Horse racing has long captured the fascination of spectators. A day at the races allows visitors to place bets, sip mint juleps and dress in fancy attire while wagering on who will win the races. But behind its romanticized facade lies an unpredictable world filled with injuries, drug use and breakdowns — not all horses making it to winner’s circle end up making it out alive; many are sent for slaughter as soon as their competitions concludes.
Races are competitions of speed and stamina between two or more horses, and the one who crosses the finish line first is considered the winner. Over the centuries, racing has progressed from being a simple competition between two animals to become an immense public entertainment spectacle involving hundreds of runners in fields across countless miles with sophisticated electronic monitoring equipment; its fundamental principles remain the same however.
Horse races first emerged in ancient Greece and Rome, when chariots drawn by horses competed against each other at the Olympics. Homer wrote of such races in his Iliad from 8th or 9th century bc; more recently thoroughbreds have been specifically bred for racing purposes.
Horses not considered of appropriate breeding often run in allowance races, claiming races or lower-level classes. To be eligible to run at higher-level events, these horses must have won certain amounts in previous races, reached certain ages before their debut race starts, or have won specific numbers of races; their current owner might also need to put in a claim at a price before each race; once won by them in race mode they would get all earnings plus any claiming costs back as payments from original owner.
At races, horses race at speeds reaching 60 miles per hour or faster, often incurring injuries and sometimes breaking down or dying during their careers. Sprains or fractured limbs may occur and some even bleed from their lungs due to exercising at such high speeds; many horses that finish out their careers end up going for slaughter afterward – an illegal practice in some countries but common practice within the United States and elsewhere.
Awareness of horse racing’s dark side has helped fuel improvements to the sport, yet it remains highly dangerous and stressful for animals. PETA’s investigations of electric shockers used during training, and abuse of injured and sick horses has exposed that horses are frequently subjected to pain in order to perform for betting public. Unfortunately, most horses who do not make it to the winner’s circle end up being slaughtered – including American horses that will end up as food sources in Europe and Asia. Havnameltdown’s death after suffering leg fracture in Preakness Stakes further underscored this need for reform.