Horse racing is a multibillion-dollar industry. Despite this, the sport is losing fans, race days and entries. It has also become a target of growing public scrutiny.
In races, humans perched on their backs compel horses with whips to breakneck speeds. The result is debilitating injuries, from pulmonary hemorrhage and shattered bones to crushed spines.
Horses are forced to run at breakneck speeds
Horses are literally chattel – property that can be bought, sold and dumped once they no longer make money for their people. They are not even protected by woefully inadequate animal cruelty laws.
The race begins with a terrifying, blinding plunge down Suicide Hill – an incline that event organizers boast is “almost vertical.” After the horses make it to the bottom of the hill, they must then swim across a river at breakneck speeds.
During races, horses can suffer from an array of injuries and illnesses, including colic (a painful, life-threatening abdominal affliction), laminitis (excruciating inflammation in the hooves) and respiratory infections. They can also experience neurological disorders and parasitic infestations. In addition, they are subjected to floggings that would land them in jail if done to a dog.
They’re pushed beyond their limits
Horse racing has seen a number of improvements in its treatment of horses, but it still faces the same problems that all industries face: cruelty. The sport is losing fans, races, and revenue as awareness of industry cruelty grows. PETA has documented abusive training practices, drug use, and the deaths of equine athletes in overseas slaughterhouses.
A horse race is a competition where the first place finisher receives a prize. The competition is typically held on a track with a specific distance, usually measured in miles or furlongs. A horse’s performance can be influenced by its weight, position relative to the inside barrier, sex, and jockey. It can also be impacted by its preferred position, which allows it to build up sprint energy. These factors can lead to a photo finish, where the winning horse’s head or neck is positioned slightly ahead of the other competitors.
They’re subjected to drugs
Horse racing is a complex and unique sport that has grown through the years. The industry has its fair share of negative press, but it’s also an amazing spectacle that brings people together.
The use of drugs is a major problem in the industry, and it puts horses at risk for injury and breakdowns. Many of these drugs mask pain, allowing racehorses to run with injuries that would be fatal for other athletes. They also can be used to improve performance by increasing metabolism.
Medication regulations are designed to eliminate performance-enhancing substances and set appropriate levels for legal, therapeutic drugs. These include sedatives, diuretics (such as Lasix and Butazolidin), anti-inflammatories, and bronchodilators. These substances are not allowed in competition unless they are at a level defined and approved by medication regulations.
They’re subjected to gruesome breakdowns
Every week, 24 horses break down and die at racetracks across America. This is due to the extreme demands of racing and the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. These drugs mask injuries, which are common among horses, causing them to bleed through their windpipes or in the lungs, a condition known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.
In addition, these immature 2 year old horses are often pushed for speed before they have reached full physical and mental maturity. This leads to a high preponderance of fractures and breakdowns, causing many horses to be euthanized.
This is the story of an industry that treats horses like disposable commodities. If you can watch a horse die tragically in a race and then turn the channel, you’re contributing to this system of abuse and cruelty.
They’re slaughtered
Horse racing is an inherently dangerous sport, and injuries are a fact of life. But for every thoroughbred euthanized after a race-related injury, dozens more are shipped to slaughterhouses abroad.
In the United States, most of these horses are sent to EU-regulated plants in Mexico and Canada. They are often given medications banned for use on food animals, and some of them end up mixed into ground beef products sold as “beef.”
Slaughterhouse footage has fueled outrage over this practice. Those who organize protests at Maryland’s Pimlico and Laurel racetracks say the issue of horse meat should be considered a national priority. They point out that the public is generally repelled by the idea of eating horse meat. And they argue that it is a waste of taxpayer dollars.