Horse races are a form of competition in which participants bet on the outcome of the competition, making betting on its winner an integral part of civilizations worldwide for centuries – Homer wrote of chariot racing in The Iliad, while early records exist of both bareback and jumps racing as early as 8th century BCE. Today’s horse races typically run on dirt or turf surfaced tracks for public access and include both group and stakes racing events.
A race may be handicapped, wherein each horse in a group is assigned weights based on past performance to help determine its odds; these weights then serve to calculate how much money each horse could win; more weight equals more money won. A race can also be rated, wherein top horses receive points or ratings; open races allow all eligible horses to participate, with favorites often expected to prevail.
People enjoy horse races for both their thrills and beauty; animal rights activists view these races as torture. Industry claims that horses “born to run and love to compete” is patently false – their behavior at racetracks does not match up to how they would behave on an open field.
Exploitation of racehorses is both inhumane and financially unviable. Each year, thousands of horses die as a result of injury at tracks; their injuries range from cardiovascular collapse to pulmonary hemorrhage; broken legs, fractured spines and ruptured ligaments may all occur simultaneously – leaving only their skin covering shattered bones, as they struggle for breath in an overly-loud arena.
Psychological injuries to racehorses from their training regimen may manifest themselves through repetitive and compulsive behavior such as biting at their gates, contracting their neck muscles and pulling backward with grunting – all behaviors which may eventually lead to severe head trauma and even death. Jennifer Sully of Maryland-based Horseracing Wrongs says it is not uncommon for racehorses to commit suicide by stepping on their own tails; she frequently attends anti-racing demonstrations that occur each weekend at Laurel and Pimlico.