What Happens in a Horse Race?
Horse races are a form of entertainment for spectators and a source of profit for owners. The sport is known for its glamour and pageantry, with racehorses draped in dazzling tack and paraded around the track. But behind the romanticized facade lies a world of injuries, drugs, and gruesome breakdowns that lead to slaughter.
In the wild, horses love to run and are naturally fast. But they prefer to run in groups, as prey animals do, keeping each other safe and focused on running away from danger rather than toward it. Racing is a human construct that requires horses to push them far beyond their natural limits. This causes them to suffer from the kinds of gruesome injuries, including hemorrhaging in the lungs and heart attacks, that often end their careers. Most are then killed and turned into glue, dog food, or meat in countries such as Canada, Mexico, and Japan where they are regarded as a delicacy.
Most racehorses are Thoroughbreds, a breed developed in England for racing and jumping, although half-blooded (crossed with Arab or Barb) and other breeds are also used for racing. A typical race takes 6 furlongs, or about a mile. The most common race surface is dirt, but grass and a synthetic all-weather surface are also used.
The most prestigious races, called conditions races, offer the highest purses. The horses are given weight to carry based on their ability, with allowances given for younger horses and females competing against males. The horses are then classified by level — maiden, allowance, claiming, or stakes.
A number of factors can affect a horse’s performance in a race, including the type and condition of the racetrack, weather, and the quality of a particular jockey’s riding skills. The horse’s age, sex, and training are also important. Most racing is done on dirt, but there are a growing number of turf and synthetic surfaces, which are generally safer for the horses.
Before a race begins, the jockeys — or riders, as they are commonly called — weigh in and then report to the paddock, where the horses are saddled. Then an official verifies the identity of each horse. The jockeys then ride the horses into the starting gate and begin the race.
Some horses are subjected to additional stress during a race, such as being forced to jump fences or rushing through water crossings. Many are whipped with spurs, which can cause pain and even permanent injury. Some horses are also saddled with tongue ties and/or martingale devices, which restrict the movement of a horse’s tongue and can cause it to bleed. The RSPCA opposes these practices because they inflict discomfort and pain on the horses. But the industry insists that these tools are necessary to improve a horse’s performance. For example, a tongue tie is a large band of leather/rubber or lycra/neoprene that a jockey wraps around the horse’s lower jaw to prevent it from escaping during a race.