One of the best kept secrets in Yorkshire

The United States is a hotbed of harness racing and where most of the big studs and courses are situated.

The breed of horse used in harness racing is a ‘Standardbred’.

There are two distinct styles of Standardbreds – ‘pacers’ and ‘trotters’. The trotter has the normal diagonal trot of horses. The pacer has an extra lateral gait whereby it moves the legs on each side of its body forward and back at the same time. Pacing is a smooth gait and pacers tend to run three seconds a mile faster than trotters.

Drivers sit in what is known as a sulky, leaning back with their legs splayed out in front.