While you may already know that harness racing is a type of horse racing in which the jockey rides a two wheel cart harnessed to the horse, you may not be aware that there are two different varieties of harness racing. The two types are based on the gait of the horse and include trotters and pacers. The prevalence of trotting and pacing races is largely based on geography.

All harness racing horses share in common their breed, which is standardbred. The name standardbred comes from a time when only certain horses capable of trotting a mile in a given amount of time where permitted entry into the Standardbred stud book. They differ from thoroughbred horses with their longer bodies, shorter legs, and calmer tempers.

The trotting type of harness racing is the only form used in continental Europe. In a trotter gait, the horse's forelegs move in tandem with the opposite hind legs, so that when the left front leg moves backwards, so does the right rear leg. Trotter races also occur in the United States and a handful of other countries, though not with as much frequency.

Pacer harness racing is predominant throughout much of the world, and in the United States comprises more than four-fifths of all harness races. Among the attractions of pacer harness racing are the faster horses and the fact that pacer horses are less likely to break stride and incur penalties that cost bettors money. To get more information and to start making money on harness racing today, visit VIPhorses.com!