I was wondering what the differences are between a race horse, a show horse and another type of horse. I know race horses go to races, show horses go to shows but that’s it.
That is it in a nutshell. Race horses are almost always thoroughbreds or stamdardbreds while show horses can be any breed. Do you have any questions that aren’t as broad? You will probably get better info if you narrow down to specific disciplines or at least English vs western.
I had thought maybe they had different personalities or something like that. Some people might want you to have experience grooming race horses, or experience grooming show horses, or experience at horse shows. I’m just not sure what that all means or what the differences are.
Training
ETA: just read your post about grooming. There will be different expectations of handling and presenting horses based on the discipline they are associated with.
But if you’re asking what the difference is related to the horses and these different disciplines, it’s training. They all receive training that has similar foundations but more specialized specifics. They’re all horses. And most breeds can be taught to do most things, though some will excel far over others because of selected breeding.
Make sense? 
There’s differences in the way the horses are groomed-how they are clipped, how they wear their manes and so forth. There are differences in the tack they wear, a Jumper groom would need to know what a figure eight is and how to put it on and adjust it and all about caulks. A Saddlebred or Arab groom needs to know how to adjust a double bridle or put on a harness and hitch one up. An AQHA barn job means knowing how to turn out a Halter or Showmanship horse
The racetrack is a whole other world.
So, besides the basics any groom must know, each discipline requires knowledge specific to that discipline from grooms.
This makes sense thank you for your responses
besides the gear, track groom work for injury prevention, like wrapping legs, etc, not for beauty. of course, a horse will be turned out to it’s best there as well, but form follows function: You might see a braided horse in a race, but the jockeys usually undo the first several braids, so they can use the mane to grab on to. the mane will be generally pulled short.
For other disciplines, appearance is important, so a groom has to know how to do more than brush or rinse the sweat off, like bathing, clipping, keeping manes from getting entangled, because they are supposed to be long, same as tales.
Again, every breed/discipline does things a little different.
A QH racer is not the same as a halter horse, as a WP or as a reiner/cutter…
Also, the environment is different: race horses are often fit and fed to the point of bursting out of their skin - figurative speaking - which is a different type of horse to deal with than a show horse accustomed to wait around for spells at a time. the same horse put in a show environment may likely act completely different.
The difference between a race horse, a show horse, an endurance horse, an event horse is a matter of the training received by the horse, as well as in some cases their breed. Most not all race horses are TB, but there are QH races, Arab races, and Appaloosa races. And I could be missing some.
Show horses can show in many disciplines some of which are breed restricted.
If you at interested in the differences between the disciplines, grooming wise, a great book is Grooming to Win, by Susan Harris.
Some of the info is a little outdated (does anyone braid their own wisp or whatever she called it out of straw and ‘bang’ their horse anymore???) but 99% of it is pure gold.
Race horses race on the flat or over fences, usually. There are flat races for Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Paints, Arabians, Appaloosas … and maybe some other breeds as well. Standardbreds also race on the flat, but they race in harness, pulling sulkies, and either race at the trot or the pace. There are races over fences, called steeplechases, or hurdle races, or point-to-points. I don’t know if those races are breed-specific, like most flat races (e.g., Thoroughbreds usually race against other Thoroughbreds, not against Quarter Horses). Quarter Horses are called Quarter Horses because the breed was originally developed to race at a quarter of a mile, which they still do.
Show horses are, as you said, horses that are entered in different kinds of horse shows. Some horses basically don’t do anything BUT show; other horses are occasionally shown, but they are also trail ridden, pleasure ridden, etc. Some shows are for certain breeds; others are open to horses of all breeds.
So you have race horses, which includes flat races, steeplechasers, hurdlers, point-to-point horses, and harness races. You also have trail horses, endurance horses, eventers, cutting horses, reining horses, pleasure horses, coaching horses … the list goes on and on and on.
Standardbreds-- IME, excercised daily with a training mile or double header once a week, plus a race during the spring through fall. Jogged over the winter, and possibly raced if conditions are still decent, with the possibility of a month or two off in the worst part of winter. WELL WELL WELL fed. Not always on turn-out, depending on horse, because of risk of injury.
Grooms working in this industry need to be quick and efficient. Large training barns have lots of horses to get through daily work outs, plus all regular daily chores. With a numerous tracks in the area, there could be the potential of having different horses racing at different tracks over the course of the week.
Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds must be purebred. They are required to be registered with the appropriate registries and be tattooed in order to race. Tattoos will be checked on race day. Drivers, trainers and grooms etc are subject to drug testing, and are also required to have a license for access into barn area at tracks.
Show horses of a High Level-- Depending on horse, exercise regimes would vary. Some need a lot more work over others. Turn out could also depend on the farm, what owner/trainer wants and expects, and weather in the area. Horses competing at high levels could be on the road (or in the air) quite a bit, requiring careful planning of their show schedule and exercise program, to make sure they are peaking at the correct time.
Show horses of Lower Levels-- Could be a school horse being ridden a couple times a week by a beginner rider, and only doing w-t-c classes at local schooling shows. (IME) Get fed a more ‘basic’ diet of hay and water, and maybe a teeny tiny amount of grain. Grooming is likely to be done by the rider, and maybe pay someone to braid their horse for a show. More likely to have 24/7 or daily turnout, depending on season.
“Husband Horse or Pasture Puff”–Either horses that can be pulled our for when a non-horse friends come over and will accept their mistakes, and be okay for several months without being ridden. Or the horse has been retired, and is just pretty to look at!
There are a lot of different disciplines under each English, Western, Driving, and Racing catergories. Each will have its own nuances, that can be discipline specific, while other items will go across the board of all disciplines.
Each and every horse has their own personality, and their own preference on how they want to be ridden/driven, scratched, brushed, (pestered?), and preference on what their favourite treat is.
[QUOTE=meupatdoes;7996832]
Some of the info is a little outdated (does anyone braid their own wisp or whatever she called it out of straw and ‘bang’ their horse anymore???) but 99% of it is pure gold.[/QUOTE]
An earlier discussion of how many of us bang our horses: http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?372112-Help-an-old-lady-out-Beating-grooming-whatsitcalled&highlight=whisp
And where to buy the bangers: http://www.larkhillsaddlery.co.uk/product/4378/Shires_1050_Leather_Massage_Pad
:winkgrin:
[QUOTE=aurora171989;7996587]
I had thought maybe they had different personalities or something like that. Some people might want you to have experience grooming race horses, or experience grooming show horses, or experience at horse shows. I’m just not sure what that all means or what the differences are.[/QUOTE]
I find that, generally speaking, horses of different breeds long-developed for different jobs do have different personalities.
My most recent discovery-- stock-breed and even half-Arabians are a helluvalot better at not doing stupid things like scaring themselves while tied and pulling back in a panic.
I don’t want to believe this is true. I spent most of my life riding (and protecting) TBs and then WBs who did do “panic” well. So when I now warn my clients with stock-bred horses about not tying their horse to, say, the metal window of his stall… or speak of potential tying disasters, they just give me the blank stare.
So interesting the way I walk around and see disasters waiting to happen and the people who grew up with these other horses really don’t.
