Horse racing is a popular spectator sport, and it’s also a lucrative business for its participants. But the horse racing industry is now facing a slew of mounting ethical concerns over the welfare of its equine athletes.
One of the main issues is the use of medication on horses that is banned in human sports. Athletes take performance-enhancing drugs for the purpose of improving their athletic abilities, but these drugs can have severe and even fatal side effects for the horses who are administered them. Additionally, some horseracing tracks allow jockeys to use whips and other equipment that cause long-term physical pain, such as tongue-ties, electric shock devices called jiggers, and other implements which are explicitly illegal under animal cruelty laws.
Moreover, the sport is inherently dangerous, with horses running at high speeds on hard, uneven ground. Injuries are common, with one study finding that a thoroughbred suffers a catastrophic injury every 22 races. In addition, horses are often trained and conditioned before their skeletal systems have fully matured. As a result, their limbs can become overstretched and fractured under the extreme pressure of a race.
To make money on a horse race, a bettor can place a bet to win, to place (which means the horse will finish either first or second), or to show (first, second, or third). Bets to win are more risky than bets to place or show, as they require that the horse come in first.
The history of horse racing is an ancient and global one, and it has been a central part of culture in places such as Greece, Egypt, Babylon, and Syria. But organized racing only began in North America with the arrival of British colonists, who established rules for horse racing that emphasized speed rather than stamina and that were similar to those in Britain.
The sport has since exploded in popularity and become an international enterprise, with races being held worldwide and drawing thousands of spectators and millions of dollars in wagers. But if the horseracing industry wants to maintain its reputation as a sporting activity with integrity, it will have to embrace reforms that prioritize the rights and well-being of its equine athletes. This includes a comprehensive retirement program, a complete overhaul of the status quo for medicating horses, and a clear focus on animal welfare. Only then can the sport recover from its tarnished image and restore its reputation as a legitimate sport.