Moving at the speed a horse is capable of achieving is a goal only a few lucky riders experience. Those trained to race horses know the beauty of horse racing is a combination of speed, endurance, and ensuring the horse is fit and healthy at the end of the race. Keeping all these factors in mind, owners of race horses may have some tracks they like better than others.
Natural turf tracks are favoured by many due to the advantages in keeping their horses and jockeys safe. Instead of clouds of dust, dirt, and debris, a grass track offers a more resilient surface for racing. The horses may kick up a few divots as they move along the track, but they are heavy enough not to rise into the faces of the racers.
Synthetic tracks have become more popular as the years have passed. One heavily favoured by those concerned with avoiding injuries to horses is the polytrack. It is built in several layers. The foundation is gravel. The top layers consist of sand over that, a layer of carpet, and they then have a synthetic surface that can be a combination of spandex and rubber. These materials, constructed properly, help avoid water retention, and they can also help avoid injuries for the horses.
