Horse racing is a thrilling spectacle that has stood the test of time. It has long been a popular sport that involves betting on the outcome of a horse race, but the industry is not without its problems. Its current model, which puts profit before the welfare of the horses, needs to be changed for it to thrive in a modern culture and society that increasingly recognizes animals as rights-bearing individuals who deserve to live free from violence and oppression.
A horse race is a type of contest in which a team of people mount horses and ride them over an oval track in order to win money. It is a sport that has existed for centuries, with the first recorded race taking place in 1651 in France as the result of a wager between two noblemen. Horse racing has since evolved into a global phenomenon with countless races drawing massive crowds and huge profits for the participants.
The sport has also been characterized by numerous incidents of animal cruelty and neglect. Hundreds of horses have died from the exorbitant physical stress of training and competing, including champions Eight Belles and Medina Spirit, both of whom succumbed to heart failure while running in the Kentucky Derby. Other racehorses have suffered broken limbs, severed spines and amputations in the course of their careers.
A recent study by Johanna Dunaway and Regina G. Lawrence found that large chain newspapers were more likely to frame elections as a competitive game of horse race than smaller, independently owned publications. They analyzed newspaper coverage of both Governor and U.S. Senate elections in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Their findings suggest that media outlets that are owned by large corporations or by one entity tend to treat these events like a horse race, particularly when the competition is close and during the weeks leading up to Election Day.
Despite the fact that racing is a multibillion-dollar enterprise with international competitions and breeding programs, few racehorses receive a happy retirement. Many are slaughtered in places like Canada, Mexico and Japan, where they are turned into glue and dog food. In some instances, owners will bail out their horses from the slaughter pipeline by posting on Facebook or by offering a small ransom, but this practice has not eliminated the death toll and is a clear sign that the sport is failing to put its horses before profits. A truly ethical approach to the sport would require a profound ideological reckoning from top to bottom that prioritizes the welfare of the horses above all else, from the breeding shed to the aftercare system and beyond. A true change in attitude will take the kind of complicated and expensive reforms that have been resisted by the majority of racing aficionados. Only then can the sport regain the public’s trust.