What equipment do you need to race in the Melbourne cup?

Answer 1

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's most prestigious horse race with a huge prize pool. It attracts elite horses from all over the world. Only very serious racehorses bother to compete.

To compete in the Cup you need the same basic equipment as any other horse race.

For a horse to race well, it needs to carry as little weight as possible. The actual weight that each horse must carry is determined by the organisers of the race. In the Melbourne Cup, horses that have proven themselves to be outstanding must carry more weight. For example, in 2005 Makybe Diva won her THIRD Melbourne Cup carrying a record weight of 58 kilos.

58 kilos was a massive weight for a racehorse to carry in a race. Most carry less. It's not easy to find jockeys who weigh much under 50 kilos, so the rest of what the horse must carry - the jockey's silks and saddle - must weigh as little as possible. If the horse needs to carry more weight, weights will be added.

The racing saddle is streamlined and light. The aluminum stirrups are designed to weigh as little as possible. They are very high. During the pre-race warmup when the jockey sits on the horse's back, he looks as if he is kneeling because the stirrups are drawn up so high. This is so that during the race he can stand out of the saddle and avoid pressing on the horse's back, slowing it down.

Racehorses are nervous and highly strung. Many need precision bits to help control them. The racing bridle is also very light, and some horses wear a hood over their eyes or earplugs to help keep them calm.

Racehorses wear aluminum shoes to avoid adding extra weight to their legs that makes them slower.

And as with any horse, they need rugs, toys, grooming equipment and all the other things that are required to look after a horse. This travels with a racehorse as it needs to be cared for very well if it is to do well at races.