A horse race is a competition where horses are ridden by jockeys over an oval track with organized betting on the outcome. This form of sports betting is popular in Europe and Australia as well as in the United States, where it offers some of the biggest prize money. This competition has been around for centuries. Historically, betting on horse races was based on wagering among noblemen.
In modern times, horse races are mostly funded by the betting public. Several different kinds of bets can be placed, including bets to win a specific race and accumulator bets that pay out if multiple horses place in the top three. Some of these bets are placed by the bettor, while others are made by bookmakers. Despite the popularity of horse racing, it is important to know some basic facts about this sport before betting.
Horse racing is a dangerous sport for the animals involved. The industry relies on the public to donate funds for its exploitation of young horses and then tries to mask the cruelty with euphemistic language and a veneer of “sport”. Sadly, there has never been an evolution of the business model with the best interests of the horses as its top priority. Growing awareness of this dark side has fueled some improvements in conditions for the horses but there are still problems with overbreeding and the transport of sick, injured, and otherwise broken-down horses to slaughter.
The 2008 deaths of Eight Belles and Medina Spirit sparked a reckoning with the sport’s ethics and integrity. It is impossible to know how many horses have died since then, but it can be safely estimated that thousands of horses have been lost because they were forced to endure the exorbitant physical stress of racing and training.
These horses were often pushed to their limits, which is not surprising because they are social creatures in the wild and would be grazing all day long if allowed. Instead, they are confined to small, isolated stalls and forced to engage in unnatural behaviors that can include crib-biting (a repetitive behavior where a horse grasps an object with its front teeth while contracting their neck muscles) and weaving (a behavioral pattern where a horse sways back and forth on its forelegs).
These horses also suffer from drugs used to mask their injuries or to give them a competitive edge. Horses have a very sensitive stomach and can easily get sick from certain chemicals, including a class of medications called anabolic steroids. They can also bleed from their lungs, a condition called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, which is caused by pushing the animal beyond its capabilities and can be fatal. This bleeding is exacerbated when horses are given drugs to control the pain caused by exertion and to improve their performance.