The Pro Sports Guidebook to Harness Racing (Paperback or Softback)

Harness racing is one of the oldest and most technical horse sports in the world. A Standardbred horse, a lightweight sulky, a skilled driver, a prepared track, a trained yard and a strict rule system all come together in a race that can look simple from the outside but is built on years of horsemanship, preparation and commercial organisation.

The Pro Sports Guidebook to Harness Racing is a practical guide to the sport for anyone who wants to understand it, enter it, work around it or build a small business near it. It explains trotting, pacing, Standardbred horses, sulkies, drivers, trainers, grooms, owners, breeders, farriers, vets, officials, event workers, media roles, catering, sponsorship and the full race-day economy.

This book is written for beginners, parents, young drivers, horse owners, stable workers, small breeders, venue operators, rural event organisers, photographers, sponsors, and anyone curious about how harness racing works as a real sporting world. It treats the horse as the athlete, not as equipment, and keeps welfare, legal racing, safe tracks and organised competition at the centre throughout.

Inside, you will learn how drivers enter the sport, what kind of horses are suited to racing, how a sulky works, how training yards operate, how race meetings are organised, how prize money and purses are earned, how owners and trainers make and lose money, how officials enforce the rules, and how tracks generate income through spectators, food, betting where legal, hospitality, media, vendors and sponsorship.

The guide also includes practical appendices covering key organisations and competitions, major international events, questions to ask before joining a yard or club, basic equipment and safety checks, a glossary of harness racing terms, and a structured guide to the rules of the sport.

This is not a romantic guide to dangerous road racing or unregulated activity. It is a serious, practical and welfare-first guide to harness racing as a recognised sport, from local club level to the major international races.