What is Horse Racing?
Horse racing is a sport that involves running horses over dedicated courses, often incorporating obstacles such as hurdles. Horses are trained by professional trainers, then ridden by amateur jockeys. Some races are sprints, while others are longer distances such as a mile or two. The best runners are rewarded with the biggest purses. Generally, a horse’s performance is influenced by its age, sex, and training.
Races have evolved to reflect changes in the game’s rules, regulations and betting methods. Historically, owners provided the purses for the races, and bettors placed wagers on individual horses or combinations of the top three finishers. Early match races pitted one horse against another, and an owner who wished to withdraw from the race forfeited his share of the purse. In modern times, a horse’s entry in a race is based on a number of factors such as its class, its win/place chances and the amount of money it has won or lost on previous races. Its sex and the length of the race are also important considerations.
In addition to a purse, horse races are organized into categories such as stakes races and handicap races. In stakes races, the entries are restricted to a set number of horses, usually by nomination dates that close far in advance. Horses in these races carry weights to ensure that competitors have the same chance of winning. The weights are determined by the sex, age and distance of the race.
As with other sports, horses are a prey animal, so the sport can be physically demanding and sometimes dangerous. Many horses are injured or killed each year, and some suffer catastrophic heart attacks during a race. Many others break limbs, are crippled or become permanently lame. The grueling physical stress of race day and the long, drawn-out training process can also cause a variety of mental issues in horses, including anal ulcers, colic and choking.
While horse racing has made a few improvements in recent years, it is clear that there is much more that needs to be done. Horses should not be routinely killed in order to entertain a small group of fans, and the sport must end its code of silence about the cruelty that is rampant throughout its ranks.
A growing awareness of the abuses plaguing the industry is empowering horse lovers to take action. We can start by supporting legislation to fund enhanced drug testing and by urging lawmakers to better regulate the trainers who are responsible for the health and well-being of the animals they train. And we can support the handful of nonprofit rescue groups that network, fundraise and work tirelessly to save horses who are rescued from racing. But unless the public knows the truth about horse racing, it will be impossible to stop the bleeding of horses into the slaughter pipeline.