A horse race is a sport where humans ride horses to compete for money. The sport has a long history, dating back to ancient Greece and Egypt. It has been popular in many cultures around the world. It is a dangerous sport, as accidents and fatal breakdowns are common.
The modern horse race is often run on a track, with horses carrying fixed weights to determine the winner. The weights are usually set centrally or by individual tracks. The objective is to make the odds of winning as equal as possible by establishing what is called racing form. The best horses are considered to have the highest racing form, but even the very best horses can be disadvantaged by a variety of factors, including age, sex, gender, position in the field and training. The best horses are also favored by the track surface and the type of racing, such as flat racing or steeplechases.
Most races are held over a distance of five to twelve furlongs (about one mile). The most prestigious flat races, such as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Melbourne Cup and Japan Cup, are run over about six miles with two turns.
In the early days of horse racing, match races were held between two or at most three horses, with the owners providing the purse and a simple wager. These agreements were recorded by disinterested parties who came to be known as keepers of the match book. A consolidation of these records was published in 1729 under the title An Historical List of All Horse-Matches Run, and the practice of match racing spread worldwide.
The earliest recorded racing was on the backs of chariots or two-wheeled carts pulled by oxen, but the modern horse race developed when men began riding behind the animals in order to control them. These riders became known as jockeys and the sport of horse racing was transformed into a formal competition.
Horses are pushed far beyond their physical limits in today’s racing industry, and the use of illegal drugs to enhance performance is rampant. Many horses suffer severe injuries and breakdowns while racing, and are discarded by owners when they’re no longer profitable. They may be sold to a new owner who then proceeds to force them to compete with injuries, or they will end up at auction where they are likely to be slaughtered for dog food.
Random drug testing is used in horse races, but the results frequently show egregious violations. Rather than allowing horse trainers to push their horses to the limit and risk injury, PETA advocates for the use of detention barns where horses are kept in a controlled environment prior to a race to reduce their intake of performance and pain-masking drugs. The horses should be given only the medications required to compete in a safe manner, and any trainer or owner who is found to have violated this policy should be banned for life.
