Horse racing has undergone a series of technological advancements in recent years. This has helped improve safety on and off the racetrack.
It is time for the industry to face its responsibility in a society that increasingly recognizes animals as having fundamental rights. This includes ensuring that horses can survive once they leave their for-profit careers.
Origins
Horse racing is one of the oldest sports, and its basic concept has undergone virtually no change over centuries. It developed from a primitive contest of speed or stamina into a spectacle with large fields of runners and sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment. It is a major public-entertainment business and attracts huge bettors.
Its popularity has led to the development of rules based on age, sex, birthplace, and previous performance. These rules also establish the scale of weights that competitors must carry, as well as a variety of other handicapping factors.
Formats
There are several different types of horse races. The most popular is flat racing, in which horses compete over a set distance on a level track. Other styles include steeplechasing, in which horses jump over obstacles, and harness racing, where horses pull a cart.
Stakes races are the top tier of competition for racehorses. They have the highest purses and require top-class horses to qualify. They are divided into Group 1, 2, and 3 races.
A photo finish is when two or more horses cross the finish line so close that it cannot be determined by the naked eye which one won. In this case, a photograph of the finish is studied by stewards to determine the winner.
Breeding
Breeders seek out the best studs and dams to produce foals, or offspring. A horse’s pedigree traces its ancestors and can tell you a lot about the horse’s size, coat color, and temperament.
When a mare comes in heat, it takes up to 48 hours for ovulation to occur. Serious breeders carefully watch for signs of estrus and use a variety of teasing methods or consult with a veterinarian to induce ovulation when the mare is nearing it.
In racehorses, value is placed on speed over stamina. However, there are also specialized bloodlines for hunters that focus on appearance and the ability to trot and canter over long distances.
Rules
Horse racing is a sport that requires a lot of strength, stamina, and speed. However, it is also a complicated game that has a number of rules that must be followed. These rules are used to determine the winner of a race and establish procedures for hearings regarding appeals, licensing hearings, and race date assignment hearings.
In order to win a race, horses must cross the finish line before their competitors. If this is not possible, a photo finish is decided by examining a photograph of the finish. The stewards then decide which horse crossed the finish line first.
Injuries
Horses are incredibly strong in order to carry their large weight, but they’re also remarkably light so that they can run fast. Unfortunately, sometimes bones in their legs break. This is a catastrophic injury that is not recoverable.
Tendons are the structures that connect muscle to bone. The most common tendon injury is to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) or less commonly, the deep digital flexor tendon. Most of these injuries are treated with rest, reduced training load and often injection therapy.
Fractured long bones are also commonly seen in young racehorses. They usually start as stress fractures and require a bone scan to confirm diagnosis and monitor healing before exercise can be resumed.
Drugs
Horses are given drugs for many reasons, but the most common are to mask pain and fatigue. Some horses are also given steroids, which help them develop muscle mass. These medications can have unintended side effects, including causing stomach ulcers and lameness. They also pose a health risk to humans who eat horse meat, which can contain traces of these drugs.
The use of drugs in horse racing is a major issue. It affects the integrity of the sport, and it can cause injuries to horses and jockeys. The sport should introduce stricter regulations to prevent the use of illegal drugs.
Slaughter
Horses who are no longer competitive or valuable to the racing industry are opportunistically purchased at auction by “kill buyers,” shipped as standing cargo in overcrowded trailers, where they suffer terribly during transport, and then slaughtered for export to small and declining foreign markets. The slaughter pipeline is rife with mistreatment and neglect.
It’s a societal issue too. Horses are considered companions, not food and as such their brutal death raises moral questions for many. As horses have never been raised to be eaten, this is an unprecedented practice that will be hard for many people to stomach.