The Injuries of a Horse Race

Horse racing is a sport whose popularity has survived for millennia, but it’s also a sport that takes its toll on the lives of horses. Bred for speed at the expense of their bone mass and overall health, horses used in races are often pushed far beyond their natural abilities, and injuries are common. Many horses die on the track or in training due to catastrophic injuries. Even those who make it to the finish line are seldom afforded a happy retirement, as racehorses are valued only for their ability to bring in winnings. Many are slaughtered and turned into glue and dog food, while others are shipped to countries such as Japan where they’re considered a delicacy.

A race is a complex event that requires precise timing, coordination, and precision. The first step in preparing a horse for a race is to condition the animal by running him through routine jogs and gallops in the early morning. Next, jockeys begin to learn how to handle a particular horse by getting on board and riding him through the course. During this stage, jockeys learn how to communicate with the horse and read his body language to determine whether he is tired or feeling fine.

The actual race is a series of laps around a track at high speeds, with one to three teams of runners alternating mounts in what’s known as a “set.” When riders are not on their horses, they’re waiting at horse stations where teammates are ready to jump onto fresh mounts for the next leg. Riders can expect to spend 13 to 14 hours a day in the saddle and only about half of the horses who start a race make it to the finish line.

As the horses race, their heart rates increase tenfold, to an excessive 250 beats per minute. This can cause the horses to develop a painful and deadly condition called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), which causes bleeding in the lungs. Horses can also suffer from a range of other debilitating and sometimes fatal medical conditions, including ringbone, gastric ulcers, and heart attacks.

Injuries are a part of the game, but they can be minimized with more careful training and better monitoring of horses by veterinarians. A horse’s body weight is constantly shifting as he runs, and the pressure on his joints can lead to arthritic changes in the knees and hocks. He can also suffer from lameness, such as a foot abscess or a bucked shin. He may have a sesamoid fracture, which is a break in one or more small bones that help him to move his front feet.

It’s time to stop supporting this exploitative industry. Instead, if you like to gamble, bet on a football game or other sport where the participants are willing athletes rather than mistreated animals. You can find abbreviated results for yesterday’s UK and Irish racing by selecting the fixture of your choice from the menu, or view full finishing orders and close-up comments from our expert team of race-readers by clicking the Watch Full Result link.