- Joined
- Jun 27, 2013
- Messages
- 592
- Name
- Carl
National Hunt racing probably means nothing to Americans.
It's a form of racing in which horses race over extended distances (the minimum is two miles) and obstacles have to be jumped. In a two-mile race, you have either eight hurdles or twelve fences; the highest number of obstacles is in the Grand National, a famous race run in April each year in Liverpool, in which they jump thirty fences.
Bear in mind that when you're riding a horse at up to 40mph, anything can happen. Try keeping control of a car at 40mph, without power-assisted steering and all other mod cons. A horse is a free-willed creature, not a machine.
Sadly, accidents do happen. Horses fall at an obstacle or jockeys get otherwise unshipped from their mounts. Since 1980, fourteen jockeys have died in action in the UK alone. A jockey earns approximately £14,000 per year (excluding winnings). That equates to about $19,500 per year.
Think about that the next time that you say that NFL players are putting their lives on the line.
Anyway, Cheltenham starts tomorrow. If you can, watch the races, enjoy the sport and appreciate the risks these guys take for next to nothing.
It's a form of racing in which horses race over extended distances (the minimum is two miles) and obstacles have to be jumped. In a two-mile race, you have either eight hurdles or twelve fences; the highest number of obstacles is in the Grand National, a famous race run in April each year in Liverpool, in which they jump thirty fences.
Bear in mind that when you're riding a horse at up to 40mph, anything can happen. Try keeping control of a car at 40mph, without power-assisted steering and all other mod cons. A horse is a free-willed creature, not a machine.
Sadly, accidents do happen. Horses fall at an obstacle or jockeys get otherwise unshipped from their mounts. Since 1980, fourteen jockeys have died in action in the UK alone. A jockey earns approximately £14,000 per year (excluding winnings). That equates to about $19,500 per year.
Think about that the next time that you say that NFL players are putting their lives on the line.
Anyway, Cheltenham starts tomorrow. If you can, watch the races, enjoy the sport and appreciate the risks these guys take for next to nothing.
