The first vehicle is a training cart, heavier than the sulky which the Standardbred will ultimately pull. Whether at a farm or at a track, horses are regularly exercised to develop and maintain speed and condition. Equipment A check rein and head pole keep a trotter's head in position, while blinkers focus attention straight ahead. Sulkies Weighing approximately forty pounds, lighter but more stable bicycle-type sulkies replaced ones with higher wheels, reducing wind resistance and increasing speed. Drivers Size, weight, and age are not restrictive factors for drivers.
Great skill is needed to guide tbe horse and sulky in the tight quarters of a high speed race.
The Starting Gate From the time the mobile starting gate accelerates away to the moment that the winning horse crosses the finish line, a harness race is a mile of speed and strategy. A gate mounted on the back of a car allows all the horses to start at speed and on stride. Once it crosses the starting line, the car accelerates out of the way. Under Saddle Riders, not drivers, handle the reins in an unusual format of Standardbred racing in France. On Turf Harness horses race on grass surfaces in many countries of the world.