Furlong

A furlong is an old unit of distance primarily used in horse racing, equal to 220 yards or about 1/8 of a mile. Historically, it originated from agricultural measurements, where a furlong represented the length of a furrow in a field. Today, it's still used in racing to describe race lengths, such as a 6-furlong race, which is roughly three-quarters of a mile. Although uncommon outside of racing, understanding furlongs helps in grasping traditional measurements related to horse sports and historical land measurements.