Why are 2- and 3-year-old horses, whose bones are not yet strong and are still developing, used in races?
534867
ALOT of people think TB's (Thoroughbreds) mature fast than other breeds.  They are wrong.  A TB may reach its full height sooner, but the joints don't finish closing until around 5 or 6 years.  Lets face it, to race latter would require more years put in to the investment.  It already takes 3 to 4 years to see if a horse has what it takes.  Most people don't realize that race horse train, compete, break down, and retire by the time  other horses that are expected to be in work until they are 20 start work.
1041550
Generally the faster and lighter horses. Sometimes thoroughbred mixes with arabians are used, as they are light and can run at fast speeds for a long time. I think there are more mixes than purebreds used in polo, but the only place I've really been in contact with polo is in Australia, which could be different from where you are.
988841
Yay for you for knowing about Silky Sullivan first off. He was one of the greatest horses of our time and is often over looked. I couldn't find anything about this filly however. But just from experience on a breeding farm, she was probably used as a broodmare after her racing days were over.
929267
Define training...most folks start at birth, handling the foal..halter training etc....but I think they start racing at 2yrs  of course that means the 2nd Jan1st after their birth because that is how they r classified....if your horse is born Dec 31 he is considered 1 yr old the next day... so they try to breed for a Jan /Feb birth so they will have some age on them
536051
this information from wikipedia:\nThe horse (Equus caballus or Equus ferus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. Horses have long been one of the most economically important domesticated animals, and have played an important role in the transport of people and cargo for thousands of years. Most notably, horses can be ridden by a person perched on a saddle attached to the animal, ridden bareback, and are also widely harnessed to pull objects like wheeled vehicles or plows. In some human cultures, horses are also widely used as a source of food. It has been suggested that isolated domestication may have occurred as early as 10,000 years ago, but clear evidence of widespread use by humans dates to around 2000 B.C., as evidenced by the Sintashta chariot burials, thus firmly establishing the domestication of the horse; however, the ability to have a horse (or horses) willingly pull a chariot (or any wheeled vehicle) implies many generations of selective breeding and a large store of knowledge about horse behavior, which pushes the date of whatever we choose to call "domestication" considerably backwards.\n\nPresently, there are many types of horses. Some are very well known for certain particular qualities or abilities: Thoroughbreds are known for being race horses, while miniature horses serve as mounts for very small children, if they are ridden at all.\n\nUntil the middle of the 20th century, armies used horses extensively in warfare; soldiers still refer to the groups of machines that have replaced horses on the battlefield as "cavalry" units, and sometimes preserve traditional horse-oriented names for military units (Lord Strathcona's Horse).
871917
The first time two guys on horseback got into a discussion of whose horse was fastest, there was a horse race.  Bet on it.\n\nIt's known that horses were raced (both chariot and under saddle) in ancient Greece in the Olympics, and the Greek author Homer wrote about chariot racing as part of the funeral games in The Illiad. So we're back to around 1600 BC or so.  There is evidence that the Egyptians may have had chariot races earlier than this.\n\nRiding races depended on having horses that were big enough and strong enough to carry a rider, which was probably not until around 2000 BC.
473189
1. The Fastest Horse\n2. The Second Fastest Horse\n3. The Third Fastest Horse
245236
Horses have genes, and those genes determine what the horse will look like.  If there wasn't genetic variation, all the horses would look the same.
585562
Horses weigh 2000 pounds.  Their ankles (where most breaks occur) and lower legs are as thin or thinner than ours.\nThat is one reason.\nThe second reason is that in order for a bone to heal properly it has to be stayed off of.  Horses are unable to stay off a leg for the length of time it takes to heal a bone.  So they would end up breaking it over and over again.  Thus, when a break is too extreme, the horse is put down.
123398
Shire horses.\n\nThe Shire is the largest – and among the oldest – of the British horse breeds.\n\nFor more dtails look here..\nhttp://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/shire.html
615
yes,  horses dont have the bottom end to run 100+ miles
790583
Good question.  I think it's barbaric that race horses are destroyed because they break a leg.  However my brother is one of the starters at a race course and of course has to help deal with injured horses. He says that they are so destressed and in agony that is the kindest thing they can do.  Have you ever seen a six foot muscle man cry!  He does every time he has to help deal with the slaughter of a horse.\nI also believe that the cost is a huge factor for owners who are left with expensive bills and no income as the horse will never race again.  Consider this, my dog broke his leg in the summer, it has cost almost £1500 pounds so far to fix him, imagine he was a horse.!
1006980
A horse has different moods just like humans. A horse will get depressed when he knows he has had a bad performance and will sulk, not eat, or train as well as before. Same on the other end, if he wins. He will prance whinny and display confidence.\nA good example of this behavior is portrayed in the movie "Sea Biscuit."   \nYes, you can detect if a horse wants to or doesn't want to race on a particular day. Watch him in the paddock where they are saddled. You can see his behavior and tell if he is limping, another reason he may not want to run.
571459
Horses usually do not jump unless there is a need (a rider telling him, or something on the other side of the fence he wants).  In fact they usually attempt to run through fences, rather than jump over them.\n\nProperly trained and conditioned horses have the ability to jump great heights.\n\nHorses without riders are able to jump higher because of the reduced weight...however, you have to convince the horse that he wants to jump by himself.
1036896
the way a horse knows it won is if it received praise from the jockey/trainer/owner.  they are trained to run fast and that is all.  on the other hand, the subject of whether or not animals have/exhibit emotions is a great debate
533086
They do not always kill injured racehorses.  It all depends on the owners, and whether or not it would be worth more to keep them alive or not.  Look at Barbaro, they are trying to salvage him for stud by fusing the joints in his ankle.  And I personally have seen a few other race horses that were injured but not put down.  Some people donate their horses to retirement foundations, such as the Standardbred Retirement Foundation.  These horses are then taken care of and put up for adoption, to which there is a lengthy process because they screen every applicant to make sure the horse is getting the best care.
624309
I raced standardbreds for many years, and the rule with them is that the horses can race through age 14.  After that, they must retire.