What Is a Group of Racehorses Called?
The vocabulary of the track has its own name for the horses at the gate.
A group of racehorses is called a field, with meet, string, and remuda used in more specific contexts. “Field” is standard racing terminology for every horse entered in a given race.
What Is a Group of Racehorses Called?
Field is the standard racing term for every horse entered and running in a particular race, still used constantly by commentators and racing publications today. Meet refers more broadly to a whole event or series of races held at a track over a set period. String describes the group of horses owned or trained together by a single stable or trainer. Remuda is a Western ranching term, borrowed from Spanish, for a herd of horses from which ranch hands choose their mounts for the day — a working-horse term more than a racing one.
Where Did the Name Come From?
Unlike most animal collective nouns, which trace to the medieval Book of Saint Albans hunting tradition, “field” comes from the more modern vocabulary of organized horse racing, where it describes the literal field of competitors in a race. “Remuda” has a separate, more recent history, arriving in American English through Spanish-speaking vaqueros and Western ranch culture.
Racehorse Facts
- Bred for speed: Thoroughbreds, the dominant racing breed, are selectively bred for speed and stamina, with pedigrees tracked back centuries.
- Short careers: most racehorses compete for only a few years before retiring to breeding or other second careers.
- Top speeds: Thoroughbred racehorses can reach speeds of over 40 mph at a full gallop.
- Early starts: racehorses typically begin training around age two, with most careers peaking between ages three and five.
Example Sentences
- The field of racehorses broke cleanly from the starting gate.
- The trainer’s string of racehorses had three wins that season.
Other Names for a Group of Racehorses
Field is what you’ll hear used for the actual competitors in a race. String is a stable’s working term for the horses under one trainer’s care. Meet refers to the racing event itself rather than the horses. Remuda belongs to a different tradition entirely, ranch work rather than the track, but is sometimes listed alongside racing terms since both describe working groups of horses.
🧠 Test Your Racehorse Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.
1. What is the standard racing term for the horses competing in a race?
2. What does “string” refer to?
3. Where does the term “remuda” come from?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of racehorses called?
A field, the standard racing term for the horses entered and competing in a race.
What’s the difference between a field and a string?
Field refers to the horses competing in one race; string refers to all the horses trained by a single stable or trainer.
What is a remuda?
A remuda is a herd of ranch horses from which riders choose their mounts for the day, a term borrowed from Spanish-speaking Western ranch culture.
How fast can racehorses run?
Thoroughbred racehorses can reach speeds of over 40 mph at a full gallop.
Straight From the Track
A field of racehorses is one of the rare collective nouns that comes from the modern sports world rather than an old English hunting tradition.