigned in England (1154 to 1189). Betting on horses did not exist at this time. For the jockey, it was only about honor.
At least earlier ..
So we know that horse racing existed in the 12th century, yet it is plausible that horse racing in England exists even longer. However, it is very difficult to pinpoint a fixed date or period for the start of horse races. This is because little information has been preserved about leisure activities in former England. This was seen inferior to, for example, writings about politics and struggle.
Greeks and Romans
We start at the beginning. The Greeks are the first to do horse racing. The racecourse in Elis was most famous. Horse racing was introduced in the Greek Games of 648 BC. Some of the characteristics of the Greek races are that the horses had a fixed time to be present on the terrain, that the riders did certain preparatory exercises, and that there were races only mares. These features of the Greek horse races are very similar to the horse races that take place in England today. There is also evidence that the Greeks were already very well aware of the nature of the horse and how to train a horse. Xenophon wrote a book in 300 BC with all kinds of training methods, feeding advice, how the teeth indicate the age of a horse and many other information about horses.
When horse racing was invented by the Greeks, the Romans adopted it. These were even more fond of horse racing than the Greeks already were. The jockeys rode in the colors red, green, white and blue. Nowadays we also see wearing different colors. After the Romans conquered Great Britain, horse racing probably became famous in Great Britain. So it is possible that horse racing has been around in England since Roman times! In addition, the English horses turned out to be very suitable for horse racing; they were small and fiery. It is almost certain that many of these horses were transported by the Romans to other areas of the Roman Empire to participate in horse races.
However, there is no hard evidence for this theory. A document from AD 631 states that one saddles horses. And only around 900 find evidence that horse racing really exists in England. King Athelstan had received a number of racing horses as a present, and this was the most valuable present at the time. The horses also seemed to be very expensive at the time. In 930, no racehorse was allowed to be brought abroad for sale or the like. Horses were only allowed to cross the border if they were royal gifts. And after this, the first proof is the written text in the time of Henry II (1154 to 1189) that you were able to read above.
Further development
After the time of Henry II, some texts can still be found about the further development of horse racing. In the time of Edward II people talk about the horse as a “courser”. and in 1363 they wrote: ?? a roan colored racehorse 25 marks, a reddish brown horse 20 marks, a white dotted 20 marks, etc. ?? From later times, much more evidence has been found for the existence of horse racing.