A horse race is a competition between a large number of horses, usually ridden by jockeys. It is one of the world’s oldest sports and has been a feature of human civilizations since antiquity. It can be considered a form of gambling, and betting on a particular horse is commonplace in the United States and abroad. Horse races have been a part of the Olympic Games since 740 bc. It is also a popular spectator sport, and people have been observing races for centuries, often from the grandstands or on television.
In addition to the physical pain of running, horse racing can lead to psychological and emotional distress for many horses. The unnatural training and confinement of racehorses can prevent their normal instincts from developing, which can lead to a variety of behavioral issues. These include biting on their gates, contracting their neck muscles while pulling backward and grunting, and self-harm such as pacing and kicking. The mental and emotional stress of horse racing can even result in a form of depression known as “equine personality disorder.”
The physical dangers of horse racing can lead to death, which is commonplace in the industry. The horses’ bodies are pushed beyond their limits, and they are given a cocktail of drugs designed to mask injuries and enhance performance. The drugs can mask pain, but they also interfere with the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Consequently, it is not uncommon for horses to die at the track from cardiovascular collapse, a failed heart, or bleeding out of the lungs, which is a condition called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.
As a result of the high level of deaths at the track, there is a growing movement to ban horse racing in the United States. Animal rights activists, led by Maryland organizer Jennifer Sully and others with the group Horseracing Wrongs, have been holding demonstrations at Laurel or Pimlico most weekends since 2018. The protests are supported by polls that show a majority of Americans want to ban horse racing.