Horse racing is a thrilling, fascinating sport that has been a part of our culture and history for centuries. The thrill of hearing thundering hooves in the distance and watching a mass of horses come barreling down the stretch is a quintessential Kentucky experience. The excitement of betting on a long shot that wins is also a Kentucky tradition. However, behind the romanticized facade of Thoroughbred horse racing is a world of injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns and slaughter.
Horses are forced to run at such exorbitant speeds that they frequently suffer catastrophic and painful injuries, including hemorrhaging from the lungs. They are often pushed to the point of collapse, then given cocktails of legal and illegal drugs designed to mask their pain and enhance performance. As a result, horses die of traumatic injuries and from the overwhelming stress of the sport as a regular occurrence. Eight Belles and Medina Spirit are just two of the many beloved racehorses who died under these conditions.
The earliest racehorses were probably domesticated and bred for work rather than pure competition. They were ridden by saddle, which required the horse to learn to carry human weight, and led on a rope or lead line. In the 1600s, English immigrants to America began breeding and racing their horses. By the 1800s, the sport was so popular that it was like a national obsession, attracting millions of people to racetracks, where they dressed in elegant costumes and sipped mint juleps.
In the 1800s, the popularity of horse racing grew dramatically with the introduction of match races, which pitted champion horses from different regions against one another. These races were especially popular in Virginia, which quickly became the center of American racing. In addition to the matches, there were hundreds of other races throughout the country, many of which reflected regional issues such as slavery and sectionalism. As the number of races grew, so did interest in the sport and the revenue from wagering.
A horse that is expected to win a race is considered a favorite. A bet on a favorite is placed well in advance of the race, often a year or more. The odds of a favorite are listed on a race program, along with the name and race number of the horse.
The horse race industry is facing declining fan support and declining attendances at live events, as a result of a growing awareness of the dark side of the sport. Many racegoers have switched to other forms of gambling, and some have opted not to attend at all because they do not want to be exposed to the cruelty associated with horse racing. Despite these problems, horse racing has made some improvements to its practices in the last decade or so. These improvements have been motivated largely by a growing public concern for the welfare of animals. However, a comprehensive overhaul of the industry is needed to provide for adequate and equitable aftercare for racehorses when they leave the track.