Horse racing is a contest of speed between horses that are ridden by jockeys or pull sulkies driven by drivers. The sport has evolved from a primitive contest of speed or stamina between two horses into an enormous public entertainment business with complex rules, sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment and vast sums of money involved. Its basic concept, however, remains unchanged: the horse that finishes first is the winner.
Horses are born to run, love to compete and have an incredible capacity for running. But the way they are forced to run in a race bears no resemblance to their natural instinct to move fast as a herd in an open field, and is an unequivocal act of unnaturalness. The death of a race horse after being injured in a race is a tragedy, and it’s time for the industry to stop denying that this is a problem.
The average racehorse is bred for intensive training at age 2, and starts racing by age 4. This means that their massive torsos are barely mature, their fragile ankles are undeveloped and the growth plates in their spines have not fused. This is a recipe for injury, but even when horses are injured, they are compelled to continue on with a whip in a race that is not their own. The result is a high-stress, unnatural activity that results in the deaths of many thousands of horses every year.
It’s time for the industry to stop pretending that the deaths of their racehorses are a price worth paying to lure people to the betting window. In no other sport would the constant injuries and killing of athletes be tolerated, and it should not be tolerated in horse racing.
While a racehorse is being trained to race, the veterinarian will inject it with cocktails of legal and illegal drugs designed to mask injuries and artificially enhance performance. Many of these horses are so abused and stressed by the sport that they bleed from their lungs during races, a condition known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. The horses are then dragged away from the track, often to the horror of their owners and other spectators.
The horse racing industry continues to make major improvements in the safety and health of its runners, thanks to advances in technology. Thermal imaging cameras can detect heat stress in a race, MRI scanners can identify serious problems and x-rays can help diagnose fractures and other issues. 3D printing has also revolutionized the treatment of horses by allowing doctors to create custom-fitted braces and casts for injured horses. However, the overall level of exploitation and abuse has continued to increase. And as a result, attendance at the most popular events has fallen dramatically. In 2022, the Jockey Club reported that attendance for horse races fell below 5 million. That’s why this year, on the day of the Melbourne Cup, activists from Nup to the Cup will gather to hold a vigil in place of the parade.
