What is a Horse Race?
A horse race is a contest between horses that are either ridden by jockeys or pull sulkies driven by drivers. The term is also used figuratively to refer to any close form of competition.
The most popular form of horse racing in the United States is flat racing, which is held on dirt tracks. In flat racing, horses are required to cover a set distance over a specified number of furlongs, which is roughly equal to two miles. In addition to flat races, America is home to a variety of other types of horse races. Some of the more famous include the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Dubai World Cup.
In recent years, there have been spates of horse deaths on-track, most notably 30 at Santa Anita in 2019. These tragic events prompted industry leaders to announce that the safety of their equine athletes would be the sport’s top priority. They promised to flood the track with veterinarians and expensive imaging equipment, screen every animal before it stepped foot on the track, and test for banned substances during morning workouts. They also pledged to work with local governments to develop a public database of injury and fatality statistics, similar to those in California and New York.
Unfortunately, those efforts have been in vain. Despite the best efforts of industry folks and gamblers, the cruelty embedded in horse racing remains systemic, and the industry still does not consider the welfare of its horses to be the most important factor in its business model. Many racing aficionados blow off the concerns of animal rights activists and the larger public while continuing to fail at protecting their beloved animals.
The word “horse race” is also used figuratively to refer any type of tight competition or nail-biter. For example, a political election can sometimes feel like a horse race because the candidates are fighting to win each other’s votes. The mudslinging, name-calling, and attack ads that define modern elections can make it easy for the issues at stake to get lost in the fray.
In the end, the biggest problem with horse racing is that it treats horses as nothing more than disposable commodities. It profits from them in racing and breeding, then discards them when they no longer serve its purpose. While donations from racehorse owners and gamblers are essential to the health of the animals, they do not cancel out participation in the industry’s ongoing exploitation of younger running horses. Until the horse racing industry creates a lifelong tracking system for its horses, and takes responsibility for what happens to them after they leave its doors, this type of exploitation will continue to be the norm. The death toll may decrease, but it will not stop. The only way to end it is for the industry to change its business model and put the welfare of its equine athletes above all else.