From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A sulky is a lightweight cart having two wheels and a seat for the driver only but usually without a body. It was pulled by horses or dogs, and is used for harness races. The term is also used for a light stroller, an arch mounted on wheels or crawler tracks and used in logging, or other types of vehicle having wheels and usually a seat for the driver, such as a plough, lister or cultivator.
Horse sulky
A sulky for horses is a lightweight two-wheeled, single-seat racing cart that is used as a form of rural transport in many parts of the world, and in most forms of harness racing in Argentina, Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand, including both trotting and pacing races. They are called "sulkies" because of the solitary confinement of the driver (see, for example, "The Encyclopaedia of Driving" 1979, by Sallie Walrond). Race sulkies come in two categories,
- Traditional symmetrical sulkies
- Asymmetric or "offset" sulkies
The asymmetric sulky was patented in Australia in the 1980s and came to prominence in 1987 when a two-year-old gelding named Rowleyalla used one to break the then world record for his category by a colossal seventeen times the biggest previous margin that any southern hemisphere horse had ever broken a world mile record. At 3.4 seconds under the existing mark, it was also the greatest margin by which any world harness racing record was broken in that year.
In 1990 the asymmetric sulky was introduced into North America, winning seven of its first nine starts at Freehold, NJ. Today the great majority of sulky manufacturers in North America are producing asymmetric sulkies.
An additional sulky type is the "team-to-pole" or "pairs" sulky, a lightweight single seat sulky designed for draft by two horses abreast.
These may also be split into two types:
- Traditional pole and yoke with draft by traces.
- Dorsal hitch with draft direct from the saddle to the yoke and, via the pole, to the sulky.
Of the two, the dorsal hitch pairs sulky is the most recent, holding all current world pairs speed records over the mile to July 31, 2005.
Sulkies used in harness racing
There are two types of sulkies used in harness racing.
- Jog Carts, used only for training, are bigger and bulkier than a racing bike. The shafts are normally made out of wood, but may be aluminum, steel or stainless steel. They have bigger seats which requires less athleticism to sit upon. The most modern styles provide full independent suspension by hydraulic dampers and progressive rate coil springs. These give both a smoother ride and higher speed than traditional types. They are also lighter.
- Race Bikes are the only style allowed to be used in races or qualifying heats. They are more compact and aerodynamic than a jog cart, have a smaller seat that reduces weight, but require more athleticism for the driver to sit upon. Shafts may be of carbon fibre, aluminum, titanium, stainless steel or, less often, wood.
When it rains, or the track has excessive moisture, trainers and drivers are required to put plastic mud flaps on the back of the wheels. All race bikes must comply with the relevant procedures and standards in order to be approved. In no way can a race bike have any component that will directly interfere with another horse or driver.
