Currently in America, there is a little known sport called Steeplechasing. The basic premise is a horse race over obstacles. The sport is broken down into two categories that include brush races and timber races. A brush race is a race over soft forgiving obstacles. The jumps used to be stuffed hedges but have been replaced by plastic portable hurdles. Timber races are over natural wooden fences commonly found foxhunting.
Every weekend in the spring and fall between New Jersey and Florida there is one steeplechase. Unfortunately, the people that participate and are involved are limited to a number around 150. The sport is dominated by a committed group of about thirty people including trainers, riders, stewards and grooms. These people travel around the country to different venues with their horses to compete. At each event there are around 6 races that have an average of 8 or 9 horses competing. Purses for the races range from $5,000 to $175,000.
The steeplechase competitions are put on by different groups of people. These events are used to draw huge crowds to raise money for charities. These events have raised huge sums for hospitals, arts, and the conservation of agricultural land.
Unfortunately, these events are the extent of the sport. Casual access to the sport is very limited which is the primary reason that the number of people involved is small. One organization, NAPPA, was created to allow participation on the lowest level. NAPPA also educates and promotes the sport. Hopefully, NAPPA will give people a chance to practice the sport and create new participants. Check out the website at www.naptp.org.
