A horse race is a contest of speed between horses that either carry jockeys on their backs or pull sulkies and their drivers. They are the fastest animals on Earth and race over long distances with a split second of precision, creating a spectacle that is both mesmerizing and intimidating. The race is a big part of the sports culture in many states and a major source of revenue for some track owners. However, the race is also a brutal test of endurance for the horses who run in it, and horses regularly break down under the exorbitant physical stress of racing.

Often a race will see several horses come to the finish line within a hair’s breadth of each other, meaning that it was a tight and competitive affair. This sort of tussle requires high-level technical skill, a great deal of experience and practice, and an intangible quality that is difficult to measure or quantify. Some of the best racehorses in history have been able to finish a mile and a half or longer race with a lead time of just under four seconds. To be a top-tier thoroughbred, the animal must be fit and healthy and be at its peak performance when it runs.

The sport of horse racing has its critics, with some groups arguing that it’s cruel to make horses compete in such an intense and demanding fashion. But, there are also those who claim that horse racing is a sport, with the same sort of rigors as any other professional sport. This type of argument, rooted in a business model that prioritizes profits over the well-being of the animals, has never been able to hold up to scrutiny, and the fact remains that horse racing continues to lose fans, races, revenue, and entries each year.

There has been a push toward improved equine welfare in recent years, with governing bodies making investments to improve training and facilities for horses. But, these improvements haven’t made a dent in the overall health of the industry. It is not enough to merely invest in more equipment and amenities for the animals, but to genuinely put the health and welfare of horses first would require a profound ideological reckoning at the macro level and within the industry.

The current structure of horse racing is akin to the quick-hit polls that have become so common in political campaigns. It is too easy for fans and media to focus on one thing, like a particular horse, or to gloss over the fact that horses die during races and in training every day. To move forward, the industry must look at its business models and rethink its priorities in order to save horses from unnecessary suffering. To do so will require a significant investment in complicated and untraditional steps, including a restructuring of the entire industry from breeding to aftercare, as well as a major change in how people think about and approach horse racing.