The credit for bringing horses under control and domesticating them goes to the nomadic races that lived in Central Asia around 4500 B.
C.
Pitting horses against each other in races is one of the most primitive forms of sport which flourished as a grand game for the kings and the nobles.
Modern horse racing, however, has gained newer dimensions and is a major venue which permits legalized gambling.
Till now, the most popular and acclaimed form of horse racing is the race of mounted horses (thoroughbred) over racing courses, at variable distances, ranging from 3/4th of a mile to a couple of miles.
"Handicapping" is a very popular terminology in horse racing and it has got a special meaning attached to it.
It is the art of forecasting the winner horse in a horse race.
The process is not a very easy one and involves an evaluation of the exhibited abilities and racing prowess of a horse, under the existing condition of racing on a given running day.
To make the correct predictions, the handicappers need to consult the past performance records of his speed along with the number of wins and losses in preceding races.
It is also important to note if he is showing a steady improvement or not.
The conditions under which the horse is set to race takes into consideration the quality of other racing horses in the run, the distance, the going surface and the condition of the race course.
Promising horse racing resources on the internet hand over the little secrets of handicapping to the handicapper for a very little fee which can successfully drive in big wins.
A somewhat related but a little different meaning of "handicapping" in horse racing also refers to the different measures of additional weight that are assigned to specific horses in accordance with age/ability in an attempt to determine which horse is the most likely contender to win a specific race.