Racing For Kids: Easy Entertainment At Home

Features | 12^th February 2021

With school half-term on the horizon we've pulled together some fun games and videos to help keep the kids occupied!

Enjoy these fun and exciting racing for kids activities, quizzes and videos.

To get you started, here’s a colourful downloadable booklet with lots of different activities available where you can design your own silks, enjoy a wordsearch, find your way through a racing themed maze, have a go at an emoji quiz and more!

PLAY QUIZ: Which famous horse are you?

We can work out what type of racehorse you are by just asking you a few simple questions. To find out what famous Grand National winner is best suited to your character, play our quiz.

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Learn More About Horses

How fast can horses run? What age do horses start racing? Find out…

Kids Vs Jockeys

Horse racing isn’t all about the horses, jockeys are just as important.

Find out more about what makes jockeys tick with four-time Champion Jump Jockey Richard Johnson being interviewed by his daughter and sons.

Jockey Vs Footballer

Jockeys are incredible athletes with many of them riding in up to eight races every day in the busiest times of the year!

But how did top jockey Hollie Doyle compare to England footballer Leah Williamson in a series of fitness challenges? Find out the final scores by watching the video.

What Do Horse Racing Words Mean?

Horse racing has it’s own unique phrases and terms – many of which don’t really make sense when you first hear them!

To help clear things up we’ve listed 20 racing words that you can learn and use when you’re next watching the sport.

If you’re ever unsure of what a horse racing word means, go to our jargon buster.

Here are some good horse racing terms you can learn

Apprentice: A trainee Flat jockey connected to the stable of a licensed trainer.

At The Post: When all the horses have arrived at the start before a race.

Breeze: Galloping a horse at a moderate speed.

Bumper: A Flat race run under Jump Rules, used to educate young prospective jumps horses before they tackle hurdles or fences.

Cheekpieces: Strips of sheepskin that are attached to the side of a horse’s bridle. They partially obscure a horse’s rear vision, with the aim of getting the horse to concentrate on racing.

Classic: Group of historic major races for three-year-olds in the Flat season.

Distance: The margin by which a horse has won or has been beaten

Going: The condition of the racing surface. Ranges from heavy to firm.

Green: Used to describe an immature or inexperienced horse.

Hacked up: Describes a horse that won easily.

Length: The unit of measurement for the distance between each horse at the finish of a race; the measurement of a horse from head to tail.

Nose: Smallest official distance a horse can win by.

Nursery: A handicap on the Flat for two-year-old horses.

Photo-finish: In a close race, where the placings cannot be determined easily, the result is determined by the judge.

Pulled up: A horse that drops out mid-race and does not finish.

Pushed out: When a horse is ridden vigorously, but without full effort by the jockey

Stayer: A horse that specialises in racing over long distances.

String: All the horses in a particular training stable.

Sure thing: A horse that is regarded as having little chance of losing.

Yearling: A horse from January 1 to December 31 of the year following its birth.

QUIZ: Test yourself on the horse racing terms

Test yourself on the same words in the previous section, no cheating!

See How Horses Are Cared And Loved For

A very important subject to know is how well horses are cared, loved and looked after.

Horses are treated like royalty, from getting daily exercise which they adore, to grooming which involves cleaning their hooves (feet), brushing, bathing and more!