Just beyond the Karosta prison is the sprawling hippodrome, a testament to the importance of the cavalry in early 20th-century warfare and to the fascination with all things equine in an age when Henry Ford was just beginning to mesmerise the world with his horseless carriages. The original structure was completely enclosed by a glass roof and military equestrian performances took place every weekend to crowds of spectators as large as 4,000 people. Only red-brick ruins remain.