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Harness racing in Finland is characterised by the use of the coldblood breed Finnhorse along with modern light trotters such as the Standardbred. In lack of gallop racing culture, harness racing is the main equestrian sport in Finland. Horses used for harness racing in Finland are exclusively trotters. Racing back home from church had been a tradition long before the first organised race was held in 1817. Modern racing started in the 1960s, when light breeds were allowed to enter the sport and Parimutuel betting gained foothold as pastime. Nowadays harness racing remains popular, with the main events gathering tens of thousands of spectators in the country with a population of some 5 million. ==History== Harness racing in Finland developed from the practise of racing back home from church, and was a popular traditional recreational activity among farmers.〔Saastamoinen (ed.), p. 68〕〔Pesonen et al., p. 198"〕 The first organised race was held in Turku in 1817.〔〔 In the 20th century, as mechanisation of agriculture in Finland reduced the need for farm horses, harness racing also started to decline.〔 By the end of the 1950s, there were only half as many local races as had been held during the peak of harness racing's popularity in earlier decades.〔 Likewise, the number of Finnhorses plummeted, as it seemed horses had no role in modern society.〔 Until 1959, only Finnhorses were allowed to be raced in Finland.〔Pesonen et al., p. 199"〕 However, at the beginning of the 1960s, harness racing with Parimutuel betting began to grow and was promoted as a new form of recreation for city-dwellers.〔 New racetracks were built and old ones renovated, while the addition of imported trotter breeds added a new feeling to the events.〔 Thus harness racing, previously a farmers' hobby, took on a more professional air as light trotting breeds used specifically for sport, such as the Orlov Trotter and Standardbred, were introduced.〔 In 1965, the Finnish Parimutuel betting regulations were changed to increase the payout percentage.〔Pesonen et al., p. 161〕 This further increased interest in betting, and increased betting in turn made it possible to arrange more heats with larger purses, giving race horse breeders greater opportunities and incentives.〔 From the 1960s to the 1970s the number of harness racing spectators quintupled, and the Finnhorse established its new use as a harness racing horse.〔Pesonen et al., p. 199"〕 In 1965, the "universal horse" section of the Finnhorse studbook was replaced with a trotter section. While the total number of Finnhorses continued to diminish until 1987, the popularity of harness racing turned Finnhorse birthrates around from the historical low of the 1970s.〔 Harness racing continues to be a popular spectator sport, with the Kuninkuusravit competition having attracted more than 50,000 spectators in the beginning of the 2000s. 8000 horses are raced annually, and races are held on all days except for Christmas. The sport is the second most watched in Finland after ice hockey, with more than 800 000 spectators annually. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Harness racing in Finland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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