Our Sulky Harness Racing Statue makes an eye catching award or gift. The bronze colored statuette captures the fluid movement of a pacing horse as the wind blows back the horse’s mane. The statue’s ebony base (12.5”) provides ample space for our engraving plate. Our talented graphic artists will place up to 2 lines of text on the plate, and all engraving is included in the price of the gift.
This extremely life-like sulky statue depicts the three distinguishing characteristics of harness racing which make this form of horse racing different than other forms: the two-wheeled sulky, the driver with his whip, and the Standardbred, short-legged pacing horse that is typically used in harness racing.
What exactly is a sulky? Dictionary.com defines a “sulky” as “a light, two-wheeled, one-horse carriage for one person.” In harness racing, according to Sallie Walrond, author of the book “The Encyclopaedia of Driving”, the carriages behind the horses are called “sulkies” because the drivers must prefer to be alone as if the drivers were sullen or gloomy.
Sulkies (sometimes called bikes due to their wheels) are typically divided into two types for harness racing. Jog carts are used for training the horse, and they usually have larger seats and tend to have heavy wooden/steel frames. Two long poles attach the sulky to a harness around the neck and shoulders of the horse. Racing “bikes” are much more aerodynamic with a small seat and stirrups for the driver. They typically are aluminum, carbon fiber, or some other lightweight material. The sulky in our statue has the thin tires and sleek frame of a racing bike.
A second distinguishing feature of this sport is the term “driver” not “jockey” for the person in control of the horse. Drivers must be athletic to stay firmly in the seat, and they must be smart about when to signal the horse to speed up. Harness racing requires strategy and skill to win. The driver may use a whip during a race, as our statue shows; however, the driver normally strikes the sulky shaft to signal the horse.
Finally, our statuette displays a Standardbred horse using a pacing gait. Standardbreds will run a harness race using one of two gaits: a trot or a pace. A trot is defined as when the horses’ legs move in diagonal pairs; when the right foreleg moves forward, so does the left hind leg, and vice versa. On the other hand, a pace is a two-beat lateral gait; pacers’ forelegs move in unison with the hind legs on the same side. If the horse breaks the assigned gait for the race, they are disqualified.
Standardbred horses have a number of characteristics which make them ideal for harness racing. Standardbreds tend to have larger muscles and longer bodies than other breeds. They also are even-tempered, people-oriented, and easy to train. Since harness races involve more strategy and more changes of speed than other races, Standardbreds make the perfect breed for sulky racing.
We think our Sulky Harness Racing Statue will make a satisfying gift or trophy for that person who races or raises horses for harness racing. This spectacular statue is loaded with specific details that true lovers of harness racing will appreciate. We also offer many other equestrian trophies. Check out our full catalogue by following this link.