The Real World of Horse Racing

Behind the romanticized facade of horse racing lies a world of injuries, drug abuse, and slaughter. While spectators wear fancy outfits and sip mint juleps, horses run for their lives.

Many admired companies employ a classic succession “horse race” to choose the next CEO. This approach can have some drawbacks, but it is effective at helping a company select its best leader.

Origins

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports, with evidence that it was practiced in ancient Greece as part of the Olympic Games. It has since spread throughout the world, becoming a popular and lucrative industry. It also plays a prominent role in mythology and legend.

Originally match races were run between two or three horses, and bets were made with money provided by the owners. When an owner withdrew, he or she forfeited half the purse. The matches were recorded by disinterested third parties and became known as match books.

The first organized race in North America was held on the plains of Long Island in 1665. Colonel Richard Nicholls laid out a 2-mile (3.2 km) track and offered a silver cup to winners.

Rules

Horse races are conducted according to a set of rules that vary between nations. The rules include guidelines for the training, feeding, and health care of the horses. They also set forth the procedures for determining a winner and for imposing penalties.

A horse’s participation in a race is contingent upon its owner or trainer complying with the rules. In addition, the horse must meet certain requirements such as age and sex. It must be healthy enough to participate in the race and to complete it.

Before the race begins, horses will parade around a paddock where onlookers can see them and observe their behavior. During these warmups, you can get an idea of the horse’s running style and its ability to perform in the race.

Injuries

Horses’ bones, ligaments and tendons are put under tremendous pressure during their racing career. Younger horses are particularly prone to injury because their bones haven’t yet fully developed.

Bone injuries are a common problem for racehorses and can be caused by a number of factors. A fractured bone is likely to cause severe pain and discomfort for a horse, and they will need extensive rest to recover.

The suspensory ligament in a horse’s front leg is also a common injury. This is a difficult injury to heal because it is often the result of repetitive strain on a small area of tissue. These types of injuries typically take a long time to heal and tend to reoccur. Horses with this type of injury are typically limited to light pleasure riding.

Drugs

Although certain drugs such as steroids (which enhance muscle development) are banned, hundreds of other medications are allowed and can be abused to give horses an edge. The use of painkillers, stimulants and other drugs to mask ailments is also a serious issue in horse racing.

Medications used to treat horses are subjected to a mind-boggling array of rules depending on the organization overseeing the competitions. The rules divide the substances into two groups: controlled medication substances, and those considered banned.

Controlled medication substances are those that may be present in the system of a competitor but are at levels below which they are believed to have no significant pharmacological effect. These include anti-inflammatories, local anaesthetics, bronchodilators and cough suppressants. They are not permitted on race day or during other timed workouts.

Slaughter

Despite the fame and attention lavished on winning racehorses, countless American horses of all breeds—from racing animals past their prime to wild and domestic work and show horses and even discarded pets and equines with no known owners—end up sold for slaughter in Canada and Mexico every year. The secretive meat industry relies on a network of “kill buyers” who attend auctions to purchase unwanted horses and then sell them for slaughter.

The meat from these horses is used in hamburgers and other processed foods. Covert video footage filmed by Animal Aid shows that slaughter regulations designed to prevent a cruel death are often ignored at the abattoir.

Help us end the cruelty and save America’s forgotten equines! Urge your senators to cosponsor the SAFE Act.