The Dangers of Horse Racing

The sound of thundering hooves barreling down the stretch during a horse race is a quintessential Kentucky experience. But a racetrack is also where the most dangerous and unnatural acts of the sport occur, with horses pushed to the limits of their physical abilities, and often doomed by injuries that leave shattered bones and severed spines in their wake. For many animal rights activists, this is reason enough to demand reform of the industry, if not its outright banning.

The sport of horse racing is not for the faint of heart: A typical race sees the deaths of 30 to 50 horses, with many more injured or otherwise compromised in some way. And although the racehorses are not wild, they are certainly not free; they spend 13 to 14 hours a day in confinement at the track, often under the constant supervision of trainers. During the course of the races, horses are subjected to cocktails of legal and illegal drugs, including Lasix, a depressant that masks pain and improves performance.

Betting on horse races is a global practice that attracts millions of fans. In most countries, bettors can place bets to win, place, and show, as well as accumulator bets in which multiple bets are placed at various times throughout the race. However, a growing number of attendees are beginning to question whether horse races are even safe for the animals themselves, as well as the effects of the sport on the health and safety of spectators.

A horse’s ability to perform in a race is determined by several factors, including the number of races it has run and the amount of weight it carries. For example, in the most prestigious events, known as conditions races, all horses are assigned a specific amount of weight to carry for fairness, with allowances (differences in weight) given to younger horses and female horses running against males. Other factors that influence a horse’s chances of winning include its starting position, training, sex, and jockey.

The most common injury to horse is a pulled suspensory ligament, or “pulled tendon.” It occurs when the ligaments in a horse’s leg are stretched or torn.

The Horseracing Integrity Act of 2023 was passed to address this problem, setting up an independent standing committee to examine racetracks’ policies and rules for drug use, a committee of veterinarians, and a special investigative unit that will be empowered to prosecute alleged violations of the law. It also requires the establishment of a national database to record and report suspicious activity and to make the results of investigations available to the public. It will require all states to implement these new measures by March 23, 2024, or face sanctions by the federal government. The act will also establish the Humane Inspections of Racehorses (HISA), an independent, nonprofit organization with a mandate to oversee all aspects of the horseracing industry, from breeders to the jockeys who ride them. In addition to its oversight duties, HISA is mandated to seek an agreement with USADA to serve as its anti-doping and medication control agency.