Cheers rose from the grandstand as the thundering hooves of standardbred horses pulling cart and driver raced around the half-mile dirt track of Shenandoah Downs in Woodstock, Virginia. I was pressed up against the fence watching a tangle of wheels and legs whiz by me leaving nothing but clouds of dust in their wake as they raced around the half-mile track twice before crossing the finish line.
I had just witnessed my first ever harness race at Shenandoah Downs, and in fact, my first horse competition of any kind.
With just 20 minutes before the next race, I tried to digest as much information as I could from our guide about the sport of racing standardbreds. Whereas thoroughbred horses are born to run, standardbred horses are bred to race at one specific gait: either pacing or trotting. Pacers move both legs on one side of the body together, and trotters move diagonally paired legs together. And the two opposites never race each other since they move at very different speeds.
Many of the pacers wear hopples connecting their front and rear legs to help balance their stride and maintain their gait during races. If they go off-stride, they’re penalized and have to slow down and move to the outside until they regain the proper gait.
Pacer horse wearing hopples
At the sound of the bugle fanfare playing “Call to the Post” I turned my attention back to the parade of horses entering the track. Since Shenandoah Downs is a para-mutuel track, a viewing of the contenders often helps prospective bettors choose a favorite.
A few minutes later, the car carrying the mobile starting gate appeared and the horses with driver and sulkies lined up behind it. As the car approached the starting line, the winged gates closed up, the car accelerated off the track, and the race was on.
In harness racing, the horse is most important, but the driver is critical, as there is a fair amount of strategy involved. Each horse has one really good move – some like to be on the front end, some like to close, and the driver has to know when that one move is going to take place and be in the right position at the right time.
It was fascinating to watch the drivers in action and see their wildly varying expressions of intensity during the race.
If you’re visiting the Shenandoah Valley or exploring the caverns, make a pit stop in Woodstock for an afternoon of harness racing and family fun at Shenandoah Downs.
Shenandoah Downs
Shenandoah County Fairgrounds
300 Fairground Rd, Woodstock, VA 22664
Harness racing season begins Saturday, September 15, 2018
Website
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chief robbins says
I am a driver, Chief Robbins, and wish to thank everyone for enjoying these races and the history of the sport at Shenandoah Downs, one of the oldest harness racing tacks in the nation. The sport involves many strategies and incredible ability by the horses and drivers alike.
I speak for many drivers, trainers, and horsemen in welcoming you to this ageless sport that is majestic, historical and important for young people to realize the roots of horse racing and history in America. Shenandoah Downs has the original grandstand and offers betting races in a beautiful surrounding in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Millions of dollars were invested into this state of the art race track and offers food, festival family type atmosphere for all. Thank you for kind comments and look forward to seeing you!!
Brenda Haines says
I love horse races and this looks like so much fun! I wish we had things like this here.
shelly peterson says
This looks like it would be fun to watch. I have never seen a horse race before.
Alissa Apel says
I’ve only been to see cars race. This looks more fun! I love the photos you captured.
Veronica Solomon says
he races look like so much fun! That would be a great way to do something I have never done before
Toni says
I have been to horse races before but never this style. I also know a new word now; hopples! Some of those photos look harrowing. The jockey looks like they could be kicked in the face!
Kiwi says
Wow I never seen a harness race before. This is actually pretty crazy but intriguing how are they doing this?
Kristi says
Looks like a fun event to watch and you really captured it well. Looks like we need to plan a trip and add this to our list of must sees.
Claudia Krusch says
Loved your pictures! I’ve never watched anything like that! Amazing!
Theresa says
I have never even heard of Harness Racing, but it looks really exciting! I imagine it’s very popular for the locals to come down and root for their favorite horses.
Stacie says
Oh fun! Horse racing is so exciting! It’s unbelievable how fast those horses go.