What is a Horse Race?
Horse racing is a popular sport in which horses compete to win a race. The sport is played on a variety of track surfaces and has been practiced in civilizations throughout the world since ancient times. It has also been an important part of myth and legend, such as the contest between the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology.
A horse race is a type of sporting event in which people place bets on the outcome of a competition, such as a football game or a horse race. Bets can be placed on a single player or team or a combination of players and horses. The bettor who correctly selects all or most of the winners in a given pool is awarded the winnings. If no one selects all or most of the winners in an individual pool, the remaining money is added to a larger pool. This can result in large jackpots if no-one chooses the exact finish.
The horses used for horse races are typically trained to run as fast as possible. They are also conditioned to perform in a wide range of weather conditions. Some races are run on grass, while others take place on dirt or asphalt. A jockey is the person who rides a horse in a horse race. Typically, the jockey is responsible for steering the horse and controlling the speed of the horse.
In addition to the physical demands of horse racing, the sport can be stressful for the animals. Research has shown that horses can suffer from mental and emotional stress due to the unnatural training and confinement they endure. The trauma can manifest as repetitive, compulsive behaviors, such as biting, kicking and self-harming. Some horses even exhibit psychosis. The ASPCA estimates that between 200 and 300 racehorses die each year in the United States because of injuries or other causes.
A common type of injury in a horse race is fractures to the sesamoids, small bones located on either side of the ankle joint. There are four types of fractures to the sesamoids: apical (through the top), abaxial (along the side of the bone), mid-body (through the middle) and basilar (through the bottom). These types of injuries can be very painful for the horse and sometimes require surgery.
The treatment of horses in horse racing is controversial, particularly for animal rights advocates. The use of corticosteroids to reduce swelling, sedatives during training and the practice of “bleeding” (injecting a horse with saline solution) in order to increase blood flow are some of the things that concern animal rights advocates. The post-mortem examination of Havnameltdown, the horse that collapsed during the Preakness, also raised concerns. The examination revealed a host of issues, including osteoarthritis, severe degenerative joint disease and bone cysts (holes in the bone), that may be alarming to those outside of the horse racing industry.
The sport of horse racing is a multibillion-dollar business that rakes in profits for its owners and promoters. The industry often tries to justify this behavior by claiming that it creates jobs and increases tax revenue. But Noah Shachtman writes that this argument is a scam, and it ignores the fact that the industry’s losing products are subsidized by profitable forms of gambling.