You will often here a horse talked about in terms of the types of races they contest and their style of running.
So, a horse might be described as a sprinter, a stayer (if it runs over the longer distance races), a miler, a hurdler, or a chaser (if it runs in steeplechases).
Some terms used to describe a horse’s running style include:
• A front runner – a horse that likes to lead from the front from the start of the race
• A hold up horse – a horse that is ridden in the middle of towards the back of the field in the early stages of a race. The intention is to move past the front running horses in the latter stages of the race
• A flat track horse – some jumps horses do not like running on undulating tracks, which can be more stamina sapping then flatter courses. A horse might have the stamina to compete over two and half miles on a flatter track but not stay the distance if it is run on a more hilly track.
• Running freely or keenly – at the start of a race a horse might want to go faster than the jockey wishes. The jockey might try to slow the horse down so that it does not expend its energy too early on. A battle between the horse and jockey often ensues, with a tug of war on the reins
• Green – if a horse is said to be running ‘green’ it usually refers to a young, inexperienced racehorse that has had few runs on the racecourse. The horse might be wandering across the racecourse as it runs rather than going in a straight line, or it might be pricking its ears and looking around rather than concentrating on its running
