Although the public probably thinks of events like the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness when they think of horse races, those belong just to one type of race. But when you consider that human beings have been racing horses for as long as humans and horses have had any relationship, it isn't surprising that people have developed many different ways of racing, and many different breeds of horses as well. While the Kentucky Derby and other such events belong to a category known as thoroughbred racing, there are many other equally organized and popular types of races.

Racing with thoroughbreds is a subset of a type of race known as flat racing. This is where, as the name suggests, the horse races are run on a flat surface, usually made either of dirt or turf, and in turn the turf can either be natural or is sometimes synthetic. The flatness of the tracks, though, doesn't mean that they are automatically straight as well. Most are in fact designed to be oval in shape, and have no banking on the corners.

On the other hand, harness races, while also taking place on an oval track, are not raced flat. In this type of race, the horse pulls a lightweight sulky behind it, in which a driver is seated, and the horse is required to use certain prescribed gaits as it runs. If it's a trotter, that means the horse's diagonal legs step forward together, whereas if it's a pacer, then both legs on the same side of the body move forward at the same time. In these types of horse races, the turns on the track are banked to help the horses get more traction.

While the steeplechase, which is a race requiring the horse to jump several obstacles, is favored in Britain, the horse races most popular in the United States are those on flat tracks. However, all three of the main types, the flat track race, the harness race, or the steeplechase, can be found anywhere in international racing. And the racing of Arabian horses is seeing a steady gain in popularity as well. The sport of horse racing, as it has always been, remains an important element of the relationship between humans and horses.

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