Because steeplechase races are longer than those on the flat, the steeplechase horse also must have enough stamina to carry its speed over two miles or more. Most are geldings castrated and are continuing their racing careers over fences. The most famous and toughest jump race in the world is the English Grand National, held at Aintree Racecourse outside of Liverpool, England.
Run since , the race consists of 30 fences made of spruce stuffed into wooden stakes. The race generally attracts 40 starters and is run over a 4 mile course where the horses and their brave jockeys negotiate the most testing of fences. The National is also the most watched television sporting event in the world.
They are a varied group. Most are professional riders, but some amateur jockeys remain in the steeplechase sport. Many of the leading jockeys today are from Ireland or England, where they gained valuable riding experience. Some women also are jockeys, and Danielle Hodsdon has been a champion jockey. The National Steeplechase Association, the sanctioning body of jump racing in the United States, requires jockeys to wear certified helmets and chest protectors that meet stringent crash-protection standards, and they carry padded whips to protect the well-being of the steeplechase horses.
In general, no. Steeplechase jockeys are taller and heavier than most flat jockeys. The weights carried by steeplechase horses are higher than those of flat runners, so the jockeys tend to weigh a bit more than their counterparts on the flat.
The fences used here in the USA are more like hurdles and are used in most races meets known as National Fences. They are portable obstacles that are used in steeplechase races up and down the East Coast, where most steeplechase races are held. And why, really, is this silly race called the steeplechase? Like many track and field events, the steeplechase's origins can be traced back to United Kingdom.
Runners, as they were apparently wont to do, would often race each other from one town's church steeple to the next.
The steeples were chosen because they were easy to see from long distances, leading to the name "steeplechase. The countryside would also require runners to jump over various barriers over the course of their race.
These included stone walls and small rivers. When the race was modernized, the walls were simulated with hurdles and the rivers and creeks were simulated with the water pit. According to the IAAF, the modern 3,meter steeplechase track event — with the barriers and the water pit — first originated at Oxford University in the midth century.
It was then included in the English Championship in In the Olympics, men have raced the steeplechase since , while the women, somewhat shockingly, only first raced it at the Olympics in in Beijing. Today, the race features five barriers: four hurdles plus the barrier before the water pit.
For the men, those barriers are 36 inches, and for the women they are 30 inches. It requires a different type of fitness than flat events do. It takes more than endurance; it requires hurdling endurance. You have to be able to adapt quickly and handle the rapid changes in speed that come as you approach a barrier, clear it and resume your run.
Each athlete must pass over the hurdles; passing under or intentionally knocking over hurdles will result in disqualification. Hurdle technology is a method of ensuring that pathogens in food products can be eliminated or controlled.
This means the food products will be safe for consumption, and their shelf life will be extended. Metaphorically a hurdle can refer to any obstacle, barrier, or problem that needs to be overcome. As a verb, hurdle means to leap over or overcome an obstacle or difficulty.
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