Horses and horse racing have had a substantial impact on American history and continue to make up a large part of American culture today. It's easy to understand how horse racing has evolved by going back in time and identifying how it all began. First, Thoroughbred: Born to Run, a PBS documentary produced and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Wagner, discusses the origins of horse racing: "The first steeplechase race in Ireland in the 1600s was a race between two steeple churches” (Of race). This was the first historically recognized "horse race", although it is very possible that horses had been raced before. Two men decided to race their horses in order to prove the basic principle that one horse was faster than the other's. It was much later, in the 1750s, that a group was created to define the standards and regulations for breeding, racing and racetracks. This regulatory group was known as the Jockey Club and still polices racecourses today. Second, the movement of horse racing across America is identified by PBS's Timeline of Horse Racing in the United States: "In the 1840s, settlers moving west took horse racing with them. them, establishing the sport in Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Louisiana. ..and in the 1850s, prospectors heading for the gold rush brought thoroughbreds to California” (“Timeline”). Settlers during the westward movement spread and established horse racing throughout Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, and eventually California. Not only did horses help settlers work the land and travel, but they also provided a means of entertainment and pleasure on the trail. However, horse racing came to a screeching halt during the Civil War in the 1860s when thoroughbreds were in the middle of the war. paper......protest races, sales races, maiden races and apprentice races ("Types"). Each of these races constitutes a challenge for the horses participating in them. When many Americans think of horse racing, the Kentucky Derby comes to mind, there is nothing more exciting than watching the "most exciting two minutes in sports." Since the Kentucky Derby's inception in 1875, it has become a nationally recognized event, taking place on the first Saturday in May and attracting more than 16 million television viewers each year. Whether it's jumping over hurdles or running on the flat, horse racing is a physically demanding sport for both the horse and the jockey. Horse racing will continue to be a controversial sport and will hopefully one day overcome its flaws, but horses will never cease to impress audiences with their compassion for racing and their seemingly limitless abilities on and off the track..