Horse racing is a popular sport involving humans perched on the backs of horses and urging them with a whip to breakneck speeds in close quarters. The sport has been around for centuries and plays a prominent role in culture and history, including being featured in fables such as the contest between the god Odin’s steed Hrungnir and the giant Gungnir in Norse mythology. But behind the romanticized facade of horse races is a world of injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter.
In the wild, horses are social animals that graze and rest frequently. But race horses are kept confined in small isolated stalls that cause stress and can result in poor health. This can lead to crib-biting (repetitive behavior where a horse grasps its front teeth and contracts its neck muscles) and weight loss. It also causes them to be unable to exercise naturally which can cause them to become irritable and have an increased chance of injury. The physical trauma from running on a hard track at high speed can be devastating for even healthy horses.
The veterinary care for race horses is inadequate, and many are injured or die from catastrophic breakdowns during their careers. One study found that three thoroughbreds died every day from accidents on a racetrack. Another study found that many horses were fracturing their bones, spraining their ankles, or developing colic. Sadly, when these horses stop winning or are injured, few are retired to pastures; instead they’re usually sent to slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico, or Japan where they are sliced and turned into food, glue, or dog jerky.
Many of these injuries and deaths are the result of a ruthless system in which racetracks and investors make billions from gambling and illegal drugs, while horses are forced to run for their lives at breakneck speeds, often in close quarters. This system is only possible because of the immense popularity of the sport and the greed of some investors who buy horses and train them to run, but then don’t give them enough money to win or lose. Those who do win, however, can reap huge rewards.
A horse race is a competition in which two or more horses are ridden by jockeys and forced to run over a course set out on a large arena. The winning horse is the first to reach a finish line marked out on the ground or in a building.
The earliest recorded horse race was in 1651 as a result of a wager between two noblemen. During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) horse racing was largely organized as a form of gambling and a prized sport. Several rules were established to control gambling, such as requiring certificates of origin from horses and imposing extra weight on foreign horses. In addition, a horse must pass a urine and saliva test to be declared clean after the race. Then, the judges decide whether the horse’s jockey has complied with the rules and awarded the winning jockey the prize money.