Home /
News /
Dangerous Horse Races – Not For The Faint Of Heart /

Dangerous Horse Races – Not For The Faint Of Heart

The horse was one of the earliest forms of transportation. So it's no surprise that there have been horse races since the beginnings of early history. And some of these old traditional races still remain today. They have become popular annual events in their countries. Whether racing on snow, ice or around a tight central plaza, they all have an element of extreme danger for both the horses and the riders. There are many today who would like to see these old horse races put to rest or banned.

Rate this news

The Most Dangerous Horse Races In The World

It’s quite possible that horse racing has been taking place since man first domesticated the wild horse. Today, thanks to different cultural traditions, there are horse races that do not conform with the meetings we might see in the US or the UK. Many dangerous horse races still follow a long lineage of the old traditions. This essentially means that they are still as unsafe as ever! We thought it would be an interesting dive to look at horse races from around the world that are particularly perilous.

Velka Pardubicka

This historic horse race is over the course of 6.9 km and there are 3 unique obstacles for the horses to get over. The town of Pardubicka is approximately 100 km to the east of Prague and is in the Eastern Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. Historically, this region has always been well known for its horse-loving culture.

The Course

The actual course is a mixture of both flat turf and ploughed fields. Back in the early years, over half the track was ploughed fields but today this has changed to less than a quarter. Because of the nature of the rough ground, it’s too taxing and tiring for the horses. We should point out there’s also a small river that runs through the course and during these dangerous horse races the horses must jump this three times. The obstacles on the race consist of the following:

The Water Jump

Jump Names:

Irish Bank

English Jump

Water Course

Havel’s Jump

Big Water Jump

Snake Ditch

Popler’s Jump

As a way of almost proving just what dangerous horse race this is, the final jump takes its name after the jockey Rudolph Pole up who died riding in this race in 1932.

Key Stats:

Most Wins (Horse): Zeleznik – 3 Wins

Most Wins (Jockey): Josef Vana – 8 Wins

Fastest Winning Time: 8m:56s

Most Famous Fence

Without a doubt, the fence that has become synonymous with danger is The Taxis Ditch. This measures 8m wide and is 140cm in height. Over the history of this race, over 30 horses have died at this jump alone. To quote Chris Collins, who won this race in 1973, “When I saw the Taxis for the first time I thought those who claimed it was jumpable were joking. The Taxis is, without doubt, the toughest of the tough, it takes the biscuit. It’s probably the hardest obstacle in the world.” If you’re a betting fan, then go to 22Bet Sportsbook for all types of horse race betting. They also offer all new players a great welcome bonus of 122% up to €100 to help you get up and running. This will certainly increase your jackpot winning chances.

Dangerous Horse Races: St. Moritz

The St. Moritz horse races are world-known thanks to the so-called, “white turf.” This refers to the fact that horse racing takes place at the beginning of February and is an exclusive event under the wonderful winter sunshine. The actual white turf refers to the frozen lake on which the race takes place, which is beneath the beautiful snow-capped mountains of St. Moritz.

There’s no denying the breathtaking beauty of the location. But as you can imagine, racing on ice makes these incredibly dangerous horse races. An example would be George Baker, who was a young jockey who had his first Classic victory when he rode Harbour Law to win the St. Leger in 2016. One year later his career was to come to an abrupt end. The horse he was riding, Boomerang Bob, had the ground give way underneath his hooves.

As a result, the horse rolled over and landed on Baker who was to suffer brain damage. Over 5 weeks after the event he was still suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. As such, he had to learn all his motor activities again, including how to walk and how to talk. Though he made a recovery, he will never be the same again. This race marked the end of his career as a jockey.

Dangerous Horse Races: Skijoring

Yet another horse race that takes place in the winter is Skijoring. When the sport had its first race in 1901, in Stockholm, as part of the Nordic Games, skiers were pulled behind reindeer. Today they use horses, dogs and snowmobiles and it’s one of the most dangerous races in the world. A rider sits and controls the horse, whilst the skier is attached to a rope, just like a land-based form of water-skiing. The course itself is around 370m in length and has a number of obstacles, including slalom gates and jumps that the skier must clear. And to make it even more exciting, the horse is going as fast as possible, at a gallop. Sometimes as many as 100 teams will compete in a day. The prize money can often reach $20,000.

Palio di Siena

This is one of the oldest races in horse racing history as it was inaugurated in 1633. The Palio di Siena race, which takes place twice a year on the 2nd July and 16th August, consists of 10 horses who each represent a different neighbourhood in Siena. The city’s Central Square is filled with sand for the horses to run on. Last year some famous faces from horse racing attended, including Frankie Dettori, Jamie Spencer and Andrea Atzeni. Interestingly enough, the cousin of Atzeni actually won the race in 2000. many consider the race not only very dangerous for the jockeys, but more so for the horses. In fact, every year at least one horse will die, with many others injured.

Rules

Speaking of the rulers, in truth, they really are none. Essentially, the riders, who all ride bare-back, must barge their way around the course. And it’s perfectly acceptable for jockeys to interfere with the other horses by striking them with their whips. To be frank, these are quite brutal jackpot winning strategies. The race itself consists of three laps of the piazza and normally takes around 90 seconds. As the race proceeds, you are probably witnessing something that feels like the Wild West.

Interesting Facts

We should point out that in this race, the Palio di Siena, it’s the horse that wins, not the rider. In fact, in some years a riderless horse has gone on to take the main prize. Another small but interesting fact is that the whips in the hands of the jockeys are actually oxen penises. Now you know! Across the horse racing world, most people consider that this race is probably the most chaotic and dangerous in the world. This is due to the limited space around the square, as well as the fact that the course is lined with buildings. Although a lot of sand is laid out on the pavement, this is quickly worn away exposing a hard surface, for both horses and riders to fall on.

Dangerous Horse Races: The Golden Button

This dangerous horse race is for non-thoroughbred and thoroughbred horses alike. It takes place in Ledbury in Gloucestershire and is hosted by the Ledbury Hunt. The actual race itself is over approximately 3 miles and there are 22 natural obstacles for the horses and riders to clear.

Though this race is rather leftfield as far as horse racing goes, it’s still popular amongst professional jockeys In fact, both Paul Carberry and Eddie Ahern have both won. If you head over to YouTube you’ll find videos of the race and many videos look like a scene from the apocalypse, with fallers and loose horses stampeding everywhere. The actual obstacles are a mix of rails and big hedges. When it comes down to how to win the jackpot, then it’s certainly not a race for the faint-hearted. The rules dictate that a rider must weigh over 11 stones and be over 16 years of age in order to ride.

Considering how challenging the obstacles are, it’s no surprise that the Golden Button, although unusually popular, is also very controversial. In 2012 there were 3 fatalities with a horse breaking its back and two others suffering a heart attack. As a result, there was a self-imposed hiatus and the racing only resumed in 2015. It’s common for riders to end up in hospital with various injuries. The race is a real thrill for both riders, punters and spectators. But in reality, it deserves a public health warning.

The Grand National

The Grand National is, without doubt, one of the most famous National Hunt races that take place during the horse racing sporting calendar. It’s an annual event that takes place at Aintree Race Course and it enjoys a massive following, from both spectators and punters alike. The race itself is over a course of 4 miles, which is two-and-a-half furlongs. It was first to run in 1839 and as a result, has an impressive history. The 30 fences were famously high and unsafe. But more recently there have been improvements to make the whole spectacle a much less dangerous form of horse races, for both the horses and the riders.

Nevertheless, these obstacles still remain some of the most dangerous in UK horse racing. As such these fence names, such as The Chair, Canal Turn and Beaches Brook, are famous throughout the sporting world. It also happens to be the race with the highest prize money in the whole of Europe. The winner walks away with £1,000,000. if you want some winnings yourself, then head over to 22Bet Sportbook. They have fantastic odds on all horse racing. You’ll have a great chance to win the jackpot online.

The Grand National is televised to an audience of over 550 million viewers each year. In fact, it’s the largest betting event in the UK. Considering it’s a race with animals, it’s no surprise that there are many people who consider the race as being both unacceptable in the use of animals for entertainment, but also due to its dangerousness. For example, the Gold Cup winner, Synchronised, was to die on the course in 2012. As Ginger McCain, the trainer of another winning horse called Red Rum, said “It’s the speed that does the damage, the faster they go, the heavier they fall and the more likely they are to fall,”