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Since ancient times, horses have been considered one of the most noble and useful animals to humans. After all, they serve as a means of transportation, attract considerable sporting interest through their participation in horse racing, and are used as farm animals… And how graceful and intelligent they are!

It is no wonder that they are the subject of paintings and literature. (Incidentally, equestrian sports have even been included in the Olympic Games programme.) This shows that the lives of horses are closely linked to the lives of humans.

Horses have 10 different muscles in their ears.

As a result, they can move their ears independently of each other and turn them almost 180 degrees. Humans have only three muscles in their ears.

Horses cannot breathe through their mouths.

Horses breathe only through their noses because they cannot breathe through their mouths like humans.

Horses can see in almost all directions.

This is because their eyes are located on the sides of their heads. However, they have two blind spots: one directly behind them and the other directly in front of and below their nose. As a result, they cannot see the carrot you are holding out to them or the grass they are grazing on! Instead, they decide what they want to eat using their flexible and sensitive lips, whiskers and sense of smell.

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The most expensive horse ever sold cost £70 million.

The thoroughbred racehorse named Fusaichi Pegasus was purchased by Coolmore Stud in Ireland in 2000 for a staggering $70 million. However, he was the sire of three Grade 1 winners and the grandsire of Ruler on Ice, the Belmont Stakes champion.

Horses are capable of understanding and interpreting human emotions.

A study conducted by the Universities of Sussex and Portsmouth found that horses have the ability to read human facial expressions and remember a person’s previous emotional state in order to modify their behaviour. Horses are naturally gifted with this skill because they are capable of making complex facial expressions.

Smith and his colleagues (2016) found in another study that horses’ hearts beat faster when they see angry human faces rather than happy ones. According to the study’s findings, horses can recognise both positive and negative emotions on a human’s face and become more anxious when they see angry faces.

Horses can sleep standing up.

A system of tendons and ligaments known as the ‘support apparatus’ allows horses to hold their legs in place so they can relax without falling. Horses use this device to relax when they are not resting, so they do not get tired from standing in one place for long periods of time. This allows them to conserve energy when they are standing. Horses actually spend a small amount of time each day lying down for deeper sleep, contrary to the common belief that they never do so.

Horses have quick reflexes.

When faced with danger, they can strike a powerful blow in just 0.3 seconds from a standing position, compared to a human reaction time of 1.6 seconds.

The oldest horse in history was 62 years old.

Old Billy (1760-1822), the oldest horse in history, now holds that title. He was from Woolston, Lancashire, England, and pulled barges up and down the canals.

It was most likely a Shire horse (heavy draft horse) with a brown coat and white markings, although its exact breed is unknown. In human years, it was approximately 165 years old.

There are two types of horse racing in Britain: flat racing and jump racing. Trotting races, where horses are harnessed to a cart, are not practised at a serious level here, and bets are not accepted on them.

In flat races, horses usually start competing at the age of two, and in jump races at the age of three or four. So what path leads horses to the Epsom Derby or the Cheltenham Festival?

A horse’s career in flat racing usually begins with maiden races. This term translates as ‘girl’. Maiden means that the horse has never won before. Horses can compete in maiden races an unlimited number of times. Some manage to win right away, while less talented ones ‘run in maidens’ for months or even years. The prizes in such races are not high – two or three thousand pounds.

After winning a maiden race – or completing several such races without winning, but somehow proving their professional suitability – racehorses are transferred to handicap races. This is the most popular type of horse racing.

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In a handicap race, each horse is given a certain weight load. This helps to equalise the chances of the participants. The most talented horse carries the most weight. The best horse with the heaviest load always goes in the race card under number 1. And then – in descending order. The horse at the bottom of the list carries the lowest weight and is considered the least capable.

Some players, by the way, bet exclusively on the first few numbers in handicaps. And this strategy works quite well.

Horses from the last lines do not win as often. Handicaps are divided into six classes. Class 1 is the highest, these are the highest quality horses. Class 6 is the lowest.

A horse can start in the lower handicap classes and gradually climb up.

Class 1 is the cream of British racing. These are the races that the whole country watches and discusses, and on which the biggest bets are placed.

Interestingly, Class 1 also has its own ‘ladder’.

The first class is divided into Listed, Group 3, Group 2 and Group 1 races. Listed races are a transitional stage from simple handicaps to prestigious Group 1, 2 and 3 races. To shine in such a race is an honour for any horse and says a lot about its talents.

And if you win in Listed races, you will make your way into Group races and win hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Group 1 races are the top of the pyramid. These include the Epsom Derby, some races in the Royal Ascot series, etc.

Group 2 and Group 3 races are slightly lower in level, but also extremely prestigious, and the prize money is very generous.

So, here it is, the path of a horse in flat racing: maiden => handicap => Listed => Group 3 => Group 2 => Group 1. Of course, few horses go through all the stages in their career. The ‘ceiling’ for most horses is middle-class handicaps. And prodigies can jump from ‘maiden’ races straight to Class 1.

The picture is similar in steeplechase racing. As in flat racing, most races here are also handicaps, and they are divided into six classes. There are also maiden and listed races. For the highest level of hurdle racing, the word ‘grade’ is used instead of ‘group’. The highest level of British hurdle racing is Grade 1.

The name of a hurdle race will always include the words ‘hurdle’ or “chase”. These terms refer to the type of obstacles. A hurdle is a low, flimsy fence up to one metre high. A chase is a race with high, solid barriers, known in Russian as a ‘stipelchiz’.

The only exception to the ‘either hurdle or chase’ rule is the National Hunt Flat Race category. This is a smooth race within the hurdle series – a preparatory race for beginners. Such races are held at hurdle racecourses around obstacles, usually at the end of the racing day.

For those who want to bet on hurdle races, it is also useful to know the words novices and beginner. These terms refer to newcomers, those with little experience – or few wins – in a particular type of race. In Britain and Ireland, there are many novices hurdle races, as well as beginners/novices chase races.

Horse training is one of the oldest and most prestigious professions in the UK, dating back hundreds of years. Those in the field have learnt through apprenticeships, with skilled old-timers passing on their knowledge and methods to new generations.

That could soon be set to change, though, as simulations are opening up horse training to a much wider audience. Now that these digital programs have become highly realistic, they offer people a viable way to learn the craft.

How is Horse Racing Evolving in the Digital Age?

Horse racing is staying relevant in the modern age through countless digital adaptations, enabling it to reach more people than ever before. Along with virtual horse racing offerings from sportsbooks that allow people to wager on races at almost any time of day, there are bingo games UK that introduce fans to the sport too. These include titles like Virtual! Horse Racing and Big Horsey Fortune and provide a unique way to endear people to the equestrian realm.

These virtual horse racing offerings have been around for many years, and they may have inspired a new wave of horse racing simulations that have grown in popularity in recent times. There are various titles to choose from, including Rival Stars Horse Racing and Phar Lap: Horse Racing Challenge. These games have been praised for how true to life they are and give players a taste of various aspects of the sport.

Simulations Are Becoming Highly Realistic

From a more practical angle, what’s become apparent in recent years is how realistic horse simulations have become. The top games now cover everything including breeding, training, and stable management, giving players a true taste of what it’s like to train horses in the real world. Many of the top games are useful to aspiring trainers, as they teach some of the core fundamentals involved with the profession.

For example, players learn conditioning logic, encompassing things like build-up phases, rest, and avoiding overtraining. There’s also a lot of surface and track logic involved, with different horses suiting different conditions. The underlying biology encoded in the game may often be simplified, but it can still get players into the habit of considering these facets of horse training.

Various Trades Could Soon Be Learnt Through Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is still in its infancy, but it could be set to take the world by storm in the next few years. Indeed, the technology is projected to be worth $435.36 billion by 2030. By this time, its realism is likely to have improved a lot, and it could offer even better ways for people to learn horse training methods through detailed simulations.

Various careers are already being learnt through VR simulations, with it allowing people to practise dangerous jobs like flying aeroplanes and construction work in a safe environment. In the future, even more jobs could be learnt in this way.

Horse training simulations are now so detailed that they can teach people methods that can be applied in the real world. They have made it so more people can discover a passion for the field, not just those who have been born into well-established stable dynasties.

Harry Cobden’s announcement that he will become JP McManus’ retained rider from May 2026 has sparked one of the sport’s most enjoyable debates: what is the best retainer in National Hunt racing?

For punters, these relationships often shape betting action on national hunt fixtures, and for those who like to place horse racing bets, it’s the retainers that frequently dictate who gets the plum rides when it matters most.

Cobden’s switch, which sees the 27-year-old leave Paul Nicholls after a decade, puts him in the same bracket as some of the sport’s most powerful riders and owners. With that in mind, here are five jobs that stand apart from the rest.

1) JP McManus

It’s tight between Willie Mullins and McManus, but the strength and depth the Irish billionaire has across multiple yards in the United Kingdom and Ireland perhaps gives him a narrow edge over Closutton. McManus has horses spread across more than 40 yards in Britain and around 20 in Ireland, utilising the likes of Mullins and Nicky Henderson.

Cobden will therefore have access to horses like Fact To File and Impose Toi, despite those yards having their own retained riders, which is why wearing the famous green and gold ranks first. Cobden also has huge boots to fill, with AP McCoy and Barry Geraghty the last two long-term riders to hold the role.

2) Willie Mullins

No surprises as Mullins comes in a very close second – and you could quite reasonably argue these jobs are practically equal. Being the retained rider for Closutton almost guarantees Cheltenham Festival success, and Paul Townend would certainly argue there isn’t a better gig. He has ridden 38 Festival winners, including four Gold Cups, two Queen Mother Champion Chases and a Champion Hurdle.

Townend also benefits from the support of some of the sport’s most powerful owners, including the Donnellys, Turleys, Rich Ricci and Gigginstown House Stud, who consistently populate the Mullins battalions with elite talent.

3) Nicky Henderson

Henderson may not boast the same depth of runners he once did at Seven Barrows, but what he lacks in quantity, he makes up for in sheer star power. Nico de Boinville has had the privilege of riding Constitution Hill, Sir Gino and Jonbon, among many others, and the fact he has accumulated more Grade 1 wins than any other current British jockey says everything about the strength of this position.

4) Gordon Elliott

Another highly debatable slot. One could easily argue that riding for Gordon Elliott at Cullentra House is better than the current role at Henderson’s, given Elliott’s depth and his consistent stream of Grade 1 performers.

Jack Kennedy has the benefit of sitting atop multiple top-level winners, including Teahupoo, Romeo Coolio and Brighterdaysahead, and the yard looks set to remain a powerhouse for seasons to come.

However, with Henderson currently holding more obvious headline acts, the English yard just edges ahead for now.

5) Dan Skelton

This is a job that could climb higher in the coming seasons. Dan Skelton appears to be improving year-on-year, and his brother Harry has been retained since the operation launched in 2013. Their progression has been undeniable, with Dan finishing runner-up to Mullins in the British trainers’ championship for the last two seasons.

Harry also won the inaugural (and only) David Power Jockeys Cup, worth £500,000, last season, demonstrating both the yard’s upward trajectory and the financial upside of the job.