Horse races are competitions between horses in which the winner is determined by being first across the finish line. This sport has been practiced worldwide since ancient times, including chariot and bareback racing; both forms provide entertainment while some may involve serious competitions; animal rights advocates often express concern regarding how racehorses are treated, particularly whether drugs are being used to enhance performance.
Horse races have long been considered one of the most exciting forms of entertainment while others consider them inhumane and cruel to animals, leading some to declare them illegal altogether. Unfortunately, however, problems within this industry extend far beyond just treating its horses poorly: reports of horse deaths are frequent while injuries to riders occur frequently on tracks as well. A study revealed that one thoroughbred dies every 22 races across North America with 3 more injured on daily average according to another research paper.
Federal regulation and other efforts appear to be making an impactful difference in the number of horse fatalities at American racetracks. Horse racing is an extreme form of competition that pushes horses beyond their natural capabilities while forcing them into racing at speeds beyond what their bodies can tolerate, while giving them cocktails of medications to mask injuries while improving performance – this includes steroids, anti-inflammatories and blood thinners such as Lasix.
As horses continue to mature and their skeletal systems cannot handle the stress of racing at high speeds on hard surfaces, their skeleton is often overwhelmed by this physical stress and injuries occur frequently during races – often breaking legs or being permanently crippled during competitions. Another serious risk associated with racing, exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage occurs whereby bleeding from their lungs results. This often ends early races due to lack of rest between races causing their bodies to succumb prematurely.
Thoroughbred horses are among the most sought-after for racing, boasting large muscles with natural endurance ability. While expensive animals, Thoroughbreds must be well taken care of if their career is to succeed; multiple wins must be achieved before breaking even and it is not uncommon for Thoroughbreds to continue racing past age 10.
At a horse race, a jockey sits astride a horse and uses reins to control its speed and direction. Stewards and patrol judges monitor the course to make sure that all rules are observed, while an auxiliary starting gate may be utilized if more horses than expected enter.
Races may take place on dirt, turf or synthetic all weather surfaces and each horse’s distance/surface record for each surface is recorded separately. Race distance is divided into sprint, middle distance (route), long distance (route), starts, wins, places and shows are listed under their name as is fractional time recorded up to one-tenth of a second. Bettor can use fractional times recorded to the nearest one-tenth second for wagering purposes.