Horse races have a rich history that spans multiple cultures around the globe. Both popular spectator sports and lucrative businesses rely heavily on horse racing as an industry. Safety should always be the top priority, particularly when dealing with racehorses which weigh over one ton and run at high speeds; additionally spectators must recognize that horse racing can be risky sport; they should never watch from an elevated viewpoint where horses could easily be injured during racing.
At one time, horse racing was limited to duels between two horses or pairs of runners. Under pressure from the public, however, larger fields of runners eventually participated. Dash or one-heat racing became common, making every yard count and testing jockeys’ skill and judgment. Today there are various types and distances of races but most notable are graded stakes races which group winners based on previous winners with greater payouts due to more betting activity and greater profitability than lesser stakes races.
At horse races, one of the most commonly occurring injuries is suspensory desmitis (pulled suspensory ligament). This condition occurs when distal limb ligaments become disturbed or fibers from tendons become torn; use of the whip can exacerbate this injury as can sudden start/finish line changes causing sudden pressure changes to occur which leads to this type of condition.
Fractures or bone chips in the leg can also occur from landing awkwardly or jumping at speed, and require immediate medical care and rehabilitation to heal fully.
Horses may collapse under the strain of running at high speeds. This is especially common during horse racing events where horses must sprint at such fast pace that injuries and hemorrhaging from their lungs often result. Breakdowns are typically very painful experiences that could even prove fatal for them.
Behind the romanticized facade of horse racing lies an unsettling reality of drugs, injuries and breakdowns. To effectively improve this situation requires a fundamental ideological reassessment on an industry and macro business level that prioritizes equine welfare over profitability; this would entail restructuring the industry from breeding through aftercare; including capping racehorses’ race numbers per season as well as adopting more natural lifestyle practices to create happier racehorses; otherwise horse racing will continue its bloodbath; its human costs cannot be estimated.